Paul McCartney's 1961 Höfner bass, which was stolen decades ago, has been returned, the former Beatles member confirmed on his website. Latest U.S.

Paul McCartney's iconic 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass was stolen over 50 years ago, but dedicated fans have at long last found it, returning the instrument to the Beatle.

The bass, the one that started it all, ... with McCartney welcoming Starr to the stage for an encore of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and White Album classic Helter Skelter.

Paul McCartney with his iconic Hofner bass guitar in Liverpool in 1963, ... He played it hundreds of times at The Cavern, the Liverpool club synonymous with the Beatles' embryonic stardom, ...

The Lost Bass Project, a group of Beatles fans, launched a global search to help find Paul McCartney’s famous Höfner 500/1 electric bass, which has been missing since at least January 1969.

As the Fab Four found a whirlwind of fame, Mr. McCartney played the Höfner through hundreds of the gigs, including early concerts at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, where the Beatles met ...

Paul McCartney onstage with his Höfner bass at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, circa 1961 ... Paul’s 1961 Hofner 500/1 bass guitar, which was stolen in 1972, has been returned.

McCartney bought the left-handed Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass for around 30 pounds ($38) ($585 in today's money) in Hamburg in 1961, during The Beatles' four-month residency at the Top Ten Club.

From the Top Ten Club in Hamburg in 1961 to the band’s first Abbey Road recordings, the bass, used from 1961 to 1963, is heard on Love Me Do, She Loves You and Twist and Shout. READ MORE ...

Paul McCartney on stage at the Cavern Club in Liverpool with his Hofner bass in the early 1960s (Keystone/Getty)He said he and Jones went to Notting Hill police station and reported the theft, ...

Paul McCartney's 1961 Höfner bass, which was stolen decades ago, has been returned, the former Beatles member confirmed on his website.