Reunited 51 years after their separation.
Paul McCartney has found the bass with which he composed many of the Beatles' hits, including "Love Me Do" and "She Loves You," more than half a century after it was stolen from the back of a van in London, reports the BBC.
This Höfner brand bass was found in the attic of a family in Sussex (south-east of the United Kingdom) thanks to research carried out as part of the Lost Bass project, launched in September by the instrument brand.
A bass purchased in Germany in the early 1960s
Paul McCartney bought this model
Höfner 500/1 in 1961 during the group's residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg (Germany).
On his return to England, the instrument accompanied him on stage at the Cavern club in Liverpool, the musical birthplace of the Beatles.
Nicknamed “The Cavern Bass”, the bass would not leave his side until 1963, replaced by another Höfner.
This is the one that we hear on the Beatles' first single "Love Me Do" in 1962 and on the group's first two albums "Please Please Me" and "With The Beatles" in 1963. Even more legendary, Paul McCartney played it on the hits "She Loves You", "Twist and Shout" and during recordings at Abbey Road studio.
Also read: Where is Paul McCartney's lost bass?
A call launched to find her
Paul McCartney recovered the bass in December, and the instrument was authenticated by the brand that had coordinated the search to find it.
“Paul is incredibly grateful to everyone involved,” insisted his spokesperson.
" This is the icing on the cake "
The team behind the Lost Bass project said they were delighted to have solved the case, which they called "the greatest mystery in the history of rock and roll", to the BBC.
“There were no leads, no evidence of where she could be,” journalist Scott Jones, who joined the team last year with his wife Naomi, told the British channel. research led by Höfner bass expert Nick Wass.
“It’s the icing on the cake to know that this guy that we all love is smiling tonight because his old guitar is back,” he concluded.