Photo: Bill Kelly

The tale of Paul McCartney’s vanished bass is being told in a forthcoming documentary. The instrument of interest is a Höfner 500/1 bass guitar, which was taken from the musician in 1972 and was only returned to its rightful owner last year. Before its disappearance, it was used on early Beatles recordings, such as “Twist and Shout,” “Love Me Do,” “All My Loving,” and other classic examples from the group’s pop era. 

According to an initial report in Variety, the documentary, reportedly titled The Beatle and the Bass, will feature interviews with McCartney as it pieces together the mysterious 50-plus-year ebb. The Höfner 500/1 was the musician’s first bass guitar, and was purchased in 1961 for €30 in Hamburg, Germany. Since its disappearance, McCartney and fans alike have attempted to recover the item, in part, through the launch of the Lost Bass Campaign in 2019, which gained momentum in 2023. 

The feature-length documentary, directed by Arthur Cary (The Last Survivors, War in the Blood), unveils the truths behind the initial theft and eventual return, while offering a personal look at McCartney’s connection to the bass, and its place in his own history. In the video, McCartney is joined by fellow documentary contributors, including his brother, Mike, as well as friend and early Beatles associate, Klaus Voormann. Also included is fellow British stalwart Elvis Costello. 

A group of journalists and fans who participated in the Lost Bass Project also contributed to the documentary, helping to tell the whole story from all sides. McCartney told Variety, “I think anything that’s nicked, you want back, especially if it has sentimental value. It just went off into the universe and it left us thinking, where did it go? There must be an answer…”

Previously, after being reunited with the bass, McCartney released an official statement that read: “Following the launch of [2023’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 Beatle and the Bass is the latest filmed endeavor for McCartney, who is already the subject of a new Amazon Prime Video documentary, dubbed Man on the Run, which previously debuted at the Telluride Film Festival, along with the Chloë Sevigny-produced Dead & Company Final Summer Tour Documentary. Read more.