Paul McCartney's Stolen Bass Guitar Has Been Returned 50 Years Later After Beatles Fans Organized a Search

One of the most famous bass guitars in history has been found and returned to its owner after it was stolen in 1972

Thanks to the “Help!” of devoted Beatles fans, Paul McCartney has been reunited with his bass guitar that was stolen decades ago.

On Wednesday, an official statement was shared on the music legend's website to announce that his iconic Höfner electric bass guitar — stolen over 50 years ago — was found and returned to his possession.

The news came several months after a team of fans launched The Lost Bass Project in an attempt to track down the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which has been called one of the “most important bass in history” and was lost sometime after 1969.

“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 statement posted to McCartney’s website said. “The guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.”

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According to a statement on The Lost Pass Project’s website, the instrument was found with its original case and will be playable again after receiving some minor repairs.

The group — which was helmed by former Höfner GmbH marketing manager Nick Wass, former BBC journalist Scott Jones and television producer Naomi Jones — also explained how they found the bass after they received “over 100 leads” last year.

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They shared that “the breakthrough [they] needed” came when they received a tip that the Höfner was stolen from a van in London in October 1972. The devout fans then found out that the thief sold it to the owner of the Admiral Blake pub in London and went from there.

Related: Paul McCartney Says an Early Beatles Car Accident Led to Mantra That Helped Their Careers: 'Something Will Happen'

“We suspected that the Lost Bass had probably stayed in the same family ever since,” the group wrote.

The Lost Bass Project also shared a statement about how thrilled they were by the project’s success. “We are extremely proud that we played a major part in finding the Lost Bass. 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,” they wrote.

“We want to thank everyone who helped with the search, all those who sent us leads and ideas and many who just wanted to lend their support to us,” the statement continued. “Thank you all so very much. Very much indeed! We did it!”

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It was no easy task to track down the legendary bass that belonged to the Beatles lead vocalist, 81, as it had not been seen with him since late January 1969, when The Fab Four were in London recording the Get Back and Let It Be sessions.

The Höfner had an incredible history when it was in the hands of its original owner. Not only can it be heard on songs like "Love Me Do," "She Loves You,” "Twist and Shout” and even early Abbey Road recordings, it dates back to when The Beatles played shows in the U.K. as early as 1961.

When members of The Lost Bass Project first united and publicized their movement last year, they shared that their sole intention was to “get the bass back to where it once belonged.” The devoted following added, “Paul McCartney has given us so much over the last 62 years. The Lost Bass project is our chance to give something back.”

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