A 1961 Höfner bass guitar, purchased by Paul McCartney, has finally been returned to the former Beatle following an extensive global effort to recover the stolen instrument.
The bass guitar, featured prominently in recordings of iconic Beatles hits like "Love Me Do" and "Twist and Shout," vanished without a trace after being stolen in 1972, The Washington Post reported.
As part of a dedicated project established to solve the mystery, Beatles fans rallied to assist in locating the guitar and reuniting it with its renowned owner.
"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," a statement cited by the Post said Thursday. McCartney, it added, "is incredibly grateful to all those involved."
The organizers of the crowdsourcing initiative, the Lost Bass Project, established in 2018 to locate the stolen instrument, said they were "thrilled" and "proud to have played a significant role" in its rediscovery.
"It has been a dream since 2018 that it could be done. Despite many telling us that it was lost forever or destroyed, we persisted until it was back where it belonged," the statement said.
During a 2022 performance by McCartney at Glastonbury, British journalist Scott Jones said he began to wonder about the bass guitar the musician was playing.
He questioned whether it was the same one McCartney bought in Hamburg in 1961 and used to record the Beatles' first two albums. Though later used as a backup, McCartney continued to play it until the group disbanded in 1969.
Jones and his wife Naomi, both journalists with a background in research and investigations, contacted Nick Wass, a McCartney collaborator with connections to Höfner who had launched the project. They reached out to see if they could lend a hand.
The Lost Bass Project contacted over 600 people for help, receiving around 100 leads and suggestions. One of these tips revealed that the bass was stolen from a van in London's Notting Hill area one October night in 1972.
This breakthrough was pivotal in the case.
They managed to identify the thief, whom they have chosen not to name in line with the project's commitment to confidentiality. Further investigation revealed that the thief had sold the bass to a pub landlord named Ronald Guest.
According to Jones, the instrument was handed down through the Guest family. Eventually, a resident in southern England reached out to McCartney's company to return the bass. Höfner subsequently confirmed the authenticity of the bass guitar as belonging to McCartney.
The Lost Bass project stated that the guitar was intact and still housed in its original case.
"It has some damage but will be repaired and made playable again," it added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.