Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner bass has been returned

After being missing for more than 50 years, Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner has been found.

The Lost Bass Project has been searching for McCartney’s bass since 2018. Back in September it took the search global, determined to find the instrument, which has been described as “the most important bass in history.”

McCartney purchased the bass in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961 and used it to write such classics as “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You.” Initially it was believed to have last been seen in 1969, following the filming of Get Back, but a tip led to the discovery that it had actually been stolen in 1972 from a truck parked in Notting Hill, West London.

On Wednesday McCartney announced on his website that the bass is finally back in his possession.

“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,” the post reads. “The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”

“We are extremely proud that we played a major part in finding the Lost Bass,” The Lost Bass Project shared on its site. “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.”