Paul McCartney Recovers Stolen Bass After Over 50 Years

Beatles legend Paul McCartney had some surprise good news come his way last week. A bass guitar he used, a 1961 Höfner 500/1, was stolen back in 1972 in the Notting Hill area of London - and, after over 50 years of missing, it was at last returned to its rightful owner.

A grassroot campaign, spearheaded by journalist Scott Jones and Höfner executive Nick Wass, in pursuit of finding the famed instrument was started in 2018, known as the “Lost Bass Campaign”.

After 5 years of hard detective work, what even the organizers themselves probably didn’t believe could be done has been done: the bass guitar has been found.

After the hunt received some online publicity, a sound engineer named Ian Horne contacted Jones, claiming that he was working with McCartney’s new band “The Wings” at the time, and the bass was stolen off of his truck, something he felt guilty about for a long time. After that scoop went public, another man stepped forward, claiming that it was his father (!) that stole the bass.

According to the informant, the thief sold it off for a couple pounds and a few beers. A family member of the buyer was tracked down by the “detectives”. And thus, what has been dubbed “the most important bass in history" was found and returned to Paul McCartney himself. Its producer Höfner has managed to match the serial numbers and authenticate the item as well.

Beatles memorabilia can go for a lot - “the Fab Four” is still very popular across the world. For example, in December 2021, a bass McCartney used during his Wings days (not even as part of The Beatles…) sold for a whopping $496,100 at an auction.

The one returned to him just last week, which he played at the very beginning of The Beatles’ illustrious music career, is estimated to be worth around £10 million ($12.6 million). Given that McCartney bought it for a cool £30 in 1961, it’s a pretty good return on investment for him… That thief in London ended up making him a lot of money in the end.