Heard that on the nightly news. Feb 17 2024. It was in an attic not far from where it was stolen. Every concert he asked the audience to help looking for it. It's been found and returned.
The bass turned up in a loft. It got there because the resident of the time was a relative of The Beatles' road crew. So it looks as though it wasn't stolen but mislaid in one of those crazy post-gig Beatlemania kerfuffles. Which is nice! but that's why it never reappeared in another player's hands. That's why the finder recognised it as Paul's bass too, rather than any old bass with a set list of covers taped on it. I believe the finder was suitably rewarded. Quite apart from McCartney's understandable pleasure, it's history - big time!
Something not mentioned is why Paul chose the Hoffner in the first place. Stuart Sutcliffe was the first bass player for the Beatles, but when he decided to quit and go to art school in Germany, Paul, who was a third guitar player with the band, drew the short straw to replace him. So he went to a music store in Hamburg to find a bass he could afford. When he got there, he started browsing and saw a right-handed Hoffner on display while talking with a salesman. Two things caught his attention. One was that it was indeed priced low enough, and the other was the shape. Being left-handed, he thought that he could restring it and play it upside down and it wouldn't look too strange. As it turned out, that wasn't necessary. The salesman contacted Hoffner and they agreed to make a left-handed violin bass for Paul as a custom job, and he got it within a couple of weeks. That wasn't an option in their product catalog, so they really went out of their way to make what was at the time an unknown bass player happy. When you look at pictures of Paul's #1 Hoffner, you'll see that it has the pick guard, plug socket and control knobs in the right places for a lefty, and that's why.
Fascinating. It's REALLY hard to believe that Hofner would make a custom bass for an unknown British teenager (at minimal extra cost?). Heck, Hendrix played a righty Strat his whole (short) life. [Clapton bought him a lefty one, only to find that Hendrix had just died.] I suppose anything's possible. Maybe it was a sales girl not salesman, and she had the hots for Paul.
@@crlguitar1 a Play List is a list of your favourite songs lined up to be played back on an electronic device such as your phone or tablet. A Set List is a list of songs that a real Live Band plays as a Set as part of a Gig. I've been playing gigs with bands for years and have always had a two-set Set List, or a three-set Set List, depending on what the venue paid us. "Playlists" are a fabrication of modern times.
Best demo of this bass I've seen so far. Nice precise fretting and clear tone. The other demos I've seen are done with fret buzzing and horrible tones. Well done Nick
Great video! Some additional info on the fully hollow vs. center block Hofners... there are three main series of Hofners, each with different models: German, Contemporary (HCT), and Ignition/Icon. The German Hofners are the top of the line and fully hollow. The Contemporary models are midrange and made offshore in China by Hofner and include the center block. The Ignition/Icon series are the budget models and Hofner contracts third parties to produce in China. They're hollow like the German versions aside from small supports for the pickups.
Sounds very… acoustic! Not the sound for the style of music I play, but it’s perfect for the Beatles and Paul. It’s a very unique tone and sound, for a very unique player. What an awesome demo. Thanks a lot!
I saw in an interview one time with paul mccartney said it was george that was playing The bass On the song taxman. And he was playing the lead guitar. I just thought I'd add that in there
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been trying to figure out that strap situation for years! You've finally put my mind to rest! Great and informative video!
Nice video! I own a Hofner Ignition bass and 459 six string violin bass. Both are really good quality and sound very good for the price. If I were a working professional bassist I'd probably get a German made model but can't justify the expense when the Chinese made models are so good . The Hofner bass is the only bass I can use when playing with purest bluegrass musicians without getting stink eye. If I play my Fender Jazz bass they think I'm Satan.
There's a good video about kicking that Ignition model up a notch... it's easy to find on here and yeah, for the price you end up with a killer instrument!!
Excellent vid rundown and your demo of its sounds is superb, just one teeny comment about your pronunciation, you pronounce the Mersey model as ‘Mersee’ up here in Liverpool ( and the U.K. generally )the correct pronunciation is ‘Merzee’ I’m sure lots of us brits pronounce US place names wrongly , so no biggy ! Once more, a great vid
Your videos are interesting and pretty informative. In general, the date codes on electronics really only tells you that the guitar couldn’t date to BEFORE that date and can be pretty useful when combined with other year specific features, especially during transition years. Like you mentioned, components from a previous year used in newer models, this might only have been the case up to a certain point due to a more complete switch over to newer components.
WHAT attracted Paul to the Hoffner? What you hear on videos is that he could easily turn it upside down for playing lefty and it was light weight. Well, those were definitely factors, but not the main reason. While Paul was completely dedicated to the overall sound the Beatles songs are to convey, he actually heard tuba to carry the lows for the music they were doing, and back in the day, solid bodies just had too much sustain and brightness, and yeah the the weight was an issue. Also important was the cost of ordering a custom lefty solid body bass. So what electric bass could simulate tuba and fit all these needs? .... the Hoff 500! It's hard to make it not sound like a tuba!
I have this reissue (before it was called the Mersey). Love its woody tone and the Pyramid flatwounds on it. I use the neck pickup and lower the tone a bit. But it's a very fragile bass, so I use my Fender CIJ Mustang bass when I gig.
The cursed McCartney Hofner Bass has finally been found. Stolen from a van in 1972. All 3 of the men who had the bass were struck dead early. The widow of the last dead man remembered there was a bass in the attic. It has a broken neck, the finish is heavily cracked, but still in the original guitar case.
Fact six, it's a short scale bass. most bass's have a scale length in the 34-35 inch range, a little variation from one make to another. this is a 30 inch scale length often used by guitarists moving to bass, witch Paul did after losing their bass player.
For years I took Pauls playing for granted. As much of a Beatles freak I am I was always mostly a John and George fan. Paul's songs were mostly more of the ballads and thought that Paul's playing just fit in the song and he had to sing witch is a hard thing to do. When it came to bass players it was Jack Bruce, John Paul Jones, John Entwhistle and Gezzer Butler fan. That was when I was an early teenager and I played bass but really did not play much Beatles.when I got to my 20's I kinda revisited the Beatles and was in a band that played a lot of Beatles so I bought the complete Beatles song book ans between the albums and reading the bass lines that got me realizing how much of a melodic his playing. It also kinda wants me to buy a Hofner. I have almost 20 basses and don't have a Beatle bass. I had a 1966 Gibson EB-0 that I played Beatle songs, the short scale with flats strings has a bit of a Hofner fan. Cool video and great playing, on the money
Interesting video and great demo. I recently bought a 500/1 Artist bass. I think it is sometimes referred to as the '64 bass, although technically it is a '63 bass and the Mersey is a '62. Very similar, however it has a poly finish (I'm not a fan of nitro), two strap buttons and it is about £800 cheaper.
Paul's Hofner is not stock. It has been heavily modified and is a lot heavier than stock. It was sent to Staten Island to luthiers many years ago for restoration work. I forget the name of the luthier. EDIT: Mandolin Bros.
Fun video, thanks for sharing! I built a Hofner copy from a kit that is surprisingly like the real deal- fully hollow, same controls, pickup layout, bridge, tailpiece, but it has modern sealed tuners and pickups more like the Epiphone (no visible polepieces). I even put La Bella Beatle Bass strings on it 😁 I also just recently got a late 60s Ventura violin bass which is built completely differently. Bolt on neck, single coil pickups, and the weirdest of all, it has 3/4" wide solid wood rims around the outside instead of bent sides. So the middle is hollow, top and back are arched, but the outside is solid, more like a Danelectrro build. On the upside, that wood rim makes it more stable- most of the old Japanese fully hollow bodied instruments that I have seen with bolt on necks have the top separate from the neck block. This causes the block to shift, which makes the action really high. Mine plays like a champ.
To me, the way he got involved with that bass is Stuart Suttcliffe left the group and Paul didn't have a guitar so he got tagged with playing bass so he went into the music store, saw the cheapest coolest looking bass guitar and bought it which was the Hofner.
Sold mine not long after buying it in 1977 as the tuners felt too small to me and thus bit of a pain to tune. Sure wish now that I’d kept it though (along with all the other guitars that have passed thru my possession over the past 50+ years.)
I understand there were 2 basses Paul looked at before settling on the Hofner. The other I believe was a Fender, that was more expensive than the Hofner, and was one of the deternaning factors for him to choose the Hofner. I played one briefly and noticed it was neck heavy and also the neck pickup is very loud, one of the loudest bass pickups I have heard. That said, it was still great sounding on the Beatles records. I do understand that while he was a Beatle, he also played a Fender jazz bass, that he and George traded back and forth.
The only Fender Jazz bass I ever saw in Beatles photos was right-handed. The same with the Fender Bass VI George and John used. Maybe I just haven't seen the right photos.
I started playing bass at the age of thirteen having started playing guitar at ten, I used a violin bass from my teacher and my first gigs (with the sixth form band no less!) were playing the violin bass (it may well have been a Hofner but it is way too long ago to be expected to recall! I got my own first bass (a P Bass copy) soon after, I’ve never played a violin bass since, I’m sure it sounds great but aesthetically I’ve never liked them
I've never heard Paul's Bass parts separate from the other instruments before. Fantastic. Yet not at all what I'd expect them to sound like. Taxman was the only one I recognized. The others I'd never know what tune they were.
The guy that stole Paul’s bass was either an employee that worked there in the studio or a visitor that was checking out the area and saw Paul’s bass and made a fast move on it when the moment was right and out of sight. Chances are that guy may be dead by now or really old now, either way, if he dies , he would have hid it somewhere until someone will find it or he gave it to a close friend or family member to cash it in whenever Paul McCartney passes away, the. That first missing bass will be worth a lot more than previous in the past. It’s all a matter of time, unless someone finds it before Paul passes away and gives it back to him, now that bass will have a much better story and history and the value of that bass will be triple the value too.
That same day or week 1 of JL's lead guitars, 2 of GH's, 1 of EC's who was signed w/Apple Records were also stolen. So whoever Mr. Sticky fingers is they new exactly what storage closet to look through. INSIDE JOB. Hopefully a child or grandchild will have a conscience and return those pieces of music history
Thanks! I hope you enjoy your new bass. I have the Cavern model, and that thing has monster bass tone. I wonder why the one at the 40 second mark has one of the diamond pickups mounted upside down?
Interesting video, Nick. I have a 500/1 that I bought second hand in 1973 so it wasn't vintage when I bought it. Dating these things can be difficult as you know as the early ones at least didn't have serial numbers so mine is dated as a 1968 model based on the style of the pickups. In 1973, these Hofners were definately not cool but as a Beatles fan, when I saw it I had to buy it...paid $175 for it back then and I still play it all the time.
@BobJones-ue-9cr Glad you are a fellow Hofner owner!!! Mine is a '67 which was confirmed by the fact that they often date stamped on the inside of the control panel, if you wanted to check yours?
Sounds silly but I haven't bought one of these (yet), either the real Hofner or a copy like the Epiphone or any number of other copies for one reason... it's so recognizable as McCartney's! I really like the idea of a short scale bass, as I'm a guitar player and the times I've played something like a P Bass, the whole thing feel HUGE! I do like the sound of these, I guess it's called kind of a "thud", very appealing to me. Maybe someday...
Check the Fender Mustang basses--very comfortable...Fender has a new series out Vintera II?) MIM models. The CIJ models went way up in price if you buy used. These also have a p-bass sound with flats on.
You said yours is a new one, right? I'd love to get one with the far-spaced pickups if you have a link! I've had a Hofner Ignition for 6 years.. It's time to upgrade, I love how accurate yours is to Macca's
You left off one, they sound horrible! I know the Rick is heavier but it sounds so much better. The Hofner always sounds MUFFLED, it doesn't have that THUMP AND BOOM LIKE THE RICK! Listen to WINGS OVER AMERICA the bass sounds THUNDEROUS and I love it!
Do you know if Hoffner ever did a reissue with the same pickup spacing as McCartneys? Seems most of them, even expensive ones, have a bit more gap between the bridge and the pick up.
Excellent ! Nice one, man, you just showed me the correct way, or at least BETTER, way to play Taxman. I never used to play it like that (but it worked). Cheers. Getting back into listening to The Beatles and now that I play Bass, I realise that Paul is really under-rated amongst the great Bassists ; hé came up with some BRILLIANT basslines. Loved the video.👍
Hofner instruments in generally from the late 50s to the mid 70s are interesting. some models ( guitars/basses) are underated gems. BTW they made a guitar version too
Paul bought that bass because it was symmetrical. He had to wait a couple of weeks because, at the factory, they only had to make the holes in the opposite place. And it wasn't difficult at all. It was not a "custom made" bass because (as you know) the headstock is asymmetrical, with the longest part going on the first string (G string), but Paul's bass has the long part on the 4th string, which indicates that It was an upside-down bass with the holes made for left-handed use. In short: A cheap bass that is easy to put on for left-handed people. And It's logical coming from an 18-year-old boy, with no money, abroad and playing in seedy clubs to survive the first months. There was no "glamour" anywhere. But months passed and the "genius" emerged. He did wonders in bass lines and in compositions that are "pure art". And the Hofner violin bass became "iconic" an indispensable piece for any bassist who played Beatles: And because people spend money as if there were no "tomorrow", Hofner put selected noble woods, Australian mother of pearl, etc. Conclusion: €2900 of what was a cheap bass in origin. The Hofner 176 solid, the Galaxie, and other Hofner guitars from the sixties did not suffer the same fate. Exactly the same as with brands like Galanti, Eko etc: They fell into oblivion and into a handful of collectors of rare and cheap guitars. I honestly think the same thing would have happened with Hofner if there hadn't been a guy named Paul McCartney. And we were very lucky that all of that happened.
On the Beatles channel during an interview with Paul, that he found his first Bass in a pawn shop and it was right handed. Paul said he had to play upside down because he was left handed. Is /was the guard moveable?
It is NOT A Haafner!!!¿¿¿ Why do English/American talking people not even respect the pronunciation of Names? -- ...and don't tell me your tongue is to blame!!! When you can say "BIRD" - you can say "Höfner" too. Otherwise it is ARROGANCE producing resistance!!!
Excellent video - Just a 'heads up ' on pronunciation - instead of 'Mercy' bass ... try 'Merzee' ! It's named after the river which flows through Liverpool ... The River Mersey (Merzee). After all, it's the River Danube ... not the Danoobeee! Yippee! 👍👍👍
Getting my first 500-1 in 1968 lead to a few surprises, It's hefty price of $700 did NOT include a case!! A tracing of the body on butcher paper had to be sent to get one made...and more $$$$. Years later I went to my local music store for a set of short scale flat wounds for it, only to discover they wouldn't go through the holes in the tuning pegs!! I had to order Hofner bass strings with their turned down string tails.. Hofner used guitar tuning pegs with their small holes...I kissed $178 goodby to order some. Lastly, Paul did not set out to buy a Hofner, but it was the only thing available to him, at the time left handed. And yes, I still have my Hofner, and my paint drip 4001.
PS. Don't forget, too, PM was a lefty. Unless Sutcliff was a lefty, had it, and then gave or sold it to PM and PM simply adapted to playing lefty in that way,....Or, PM had to go through hoops and hurdles to obtain a lefty-oriented Hofner..Anyone know ? I.E. Just how DID PM obtain a LH Hoffner ?
It's a very fragile interment. It amazes me that Sir Paul still uses the Ed Sullivan bass after all these years. Can you imagine what that guitar could get at auction...?
Yes, time to 'update' #5 esp. since it has a happy ending. #1. the bass was stolen froma van in '72, not '69. #2. The bass was returned to Paul [he gave a generous 'finder's fee to the person] and it's been redone to fix various issues, including a cracked neck, that took place over the yrs. it was missing.
Minor correction! The cavern bass was stolen in 1972 not 69. The last time it was filmed/recorded was at twickenham or apple but it was with the rest of the Beatles gear until eventually Paul had it packed up with his other basses for the 1972 wings tour being stolen shortly after that. Everyone thinks rick for 70s macca but it’s interesting to know he might have used it in wings had it not been stolen
I ended up having strap locks and side dots installed on my ‘62. However, now when I play standing, the bass leans forward away from my body. That’s my only criticism.
I have a late 60’s or early 70’s (pretty sure) but there is absolutely no serial number to ID it. It has the blade style pickups that Hofner started using in 1967. I purchased it back in the early 80’s from a friend who has since passed away.
You can date the year by the date stamp on the pots. That in itself won't give you the exact year per se, but it will narrow it down. Hofner started using SN's in 1973. So, for example mine also has the same pickups as yours and no SN. So that narrows it down as having been made somewhere between 1/67-12/31/72. The number on the pots starts with a 71. So that narrows it down from 1/1/71-12/31/72. When in between that it was made will never be known. This is also why I said Paul's original Hofner will never be found: without a SN or some other uniqye identifying marker, there is no way to be 100% sure if a bass is that one unless he did something to mark it was unique. I wrote my initials with sharpie in the cavity where the control panel is and took a picture of it so that if it ever gets stolen, I can prove that it's mine.
@@timothyd9543 Thanks for the information. I will check the dates on the pots. It will be nice to have an idea of its age. Mine came in its original hard shell case with a green felt liner. Thanks again
Could you please talk about the thickness of the neck? I’ve played a few of the below $1000 Hofner versions, and the necks were incredibly impossibly thick. Are the expensive ones also that thick?
I don't get why Hofner basses were not more popular. They sound great and they were used by the Beatles so I'd have thought with Beatles mania and the fact they sound great they'd have taken of big style but you mostly saw Fenders and Rickenbacker. I have often had other musicians turn their noses up at them. I don't understand but they usually change their minds when they hear one in the studio.
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