A worldwide search is underway for a guitar that Paul McCartney used in the recordings of iconic songs like Love Me Do, She Loves You and Twist and Shout.
The original Hofner bass guitar owned by the Beatles legend is now the focus of a worldwide search organised by The Loss Bass Project, which has dubbed it “the most important bass in history.”
McCartney acquired this instrument in 1961 for £30 (RM176) while in Hamburg, Germany. However, it mysteriously disappeared eight years later. Today, this guitar could potentially be valued at over £10 million (RM59 million).
Between 1961 and 1963, McCartney frequently performed with the violin-shaped Hofner 500/1 electric bass until it vanished shortly before the Beatles disbanded during the end of the Beatlemania era.
The guitar’s last known sighting dates back to the days before McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison famously performed on the rooftop of their Savile Row offices in 1969.
The musician has called upon Hofner, the guitar manufacturer, to assist in locating his missing instrument, triggering a worldwide effort to find it.
Nick Wass, a collaborator of McCartney who has authored a book about the vanished guitar, is leading the search initiative. He has joined forces with two journalists in their endeavour to unravel this rock ‘n’ roll mystery.
Wass shared with the BBC that he speculates the guitar may have been stored away following the completion of filming for Get Back in 1969.
“It’s not clear where it was stored or who might have been there,” he said. “For most people, they will remember it. It is the bass that made the Beatles.”
The campaign has released images of the original bass guitar, along with a detailed timeline of its journey from purchase to disappearance, while also providing guidance on how to identify counterfeit versions.
Wass stated, “Someone, somewhere, knows what happened to this bass and where it is now. This information is out there if only the right person would come forward.”
On the Lost Bass Project website, there’s a heartfelt appeal: “With a little help from our friends – from fans and musicians to collectors and music shops – we can get the bass back to where it once belonged. Paul has given us so much over the last 62 years. The Lost Bass project is our chance to give something back.”
