The search for Paul McCartney’s first Höfner bass begins
Back before Beatlemania really kicked into gear, Paul McCartney bought his beloved and iconic first-ever Höfner electric bass at the Steinway Musikhaus for just £30, but the legendary instrument has been lost for several decades.
The German musical instrument makers are now launching a search project called The Lost Bass Project, asking anyone with any remote information about the bass’ location to get in touch. The bass was last spotted just before The Beatles broke up over 50 years ago.
McCartney once spoke of the bass, noting (via The Guardian), “For about £30, I found this Höfner violin bass. And to me, because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical. I got into that. And once I bought it, I fell in love with it.”
Nick Wass, a former marketing manager and electric guitar developer who worked at Höfner for 12 years, pointed out the fact that McCartney had used the bass on the first Abbey Road recordings and the songs ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Twist and Shout’.
“Isn’t that enough alone to get this bass back?” Wass said. “I know, because I talked with him about it, that Paul would be so happy – thrilled – if this bass could get back to him. While nobody really knows what happened to the bass, it was very likely stolen. To this day, it remains a mystery.
He continued, “But someone, somewhere, knows what happened to this bass and where it is now. This information is out there if only the right person would come forward.”
So, the search to find McCartney’s “favourite” bass is well underway.
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