Paul McCartney reunited with his iconic bass guitar 50 years after it was stolen

Every musician has a favorite instrument that holds a special place in their hearts. For Paul McCartney, that happened to be his violin-shaped 1961 electric Höfner bass guitar that went missing half a century ago. The instrument is now approximately valued at an eye-watering $12.6 million. McCartney had got the help of one of Höfner's executives, Nick Wass, to find the electric guitar that was pivotal in launching Beatlemania into the world, per Billboard.

Wass saw how much the guitar meant to McCartney and became determined to find it. McCartney had bought the Höfner bass guitar in 1961. McCartney had humble beginnings with the Höfner, purchasing it for a mere $37 from Hamburg, Germany, during one of the Beatles tours. He shared, "Because I was left-handed, it looked less daft because it was symmetrical. I got into that. And once I bought it, I fell in love with it."

McCartney played the instrument during the Beatle's first two records and also on hits such as "Love Me Do" and "She Loves You." Unfortunately, the instrument was taken from the band's van in 1972. Wass was determined to help find the bass guitar. It almost seemed like a long and arduous search for Wass, but fortunately, he was joined by Scott and Naomi Jones, a husband-and-wife journalist team, to spread the word about the search for the bass guitar. Jones felt like he could contribute to the search when he saw McCartney perform at the Glastonbury Festival in 2022. He wondered if the guitar that McCartney was playing had to be the same one that he used in the 60's.

A simple search on the internet revealed how fans of the Beatles had already put it up on a website called The Lost Bass to find the Höfner bass guitar. It almost seemed like they found the long-lost instrument, thanks to a lead related to a roadie for The Who. Unfortunately, that lead turned out to be a dead end, but the team continued the search using the website. Within 48 hours, they received over 600 emails which eventually led to a reliable lead from sound engineer Ian Horne, who used to work with McCartney's band, "Wings."

Horne revealed how the Höfner had been stolen from his van while it was parked in the Notting Hill area in London in 1972. McCartney told him that it was alright and he continued working with him for the next six years. Nevertheless, Horne felt quite guilty about the entire ordeal, which is why he also wanted the guitar to be found. Soon, they were contacted by an individual who claimed that his father had stolen the Höfner guitar from the back of the van.

Apparently, the thief was not intent on stealing McCartney's iconic guitar and became worried when he realized what he had. He ended up selling the guitar to Ron Guest for some money and a few beers. Guest's daughter-in-law, Cathy Guest, contacted McCartney's studio, revealing how the guitar was passed down by Ron to his sons and eventually ended up with her. Cathy Guest's son, Ruaidhri Guest, shared a post on X, saying, "I inherited this item which has been returned to Paul McCartney. Share the news."

He also revealed how the family had been asked by many to reveal the entire saga of the guitar and that he would do so after some time. The present value of the guitar was arrived at after a Gibson acoustic guitar that Kurt Cobain played while on MTV was priced at $6 million. Thankfully, the guitar has been returned to McCartney and the news has also been officially shared on the website, with a message stating how he was deeply grateful to everyone involved in the search.