Paul McCartney Reunited with Long-Lost Hofner Bass
The Beatles star was reunited with his unique 1961 electric Höfner, shaped like a violin, that disappeared 50 years ago and is now valued at 10 million pounds ($12.6 million). This was made possible by a five-year search conducted by the instrument's manufacturer, with the assistance of a journalist couple.
On Friday (Feb. 16), Scott Jones, a journalist who collaborated with Höfner executive Nick Wass to locate it, revealed that McCartney had requested Höfner's assistance in finding the lost instrument that had sparked Beatlemania worldwide. Wass recalled, “Paul said to me, ‘Hey, because you’re from Höfner, couldn’t you help find my bass?’” This request ignited the extensive search. "Seeing what the lost bass means to Paul, I was determined to solve the mystery," Wass added.
In 1961, when The Beatles were honing their skills during several residencies in Hamburg, Germany, McCartney purchased the bass for approximately 30 pounds ($37). The instrument was used on the Beatles' first two albums and was featured in hits such as “Love Me Do,” “Twist and Shout,” and “She Loves You.”
McCartney once commented, “Because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical.” He added, "I got into that. And once I bought it, I fell in love with it."
It was speculated that the bass was stolen around the time The Beatles were recording their final album, Let it Be, in 1969. However, the exact time it went missing remained uncertain.
Wass's quest to locate the bass gained momentum when Jones unexpectedly joined the search after watching McCartney headline the Glastonbury Festival in 2022. At one point, the stage lights seemed to highlight nothing but the sunburst pattern on his bass, leading Jones to wonder if it was the same instrument McCartney had played in the early ‘60s.
Jones was shocked when he later discovered online that the original bass was missing and a search was underway for it. “I was staggered, I was amazed,” Jones expressed. "I think we live in a world where The Beatles could do almost anything and it would get a lot of attention."
Jones and his wife, Naomi, both journalists and researchers, reached out to Wass to disseminate the information more widely.
After reaching a dead end with a tip about a roadie for The Who, they relaunched The Lost Bass Project in September. Within 48 hours, they received 600 emails containing the “little gems that led us to where we are today,” according to Jones.
One of these emails was from sound engineer Ian Horne, who had worked with McCartney’s band Wings. This was the first major breakthrough in the search. Horne revealed that the bass had been stolen from the back of his van one night in the Notting Hill area of London in 1972.
The researchers posted this new information on their website in October, noting that Horne said McCartney told him not to worry about the theft and that he continued working for him for another six years.
“But I’ve carried the guilt all my life,” Horne confessed.
After that update was published, they received a significant lead from someone who claimed their father had stolen the bass. The man hadn't intended to steal McCartney's instrument and panicked when he realized what he had done, Jones explained.
The thief, who remained anonymous, eventually sold it to Ron Guest, the landlord of the Admiral Blake pub, in exchange for a few pounds and some beers.
As the Joneses began searching for Guest's relatives, his family had already heard the news. His daughter-in-law contacted McCartney’s studio.
Cathy Guest revealed that the old bass that had been stored in her attic for years resembled the one they were searching for.
The instrument had been passed down from Ron Guest to his eldest son, who died in a car accident, and then to a younger son, Haydn Guest, who was Cathy's husband and passed away in 2020.
The instrument was returned to McCartney in December, and it took about two months to verify its authenticity.The project intended to break the news, but Cathy Guest's son, Ruaidhri Guest, a 21-year-old film student, preempted them. He shared photos of the guitar on X, previously known as Twitter, on Tuesday and wrote: “I inherited this item which has been returned to Paul McCartney. Share the news.” On Friday, he posted another message stating that the family was overwhelmed with requests for interviews and would share their story in due course. Jones commented, “The thief couldn’t sell it,” and added, “Clearly, the Guest family never tried to sell it. It’s a red alert because the minute you come forward someone’s going to go, ‘That’s Paul McCartney’s guitar.’”
The instrument is now back in McCartney's possession. His official website posted a message announcing its return, expressing that “Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”