McCartney reunited with his missing 'Beatlemania' bass guitar

A picture of the bass would be appropriate.

https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/15/long-lost-bass-guitar-returned-to-paul-mccartney-after-54-years

Why is this news??

Was a reward given?

It is entertainment news. Some people are interested in entertainment news and would like to read this. Entertainment news doesn't usually report on politics, crime, or catastrophic weather events.

Was a reward given?

Good question. I have looked and looked but can't find the answer to that. I hope so. The person could have kept shtum

The guitar is valued at £4-5 million.

The bass is in for repair. I hope to see it next time Sir Paul plays Tokyo.

The lady in the photo is Slyvie Vartan and though not relevant, I must say I prefer this photo to just another one of a violin-shaped bass.

Re: the captioned photo

I hadn't realized that Hofner bass was so attractive. No wonder he was still searching for her 50 years later. I imagine she has a few decades of wear and tear though.

The bass is in for repair. I hope to see it next time Sir Paul plays Tokyo.

It,s an amazing find!

I’m pretty sure Paul will play it live in the near future.

Did anyone notice - the photographer in the picture is John.

I hadn't realized that Hofner bass was so attractive

Yes, it’s a lovely looking instrument.

Classy.

considering the current owner almost certainly knew her possession was stolen, I'm not sure she deserves a reward.

Considering we don't know whether or not her possession was stolen

Err. whether or not she knew her possession was stolen...

Errrrrrrrrr her possession was stolen, yes. She possessed it and it was stolen.

Capiche?

The woman who returned Paul McCartney‘s bass guitar to the singer after it was lost for over half a century says she hopes to get a reward.

In the new interview, Guest stressed her precarious financial situation and said she had previously been offered a reward by McCartney’s team, which she hopes will still be the case.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/woman-returned-paul-mccartney-lost-152459300.html

Errrrrrrrrr her possession was stolen, yes. She possessed it and it was stolen

So she possessed it and it was stolen?

I’m a bit confused here. Do you mean someone stole it from her? That’s what it sounds like but I don’t get that from the article.

Do you mean she was in possession of stolen goods?

Yes, Jinizo. Thats exactly what was said.

The woman was married to the man who bought it many years ago. kept it and played it, they did.

They knew...

It was the bass that spawned the song "Get Back", much to the boredom of the rest of the band.

Get Back is the only Beatles tune that was not brought to the studio in a near complete form for the rest of the group to finish. You can watch the primordial experience on the Peter Jackson colorised movie. It is very gripping. Watch how George and Ringo react as the riff is worked out.

The find the bass project was no about blaming anyone, it was about returning an artefact and someone's possession.

It was the bass that spawned the song "Get Back", 

I'm no Beatlephile, but it was written by McCartney as a comment on anti-immigration sentiments

I'm no Beatlephile, but it was written by McCartney as a comment on anti-immigration sentiments

Ironic that if he'd been able to see sad old London today, he'd probably re-name it "Get Out"

The woman who returned the guitar did not know it was stolen until she saw a news article.

"Now, single mother Cathy Guest has revealed to The Sun that she discovered the bass in her attic following the death of her husband, and believes that he had inherited it from his brother."

kohakuebisuToday  09:13 am JST

The lady in the photo is Slyvie Vartan and though not relevant, I must say I prefer this photo to just another one of a violin-shaped bass.

He's got plenty of other violin-shaped basses. It's almost iconic for him.

wallaceToday  02:01 pm JST

The woman who returned the guitar did not know it was stolen until she saw a news article.

"Now, single mother Cathy Guest has revealed to The Sun that she discovered the bass in her attic following the death of her husband, and believes that he had inherited it from his brother."

This oddly reminds me of the early 1990s film 'The Red Violin' which detailed the 'adventures' and misplacement of an old special violin. It's about 30 years old now, not a 'classic' cookie-cutter manufactured drama but a real good movie. Worth checking out.

kohakuebisuToday  09:13 am JST

The lady in the photo is Slyvie Vartan and though not relevant, I must say I prefer this photo to just another one of a violin-shaped bass.

And Paul sure looks like a happy camper standing next to a goddess, doesn't he? ; )

It's lucky it didn't get junked or otherwise destroyed.

One reason why Paul liked the Hofner Bass was because he's left-handed and the bass is symmetrical in shape. But partly because Paul used it, it's overpriced and overrated. The pickups are weak, loses intonation, and the strings sometimes slide off the nut. The plus is that it's got unique tone. There are a lot better basses out there.

Peter Frampton has his legendary black Les Paul Custom returned to him after 31yrs after it was thought to have been destroyed in a plane crash in South America. The crash security guard didn't have security on his mind. He ended up paying a fortune to get it back after it was clearly stolen. So now he calls it the The Phenix. Great, underrated guitar player.

The woman who returned the guitar did not know it was stolen until she saw a news article.

"Now, single mother Cathy Guest has revealed to The Sun that she discovered the bass in her attic following the death of her husband, and believes that he had inherited it from his brother."

Ih dear, this comment didn’t age well:

considering the current owner almost certainly knew her possession was stolen, I'm not sure she deserves a reward.

Ih dear, this comment didn’t age well:

considering the current owner almost certainly knew her possession was stolen, I'm not sure she deserves a reward.

We know she didn't know because she says she didn't know. LOL

Guest revealed in an interview with The Sun that she slipped a hand-written letter into the guitar case before she returned it, explaining her financial situation as a single parent looking after two school children.

“My husband inherited it when another family member died and he’d had it for years,” she said. “He had no idea where it came from. He was a keen musician and used to play all the guitars at home, including Paul’s bass. We both loved music and I still go to gigs every weekend.”

https://www.nme.com/news/music/woman-who-returned-paul-mccartneys-stolen-bass-guitar-hoping-for-reward-3589566

Yeah, I'm sure this music lover had no idea he was playing a stolen McCartney Bass and certainly would not have shared that little nugget with his wife had he known..lol

Yeah, I'm sure this music lover had no idea he was playing a stolen McCartney Bass and certainly would not have shared that little nugget with his wife had he known..lol

That says a lot about you. Not something I would want said about me…

Yeah, I'm sure this music lover had no idea he was playing a stolen McCartney Bass and certainly would not have shared that little nugget with his wife had he known..lol

That says a lot about you. Not something I would want said about me…

That I would certainly divulge to my wife I had Paul McCartney's stolen bass?

well, I guess you don't trust your wife like I do mine....

I think it lay in the attic forgotten about. Remember readers, in the olden days, before the web, pictures of our favorite stars and their equipment were very few and far between. It is quite possible that the bass was put away a long time ago and simply forgotten about.

The thing is though, in the Get Back movie, the bass had stickers on it; "Bass man" and the set list of the Beatles last ever live performance. They seem to have been removed. Does the family still have them?

It is quite possible that the bass was put away a long time ago and simply forgotten about.

not forgotten at all;

“My husband inherited it when another family member died and he’d had it for years,” she said. “He had no idea where it came from. He was a keen musician and used to play all the guitars at home, including Paul’s bass. 

Come on. They knew what they had.

Come on. They knew what they had

Then why not flog it on the black market? I'm a cup half full kind of guy. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

Then why not flog it on the black market? I'm a cup half full kind of guy. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

You can sell a pair of Air Jordans or iPhone 15s on the black market. Paul McCartney's million(s) dollar Hofner bass? Not so much.

They were stuck with stolen goods they couldn't sell. Hence the "We just found it in the attic" story.

Great to see the bass back in Paul's hands soon.

I'm sure the woman returning it had absolutely no idea that the little German bass guitar in her attic was for decades one of the world's most hunted instruments! Sir Paul will sort her out with a little reward one imagines. But I'm pretty sure the prime motive for returning it was certainly not the cash reward.

Amazing and heart-warming story!

Elvis is hereFeb. 20  03:36 pm JST

I think it lay in the attic forgotten about. Remember readers, in the olden days, before the web, pictures of our favorite stars and their equipment were very few and far between. It is quite possible that the bass was put away a long time ago and simply forgotten about.

It's that way with everything. The Strand (a pre-Sex Pistols band) stole David Bowie's gear. And Bon Scott's bagpipes were placed backstage before an AC/DC concert. Somebody snitched them and they were never recovered.

The thing is though, in the Get Back movie, the bass had stickers on it; "Bass man" and the set list of the Beatles last ever live performance. They seem to have been removed. Does the family still have them?

Just watch. Somebody on eBay will come up with that, now that you mentioned it. Almost any shill can get away with selling anything there. Remember the water (sealed in a special capsule) from a cup of shaved ice from a 1977 Elvis show? Or an EMI Studio toilet paper roll that the Beatles did not use because it was 'too rough for their bums'? Big bucks! And you know what PT Barnum said.

He's got plenty of other violin-shaped basses. It's almost iconic for him. 

It’s all about which instrument you feel comfortable with McCartney acquired this instrument in 1961 and used it extensively during the early years of The Beatles. The Hofner bass is known for its distinctive violin-like shape, lightweight design, and warm, woody tone. The Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass features a hollow body with a violin-shaped design, a spruce top, and flamed maple back and sides.

The bass is equipped with two “Staple” humbucking pickups, which results in a more warmer tone contributing to its unique and recognizable sound they’re known for. It was one of the first bass company to build a left-handed version for Paul and has specific features, such as the left-handed orientation to accommodate his playing style and a distinctive control plate with arrow symbols. I played the bass on a few occasions, it has a more midrange sounding tone, one reason because of its size-build and that it’s hollow. Not my cup of tea at all. But if you are a collector (and I am) I own one, don’t like playing it, not enough growl for me, but it is definitely a cool collectors piece cod sure.

This oddly reminds me of the early 1990s film 'The Red Violin' which detailed the 'adventures' and misplacement of an old special violin.

Which was inspired by a historic 1720 Stradivarius violin nicknamed the "Red Mendelssohn".

*It's about 30 years old now, not a 'classic' cookie-cutter manufactured drama but a real good movie. Worth checking out.*

If you’re a musician, especially if you’re a classical string instrumentalist it is a great movie. Absolutely love that movie. I had a chance to play on a Strad and I don’t even have the words to even describe the perfect tones that resonates from that instrument and now I deeply understand why it’s THE most sought after string classical instrument on the planet that goes for half a million and in some cases over. The Hofner bass is nowhere near anything like that on a build level, but because of who played it, it has definitely become a collectible instrument to just have more than anything else.

Come back when you are world famous and let us know how it's going

TokyoLivingFeb. 20  07:18 am JST

Why is this news??

It's that way with everything. The Strand (a pre-Sex Pistols band) stole David Bowie's gear. And Bon Scott's bagpipes were placed backstage before an AC/DC concert. Somebody snitched them and they were never recovered. 

Many many musicians had their instruments stolen, from Hendrix to Jaco Pistorius and his “bass of doom” to Mark King’s “Status bass” guitar, roadies are people and some get greedy and star struck as well and they often take and snag items this has been an ongoing problem for years and it’s hard to keep people from doing this.

Just watch. Somebody on eBay will come up with that, now that you mentioned it. Almost any shill can get away with selling anything there. Remember the water (sealed in a special capsule) from a cup of shaved ice from a 1977 Elvis show? Or an EMI Studio toilet paper roll that the Beatles did not use because it was 'too rough for their bums'? Big bucks! And you know what PT Barnum said.

True, very true.

bass4funk The Hofner bass is nowhere near anything like that on a build level, but because of who played it, it has definitely become a collectible instrument to just have more than anything else.

Sometimes that's all that matters. I remember seeing on MTV the video for Daryl Hall's solo hit 'Foolish Pride' and he had a custom made guitar in it, one of only three models.

And may I mention the mighty Prince with his famous white 'cloud' guitar used in 'Purple Rain'. Only three of those were ever made. Three!

*And may I mention the mighty Prince with his famous white 'cloud' guitar used in 'Purple Rain'. Only three of those were ever made. Three!*

But those guitars were exclusively made and licensed by Schecter. Personally, not sure how The Purple midget could play with that design, but he could. I just got back from NAMM last week and there was a buzz about a prototype bass that was specifically designed that matched Prince’s persona, sadly he died just weeks before it was presented to him, definitely it was one of a kind instrument.