The Höfner violin bass guitar, recognized as the one that made the Beatles, is a distinctive left-handed instrument that is being globally searched for by Nick Wass, as reported by the BBC. This iconic bass, played by Paul McCartney throughout the 1960s, was last seen during the filming of “Get Back” in 1969. Its current whereabouts remain unknown, and McCartney has sought assistance in locating it, leading to Wass’ Lost Bass project. The Höfner is considered the most important bass in history, and the ultimate goal of this search is to reunite McCartney with his beloved guitar.
McCartney purchased the Höfner bass at a Steinway shop in Hamburg, Germany, during the Beatles’ four-month residency at the Top Ten Club in 1961, according to CBS News. This purchase marked McCartney’s transition into becoming the band’s bass player. The main draw of the instrument, as McCartney revealed in a 1993 interview with Guitar Magazine, was its affordable price of approximately $38, equivalent to $585 today. He wanted to avoid going into debt and instantly fell in love with the bass after buying it. McCartney played the Höfner on several Beatles hits, including “Love Me Do,” “She Loves You,” and “Twist and Shout,” as well as during shows at Liverpool’s Cavern Club.
At the time of its disappearance, the bass had undergone some modifications. It received a respray and was given a three-part, dark sunburst polyurethane finish. The original pearl pickguard was removed, and the two pickups were mounted on a single piece of black wood, relays the BBC. Notably, the Höfner logo on the headstock appears vertically on this bass, whereas later models McCartney played featured a horizontal logo. There is a precedent in Beatles history for the retrieval of lost instruments. John Lennon’s Gibson acoustic guitar, on which he wrote “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” went missing during the Beatles’ Christmas Show in 1963, only to resurface after half a century and fetch $2.5 million at auction. Information about the whereabouts of the Höfner bass can be shared here. (The Rolling Stones, contemporaries of the Beatles, made an announcement Monday.)
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
