Woman who reunited Paul McCartney with stolen Höfner bass hopes to get a reward
“It’s part of rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s not like they’re a small band.”
Image: Mick Hutson/ Redferns / Getty Images
The woman who reunited Paul McCartney with his stolen bass guitar after more than 50 years is hoping she’ll receive a reward from the Beatles star’s team.
The instrument, a 1961 Höfner 500/1, was recently returned to Macca following a public appeal for information by the Lost Bass Project last year.
East Sussex resident Cathy Guest found the bass in her attic after the death of her husband Hadyn, who apparently inherited it from his own brother. Speaking with The Sun, Guest revealed that she’d slipped a letter into the guitar case before returning it to McCartney, detailing her financial situation as a single mother with two schooling 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.”
“I spoke to the security there and that’s how it all got started. His people sent me pictures of the instrument they were looking for and I sent back pictures of the one I had. They confirmed it was the actual bass they were looking for. After that, they sent somebody round to pick it up.”
She added that McCartney’s team had promised a reward for the instrument’s safe return, saying: “I’ve still got the offer open with them and I’ve taken advice. It’s part of rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s not like they’re a small band.”
The Höfner bass was the first McCartney ever owned, hastily purchased for £30 in Hamburg in 1961 when bassist Stuart Sutcliffe dropped out of The Beatles and Paul was elected to fill in for him. The instrument was then stolen off the back of a van in 1972, and later sold to a pub landlord for “a few pints”.
Per the Lost Bass Project, the now-recovered bass is complete and still with its original case, though repairs are needed before it can be played. A statement on McCartney’s website also notes that the instrument “has been authenticated by Höfner” and that the musician “is incredibly grateful to all those involved”.