The Lost Bass Project – The search for Paul McCartney’s Lost Bass

The search is over! Beatles fans everywhere have celebrated since the bass was found by someone in their attic and returned to Paul. It has been a long journey!

It is perhaps the most iconic lost musical instrument of all time. Now it is back with the man who bought it all those years ago in 1961. Finally the bass is back where it belongs.

Paul McCartney purchased his first bass guitar, a Hofner 500/1 model, when he was in Hamburg in 1961.
But it was stolen in October 1972 and not seen again. We set out to find it!

This was the bass that powered Beatlemania. He used it in Hamburg for several residencies, he played it over 250 times at The Caven Club. It was used to record The Beatle’s first two albums – Please Please Me and With The Beatles. It’s the bass you hear on Love Me Do, Twist and Shout, All My Loving, She Loves You and other hit singles.

Although it was relegated to the backup bass late in 1963, it remained in use until the break up of The Beatles in 1969. It stayed with Paul until one dark, cold night in October 1972 when tragedy struck. Someone stole it in the night from a van used to transport equipment. We thought we would never see it again. But we have!

You can read all about it here.