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HISTORICAL FACTS: Hofner org - Caught on Camera

“Höfner offered me this weird-shaped guitar. I said, ‘What the hell is that?!’ They said, ‘It doesn't have a name yet, but we want you to try it’”: Hugh Cornwell on The Stranglers’ biggest hit, hating Twin Reverbs, and his bizarro Höfner

The punk/new-wave icon admits he’s never been certain about his guitar playing, although he’s proud of the legacy he’s left in music – and he’s not finished yet

Guitar World

“I saw a kid holding that guitar out for me to sign it. But the train was already moving… I’m thinking, ‘Man, I gotta get the kid’s number to see if I could buy it back’”: Joe Perry on the one guitar he regrets selling

It's not a rare vintage instrument by any means, but for Perry, the sentimental value of the long-gone guitar is priceless

Guitar World

“These days I would be reluctant to say that Gibson invented the archtop”:The untold history of German guitar building

The author of German Jazz Guitars shares the country's proud history of archtop design – and questions whether the classic jazz box actually originated there

Guitar World

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“It is good news. Better than I expected”: Höfner has been bought out after filing for bankruptcy – and will be backed by Thomann for a new era

GEWA Music, of which Thomann is a shareholder, has bought the historic instrument maker beloved by Paul McCartney

Guitar World

“I unbolted the neck and put it in a suitcase to save baggage. Then we saw all our stolen gear posted for sale in Eastern Europe”: Indie band survival stories with Ratboys and The Beths

Transatlantic touring pals Julia Steiner and Liz Stokes on their gear nightmares and why Stokes is still hoping for a guitar reunion story like Paul McCartney and his long-lost Höfner bass

Guitar World

"I was pissed off. This disrespects the band." Dave Brock slams BBC suggestion that Hawkwind were anti-Beatles and stole Paul McCartney's long-lost bass

Paul McCartney: The Hunt For The Lost Bass tells the story of the former Beatle's long-lost Höfner violin bass

Louder

“My heart skipped a beat. Shock, horror, horrendous feelings. Yeah, it was traumatic, really. It was like someone passing away": Paul McCartney’s driver on how he felt when Macca’s beloved Hofner was stolen

But it turned up 51 years later

MusicRadar

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“50 years since you last played that”: Watch the moment Paul McCartney was first reunited with his long-lost Höfner bass – half a century after it was stolen

Stolen in 1972 and off the radar for half a century, it’s now back in McCartney’s grateful hands after a huge restoration job

Guitar World

TV tonight: Paul McCartney reopens a great Beatles mystery

What happened to his disappearing Höfner bass? Plus: Jack Whitehall helms Saturday Night Live UK before it takes a break. Here’s what to watch this evening

The Guardian - UK

“It felt like the worst moment of my life. I walked up to the truck, saw the padlock on the ground, and my heart sank”: The moment Wings’ former sound engineer had to tell Paul McCartney his priceless Höfner bass guitar had been stolen

The 500/1 violin bass was a cornerstone of the Beatles’ early successes, but went missing for 50 years after it was stolen in 1972

Guitar World

“The phone rang. It was Paul McCartney. That’s when I knew we’d found it”: We meet the man who reunited Paul McCartney with his long-lost Beatles bass

Stolen in 1972, Paul McCartney’s missing Höfner resurfaced in a family’s attic 51 years after it disappeared. But it took some tracking down…

Guitar World

McCartney: The Hunt for the Lost Bass review – amiable tale of how Macca’s Höfner was finally found

Dogged detective work tracked down the instrument that had vanished more than 50 years ago, but the true story behind its theft injects a note of sadness

The Guardian - UK

“I bought my first Höfner bass in the ’60s. I have loved it ever since”: Paul McCartney pays tribute to Höfner as the legendary German brand’s future hangs in the balance

Having played a Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass since 1961, the Beatles icon is saddened to learn of the German brand's plight

Guitar World

Paul McCartney's favourite bass company is in trouble – Höfner's future uncertain as it files provisional insolvency proceedings

The German brand behind McCartney's iconic 500/1 Violin Bass has been in existence since its founding by Karl Höfner in 1887

MusicRadar

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Guitar World

“The pickups on that old Univox were amazing. It really makes you wonder about the Japanese guitars produced backthen. They weren’t so bad at all”: How Vintage’s REVO range breathed new life into the oddball electric

Just back from a long stint in China where he oversees the design and production of Vintage guitars, Alan Entwistle delves into what makes REVO that little bit different

Guitar World

“It went off into the universe and it left us thinking, where did it go? There must be an answer…” The remarkable story of Paul McCartney’s Höfner 500/1 bass – which went missing for 50 years – to feature in new documentary

McCartney's 'Violin' bass was stolen in London in 1972 and was the subject of a global hunt before being returned to him in 2024

Guitar World

“Something a little different, with vibey anddiverse sounds for not a lot of money”: Vintage REVO Galactica and Astrostar review

Revisiting guitars of yesteryear, the REVO models continue to move Vintage away from slavish repros to inspired retro champions for not a lot of money. Let’s hop in that time machine and take a look

BANG Premier

Sir Paul McCartney to feature in documentary about his stolen guitar

Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney is making a new documentary about being reunited with a beloved guitar more than 50 years after it was stolen.

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Guitar World

From Paul McCartney’s Höfner to Dave Grohl’s Trini Lopez and Joan Jett’s Melody Maker –a 1:1 scale photography exhibition of famous guitars is heading to London

Masterminded by Australian photographer Kane Hibberd, Scale invites attendees to see some of the most famous guitars in the world up close and personal like never before

MusicRadar

“Here to make its first stage appearance in 50 years... is my original bass!”: Stolen in ’72, returned in February, Paul McCartney’s 1961 Höfner 500/1 finally makes it back to the stage for final show in Beatles icon’s tour

McCartney's triumphant finale to the Got Back 2024 Tour also featured fellow Beatle Ringo Starr on drums and a guest spot from Ronnie Wood

Guitar World

It's not a rare vintage instrument by any means, but for Perry, the sentimental value of the long-gone guitar is priceless

Guitar World

“Sir Paul has expressed his gratitude to Cathy and the family”: Paul McCartney hands six-figure reward to the family that found his iconic Höfner bass in their attic

Paul McCartney’s “favorite bass guitar” was returned to him over 50 years after its theft, with the Beatle offering a substantial thank-you fee as a reward for its return

Top News

Paul McCartney's stolen bass guitar found and reunited after decades

Learn how devoted Beatles fans helped reunite Paul McCartney with his stolen bass guitar after over 50 years, through The Lost Bass Project.

Louder

"Paul is incredibly grateful to all those involved": Amateur sleuths have located Paul McCartney's long-lost Höfner bass 50 years after it was stolen

Paul McCartney's 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar has been dubbed "the most important bass in history"

Guitar World

Short-scale vs long-scale bass: what's the difference?

Get the lowdown on the low-end - we look at the differences between short-scale and long-scale basses

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