Sir Paul McCartney has been reunited with his bass guitar, the iconic Hofner 500/1, on which he strummed the timeless tunes “Twist And Shout” and “She Loves You” during his tenure with The Beatles after it mysteriously disappeared over 50 years ago.
The legendary instrument, now valued at approximately £10 million, vanished in 1972, believed to have been pilfered from the back of a van in Notting Hill, London.
Its location remained a mystery for decades until 2018 when The Lost Bass Project, a dedicated group determined to locate the German-made instrument, initiated a search.
Initially progressing at a sluggish pace, the search gained momentum following extensive media attention, prompting a flood of leads and offers of assistance from around the globe.
Following a tip-off suggesting it had been stolen, the team, which includes Hofner executive Nick Wass, traced the violin-shaped bass to an alleged sale to a pub landlord in the Ladbroke Grove area.
The project suspected that the bass had remained within the landlord’s family all these years.
After numerous TV interviews and extensive media coverage, the group announced that the instrument had been discovered in the attic of a house in Hastings, located on the south coast of England.
As a result of the widespread publicity, the owner recognized the significance of the item and promptly returned the bass to Sir Paul’s company in December. Subsequently, it underwent authentication procedures to confirm its legitimacy.
The bass, still intact and housed in its original case, will require some repairs to restore its playability, the project noted in a statement.
A spokesperson for the former Beatle expressed Sir Paul’s profound gratitude to all those who participated in the search for the instrument.
Now revered as one of the most iconic instruments in music history, Sir Paul acquired the bass for a mere £30 during his time in Hamburg, Germany, back in 1961.
Speaking in a 1966 interview with Beat Instrumental, McCartney remarked, “I have had a Hofner ever since I started. I’ve got three models but the ancient one is still my favourite. It has seen so much work that some of it is held with sellotape!”
Throughout his decade-long tenure with the band, McCartney extensively utilized the bass, including on their first two albums, “Please Please Me” and “With The Beatles.”
