The most expensive bass guitar of all time
A crucial part of what makes popular music such a potent cultural force is the mythos attached to its most prominent names. Nowhere is this more true than in classic rock, a genre that naturally formed many famous myths and legends attached to everyone from The Rolling Stones to Harry Nilsson.
Accordingly, for decades, the memorabilia market from this era has been awash with items inextricable from the story of genre favourites, with iconic instruments sold for eye-watering sums.
From Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E selling for $6million to George Michael beating the Gallagher brothers at auction to purchase John Lennon’s ‘Imagine Piano’ for $1.5m, an array of classic instruments have been sold for enormous amounts. This makes a lot of sense, of course, given that they were the paintbrush with which influential musicians created their defining sonic illustrations.
While electric guitars have been the most successful instrument at auction, famous basses, the weapons of some of the fans’ favourite rhythmic masters, have also been gone for unbelievable sums. Not only does this speak to the significance of their former masters, but also how the bass is a much more culturally essential beast than commentators often give it credit for.
What is the most expensive bass guitar of all time?
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive bass guitar in history was owned by the rhythmic commander of the world’s most important band, The Beatles. Ironically, though, it wasn’t Paul McCartney’s famous left-handed Hofner that went for so much; that had already sold at auction in 2013 for $204,800.
At a 2021 charity auction of guitars organised by U2 axeman The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin, which traded instruments played by the likes of Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen and Slash, Paul McCartney’s Yamaha BB-1200 “Wings” bass, which he played in the studio and on the road during his time in Wings, became the most expensive bass of all time.
Fetching $496,100 (£374,905), the instrument beat the previous record set in 2020 by the 1969 Fender Mustang that Rolling Stone Bill Wyman played on a string of famous songs. Wyman’s classic model, boasting a distinctive Competition Orange finish, was purchased for $384,000 (£300,000).
As a fascinating extra point, the Yamaha BB-1200 is not even the bass most closely associated with McCartney during his Wings years. That honour goes to the stripped finish Rickenbacker 4001S, which the Liverpudlian heavily used from Rubber Soul onwards. He used it on the ‘Wings over the World’ tour, which was immortalised in the concert film Rockshow.
What are the other most expensive bass guitars?
Interestingly, Bill Wyman’s Mustang does not take the second spot. That was secured in December 2023 by the late ZZ Top hero Dusty Hill. At ‘The Collection of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top’ auction by Julien’s, which featured items of clothing and other exclusive pieces, his 1953 butterscotch Fender Precision, which was used in the studio and on the road and featured on the cover of 1975’s Fandango! was sold for $393,700 (£313,830).
After the sale, Hill’s widow, Charleen McCrory, commented: “Dusty would be so pleased to know his bass is between a Beatle and a Rolling Stone!”
Watch Paul McCartney playing his Yamaha BB-1200 with Wings below.
