Paul McCartney launches social media search for bass used on Beatles classics

03 September 2023 , 20:16

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Paul playing the instrument in 1963 (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Sir Paul McCartney is so desperate to have back the lost bass he played on She Loves You that he’s asked its makers to find it for him.

The Beatle was an unknown teenager when he bought his first Hofner 500/1 for £30 in Hamburg in 1961. He used it to record some of the Fab Four’s biggest hits, as well as for early gigs in the German city and Liverpool. The electric bass vanished in the late Sixties but Hofner are on the case.

Executive Nick Wass said: “I’ve worked closely with Paul’s team over the years, and when I’ve met Paul, we’ve talked about his first Hofner bass and where it could be today. Paul said to me, ‘Hey, because you’re from Hofner, couldn’t you help find my bass?’ And that’s what sparked this great hunt. Sitting there, seeing what the lost bass means to Paul, I was determined to solve the mystery.”

Exact replicas of McCartney's famous bass (PA)

The new search was launched with the hashtag #tracingthebass on social media and invites anyone with any information regarding its whereabouts to come forward. After being his go-to bass from 1961 to 1963, the Hofner was put on side for a while.

Sir Paul then picked it up again in January 1969, when The Beatles were in London recording the sessions for their final studio album Let It Be. Experts believe it could be worth up to £10million, although it is absolutely priceless to Macca.

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