A global search for Paul McCartney’s missing 1961 Höfner guitar ended successfully when the Beatles pop star was reunited with his guitar in December. McCartney bought the musical instrument in 1961 in Hamburg, Germany, for $38. The guitar was used in some of the classic Beatles hits, including Love Me Do and She Loves You. It was stolen from the back of a van in West London in 1972.
The search for the instrument was initiated last year when McCartney urged manufacturers Höfner to find his long-lost guitar. Nick Wass for Höfner, and Scott and Naomi Jones, two journalists, headed the search project named The Lost Bass Project.
Paul McCartney Reunites With His Beloved Guitar After 5 Decades
Paul McCartney last put down his Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass guitar after The Beatles finished filming Get Back in 1969. It was not clear where the guitar was stored or who might have been there when it went missing. McCartney approached Höfner to retrieve the bass instrument that made the Beatles. Scott and Naomi Jones, journalists who worked for BBC, saw the news of McCartney’s search for his guitar.
They went to Höfner who were already in talks to track down the guitar of their pop star client. Nick Wass from Höfner had the technical knowledge about the guitar and the Jones couple brought in their investigative skills. They launched The Lost Bass Project, releasing certain specifications of the guitar for amateur sleuths to spot the bass guitar, the most notable being the vertically written Höfner logo.
The investigation found that the guitar was stolen from the back of a van in London in 1972. In September 2023, a family living in a terraced house in Sussex reached out to The Lost Bass Project about an old bass guitar in their attic. It was taken to experts for verification and was reunited with Paul McCartney in December. The bass was complete and still with its original case, but required some repairs to make it playable again. A spokesperson for McCartney shared (via BBC):
“Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”
The Lost Bass Project, who solved one of the greatest mysteries in rock and roll history, was excited at the fact that they found McCartney’s beloved instrument. While the path to finding the missing guitar was filled with struggles, they were really happy to bring a smile to the Beatles singer. They told BBC:
“There were no leads, no evidence really where it might be. To have found it quite quickly is amazing and we’ve heard how thrilled Paul McCartney is to have it back. That’s just the icing on the cake to know that bloke we all love is smiling tonight because his old guitar is back.”
The team also believes that McCartney’s long-lost guitar, which originally cost $38, would become the most expensive guitar if it were to be sold in an auction. The current record holder is Kurt Cobain’s guitar which was sold for $6 million at an auction in 2020.
Paul McCartney’s Beatles Co-Singer Also Lost A Guitar Which Was Found Decades Later
While Paul McCartney reunited with his guitar in 2023, his Beatles co-singer John Lennon‘s long-lost guitar was found in 2014, years after his passing. The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein bought two 1962 Gibson J160e guitars from Rushworth’s Music Store in Liverpool in September 1962 for Lennon and George Harrison for $200 each. It was left behind after one of the Beatles’ legendary 1963 holiday concerts in London.
The guitar was also used to create some of the most famous works of The Beatles. The guitar was involved in the tracks: She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, and All My Loving. For decades, Lennon’s lost guitar hung on the wall of San Diego-based John McCaw’s house. McCaw revealed that he had bought it from a friend in 1969. His friend told him that he had bought the guitar from The Blue Guitar, a music store in San Diego. (via GuitarWorld.com)
McCaw realized his guitar was similar to George Harrison’s 1962 Gibson J160-E from a picture in the Guitar Aficionado magazine and contacted Beatles Gear author Andy Babiuk. Babiuk authenticated the instrument as belonging to John Lennon. The guitar was sold for a whopping $2.4 million at an auction.
