The 51-Year Journey Of Paul McCartney’s Bass Coming Back To Him

Few musical instruments have generated as much buzz as Paul McCartney’s missing bass. The iconic Höfner bass even got its own website dedicated to its return. But what’s the story behind this legendary instrument going missing and eventually coming back? The tale is fascinating, to say the least.

The Search for the Missing Bass and Its Priceless Value

The bass in question is a 1961 electric Höfner with a violin-shaped body. It was the bass McCartney used when he started his career with The Beatles, making it an invaluable piece of music history. Estimated to be worth over $12 million, it went missing more than 50 years ago, around the time the Fab Four were recording their final album in 1969. However, no one was sure exactly when or how it disappeared.

Years after the bass was stolen, McCartney reached out to Höfner for help in tracking it down. In the early 2020s, journalist Scott Jones partnered with the company to locate the missing instrument. They followed a lead from an old roadie for The Who, but hit a dead end. That was until an email from sound engineer Ian Horne sparked the breakthrough they were hoping for.

The bass had been stolen from Horne’s van in 1972 while he was working with Wings. Horne was devastated by the loss, but McCartney reassured him not to worry, and they continued working together. “I felt guilty about it my whole life,” Horne later admitted.

The Unexpected Twist

After Horne’s update was shared publicly, the team received an unexpected message. A person claimed that their father had stolen the bass, but panicked once he realized it was McCartney’s prized instrument. The thief was never named, but it was said he sold it to a landlord named Ron Guest. It turns out the bass had been sitting in Guest’s daughter-in-law’s attic for years. Cathy Guest reached out, and soon after, the bass was on its way back to McCartney.

The Bass Is Back in Action

In December 2023, McCartney was reunited with his beloved instrument. The team spent a few months verifying its authenticity before confirming that it was, indeed, the bass. McCartney wasted no time putting it back to use. In December 2024, he performed with Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood in London, proudly using his old Höfner bass.

So, what makes this bass so special? McCartney bought it for just $37 in 1961 during a tour in Germany. The violin-shaped body was perfect for him as a left-handed player. “Because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical,” McCartney once said. “I got into that. And once I bought it, I fell in love with it.”

Now, this little piece of musical history is back where it belongs—and McCartney is still rocking it today!