Woman who returned Paul McCartney’s stolen bass guitar hoping for reward

The woman who found and returned Paul McCartney’s long-lost bass guitar is now hoping that she may be in store for a reward.

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The bass guitar – which has been dubbed the most important bass in history for its role in recording numerous Beatles hits – was stolen from the musician in 1972, only to be returned to him last week.

Cathy Guest found the bass in her attic following the death of her husband Hadyn, who Cathy believes in turn inherited the bass from his brother Graham.

Guest revealed in an interview with The Sun that she slipped a hand-written letter into the guitar case before she returned it, explaining her financial situation as a single parent looking after two school children.

“My husband inherited it when another family member died and he’d had it for years,” she said. “He had no idea where it came from. He was a keen musician and used to play all the guitars at home, including Paul’s bass. We both loved music and I still go to gigs every weekend.”

She did go on to say that McCartney’s team had been in touch promising a reward for its safe return.

“I’ve still got the offer open with them and I’ve taken advice. It’s part of rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s not like they’re a small band,” she said.

A statement on McCartney’s website read: “Following the launch of last year’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 Höfner bass was the first bass the Beatles star ever bought. He had purchased it in 1961 for £30 ($38) in Hamburg, Germany.

The bass guitar was believed to have disappeared in January 1969 when The Beatles were in London recording the ‘Get Back/Let It Be’ sessions. However, during investigations by the Lost Bass Project team last year, they discovered that it was instead stolen three years later.

The now-recovered Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass is the one that can be heard on classic hits including ‘Love Me Do’, ‘She Loves You’, and ‘Twist and Shout’.