When was Paul McCartney's Höfner bass stolen? Details explored as musician reunites with instrument decades later

Legendary musician Paul McCartney had a memorable reunion with his long-lost Höfner bass. The bass was stolen 51 years ago, when The Beatles were recording their last album together.

McCartney's website announced the news with the following statement:

"Following the launch of last year’s Lost Bass Project, Paul’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned. The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved."

The Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass was made famous by Paul McCartney, who loved the instrument because it has a symmetrical shape. As per McCartney, he looked "less daft" using the bass since he was a left-handed guitarist and other bass guitars did not look good left-handed.

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Paul McCartney's Höfner Violin Bass went missing in 1972 and stayed with a family for 51 years

Paul McCartney was only 19 when he bought the Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass for £30. The Beatles were still finding their footing in the world of rock, and the bass guitar was eventually used to record some of their most iconic songs.

As per the BBC, the bass was purchased when The Beatles were touring pubs in Hamburg, Germany, and stayed with McCartney till 1972, when the band had already broken up. McCartney was heading the band Wings when the bass was stolen from their van parked in Ladbroke Grove. The musician lost hope in looking for his favorite bass guitar.

Paul McCartney's stolen Höfner bass started an endeavor known as the Lost Bass Project in 2018. The crowdsourced initiative was set up exclusively to help McCartney find his beloved instrument after it was stolen back in 1972. Even Höfner backed up the project by making the search global.

The Lost Bass Project played a massive role in getting the bass back to its rightful owner after all these years. Investigators Scott and Naomi Jones finally traced the guitar to a pub in West London after years of searching for it. Ruaidhri Guest, a student, posted a picture of the instrument on social media on Tuesday. He stated that he had inherited it and that its original owner (McCartney) had since received it back.

The Lost Bass Project received numerous tips about the stolen bass from all over the world, and the two investigators filtered through countless e-mails before they got information from a roadie named Ian Horne.

As per the roadie, the thief took it back to his local pub and asked the landlord to stash it since it was "too hot to handle."

As per Scott:

“[The guitar] has not left that family so we went to the landlord’s house. The home above the pub, and it stayed in that family for the last 51 years.”

The Lost Bass Project made a public appeal about the bass last year. They made the following remark when the bass was finally traced:

“As a result of the publicity someone living in a terraced house in Hastings on the south coast of England contacted Paul McCartney’s company and then returned the bass to them.”

As per Reuters, the bass guitar was "somewhat damaged," with a crack in the neck, a damaged bridge that would need replacing, and pickups that were also not functioning anymore. However, the bass can be repaired, and the legendary Beatle has been reunited with his iconic instrument.