Paul McCartney’s stolen guitar that “started Beatlemania” was returned after 50 years

Paul McCartney got back the stolen guitar that “started Beatlemania” after half a century

Paul McCartney expressed incredible gratitude to those who returned his beloved bass guitar, stolen more than 50 years ago. Information about this was published on the artist’s official website.

A unique instrument, a 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, was used by Paul McCartney during the recording of the first two Beatles albums. Its solos, in particular, can be heard in such hits as Twist and Shout and Love Me Do. The musician then played as a backing bass for the rest of his time in the band, as well as in his own band, Wings.

The guitar was stolen in 1972 in Notting Hill (London) from the van of sound engineers who brought the instrument to the recording of the Wings album. It was found after the executive director of the bass guitar manufacturing company, Nick Weiss, decided to implement the Lost Bass Project. This idea was born in 2018, and McCartney’s legendary lost bass guitar was, of course, first on the list. The history of the search was told by CNN.

Nick Weiss and two enthusiastic journalists, Scott and Naomi Jones, were unable to follow the trail for a long time. It was long believed that the guitar had been lost earlier, in 1969, shortly before the Beatles’ final rooftop concert.

In October 2023, McCartney’s sound engineers recalled that they had taken the instrument with them to a recording session at Paul’s request in 1972, left the bass guitar in the van, and then failed to find it. Around the same time, Nick Weiss received an email from an unknown man who said that his father had stolen the guitar at that time. He clarified that the thief took the instrument to the owner of the nearby Admiral Blake bar and asked him to hide it better.

“The evidence suggests that the thief did not initially know what he was stealing that night. I think initially it was just a guitar for him, and only later did he find out that it was Paul McCartney’s bass guitar,” said journalist Scott Jones.

It took several months to check the facts and find the tool itself. It was eventually found in Hastings, a town on the south coast of England) and its restoration.

The guitar is slightly damaged and needs some cosmetic repairs. However, according to experts, the legendary signature sound has not gone away.