It's travelled a Long And Winding Road, but a treasured bass guitar bought by Sir Paul McCartney before he became famous has apparently been returned to the former Beatle.
A global search was launched for the missing instrument - purchased by McCartney in 1961 for £30 - in 2023, some 54-years after it was last seen while The Beatles recorded what would be their final album, Let It Be.
The guitar, a distinctively shapedHöfner bass, became synonymous with the versatile musician during his time with The Beatles and was bought while the then unknown band toured Hamburg's notorious club circuit.
A year later the band released debut single Please, Please Me, a hit in the United Kingdom that would spark the Beatlemania phenomenon and change the lives of McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr forever.
Despite the small price tag on the guitar when he bought it, the instrument would go on to be a staple in the rise of Beatlemania, with McCartney regularly taking it on stage from 1961 to 1963, until it disappeared just before the band broke up in 1970.
On Tuesday, a young student claimed he had inherited a Höfner bass guitar originally owned by Sir Paul McCartney. The missing instrument sparked a global search in 2023
McCartney bought the guitar in Germany while The Beatles were in residency in Hamburg and it was last seen during the band's Let It Be sessions in January 1969 (pictured)
It was last seen in the days before McCartney and his bandmatesclimbed onto the roof of their Savile Row offices in 1969 for what would be their final live performance.
McCartney has since been on the hunt for his 'favourite' guitar, a violin-shapedHöfner 500/1 electric bass - until now.
On Tuesday, a young student claimed the instrument was left to him as part of an inheritance, but has subsequently been returned its legendary owner.
Sharing a photo of the guitar on X, formerly Twitter, film enthusiast Ruaidhri Guest tweeted: 'To my friends and family I inherited this item which has been returned to Paul McCartney. Share the news.'
McCartney previously said he 'fell in love' with the guitar - which could now be worth as much as £10million - because its shape meant that it looked more symmetrical as he played left-handed.
Though he briefly put it to one side during his time in the band, he picked it up again for recording sessions in London when the group were recording Let it Be. The instrument can also be spotted in Get Back, the Peter Jackson documentary which was released in 2021.
Höfner stepped in to help the musician with his desperate search for the instrument online by creatingthe hashtag 'tracingthebass' and inviting people from around the world to track it down.
They have been the preferred brand for McCartney throughout his career. He has owned fourHöfner basses since 1961, and to this day plays one of the basses given to him by the German company.
Film enthusiast Ruaidhri Guest shared a photo of himself, purportedly with the treasured guitar, across social media on Tuesday
The basswas last seen before McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison climbed onto the roof of their Savile Row offices for their final performance (pictured in 1962)
Theories about what happened to the instrument vary, from rumours that a thief took the bass from Abbey Road, to a story that it went missing from the basem*nt of their Savile Row offices
Höfner executive Nick Wass told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I've worked closely with Paul McCartney's team over the years, and when I've met Paul we've talked about his first Höfner bass and where it could be today.
'Paul said to me, 'Heh, because you're from Höfner, couldn't you help find my bass?' And that's what sparked this great hunt'.
Theories about what happened to the instrument vary, from rumours that a thief took the bass from a closet at Abbey Road, to a story that it went missing from the basem*nt of the Beatles Savile Row offices.
Wass added that the bass could be valued 'more like a Van Gogh or a Picasso than just an instrument'.
'This is the bass Paul played in Hamburg, at the Cavern Club, and at Abbey Road', he said.
'Paul would be so happy, thrilled, if this bass could get back to him.'
A representativ for McCartney said: '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 guitar has been authenticated by Höfner and Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved.'
The instrument would go on to be a staple in the rise of Beatlemania, with McCartney regularly taking it on stage from 1961 to 1963 (pictured at Teddington Studios in 1964)
