You may have seen the BBC documentary about Paul McCartney’s original Hofner, how it was lost and - incredibly - found 51 years later. Now the sound engineer and driver who worked for the Beatle in the early 1970s has talked about the awful moment he realised it had gone missing.
The fellow in question is Ian Horne, a 79 year old who now lives in Gloucestershire. It was Horne who drove Wings during their first university tour in February 1972. In October that year, after a recording session he and another crew member parked the Wings van in Ladbroke Grove. Locked inside were two guitars, including the Hofner bass.
In an interview with the BBC, Horne recalled what happened when he returned to the van the following morning. "The first thing I saw was the padlock on the floor. My heart skipped a beat. Shock, horror, horrendous feelings. Yeah, it was traumatic, really. It was that bad it was like someone passing away."
Article continues below
Horne hot-footed it round to McCartney’s home in St John’s Wood, where he gave the ex-Beatle the bad news. "I must have looked like a beaten man when I knocked on the door, expecting the worst. But he just very calmly said 'It's okay, Ian, I've got another one', and didn't freak out at all, which was fantastic.”
A remarkably restrained reaction, given that it was his favourite bass, one that he had bought in Hamburg in 1961 and had been a constant companion all through his incredible creative journey with the Beatles.
Though its owner took the loss calmly, Horne was quietly devastated by what had happened: "I was looking for it all my life, for 50 years. If I saw a tribute band or if I saw a Hofner I'd immediately go and have a look at it".
As we know, there is a happy ending to this tale. In 2023, it was discovered by Cathy Guest in her attic in Hastings, East Sussex, coincidentally a short drive from one of McCartney’s homes. The Hofner was dusted down and restored, and Macca ended up playing it live once more – for the first time in more than half a century – at his London O2 shows in December 2024.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen it already, McCartney: The Hunt For The Lost Bass is on BBC iplayer now.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.