When it comes to holding records, few bands come close to the legendary Beatles. Throughout their time on stage, the band sold a staggering 600 million albums worldwide and landed the top spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest artists in history. Gaining a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, members like Paul McCartney received 18 Grammy Awards for his contributions to music. While an icon in the music industry, McCartney recently reunited with a famous instrument taken from him over 50 years ago.
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Throughout his time in the spotlight, McCartney watched as the Beatles not only entertained fans from all over the world but made history with almost every song they released. While enjoying his time with the iconic band, he often recalled his favorite Höfner electric bass guitar. Knowing that he would most likely never see the instrument again, fans decided to create The Lost Bass Project, which hoped to locate the missing instrument. And thanks to the group’s leaders, former Höfner GmbH marketing manager Nick Wass, producer Naomi Jones, and former BBC journalist Scott Jones, the project received over 100 tips just last year, with one leading them to the bass guitar.
Releasing a statement after locating the instrument, the Lost Bass Project wrote, “We are extremely proud that we played a major part in finding the Lost Bass. It has been a dream since 2018 that it could be done. Despite many telling us that it was lost forever or destroyed, we persisted until it was back where it belonged.” The statement continued, “We want to thank everyone who helped with the search, all those who sent us leads and ideas and many who just wanted to lend their support to us.”
Paul McCartney Used The Guitar For Famous Recordings
As for what happened to the guitar, apparently, the Beatles lost the Höfner in 1972 after a person took it from their van. Fans used the tip to trace it to the Admiral Blake pub in London. According to the owner, a person sold it to the pub, although the group claimed, “We suspected that the Lost Bass had probably stayed in the same family ever since.”
Much like McCartney, the Höfner shares a great deal of history with the Beatles. The musician used the guitar to record songs like “Twist and Shout”, “Love Me Do”, “She Loves You”, and even some of the Abbey Road sessions. With the instrument returned to its rightful owner, the Lost Bass Project concluded, “Thank you all so very much. Very much indeed! We did it!”
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )
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