[Beatles] McCartney, Paul. (b. 1942)
Signed Left-Handed Hofner Bass
In 1956, Walter Hofner conceived an amplified semi-acoustic bass that revolutionized popular music. The design was launched at the 1956 Frankfurt Music Fair and rose to fame after Paul McCartney bought his first Hofner bass in 1961. After the Beatles’ original bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe (who had used a Höfner bass), left the band to resume his art studies, the group had been left without a bass player. Paul McCartney, who had been playing rhythm guitar and piano, took on the job, beginning by using Sutcliffe's violin-shaped bass and later buying his own from a Hamburg music store later that year. Because of the instrument’s symmetricality, McCartney could play left-handed without the bass “looking daft,” as he put it. It was also inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to play melodic bass lines on, yet had a deep, warm tone. McCartney used it on many of the Beatles' most famous songs and in many live performances, including on the Beatles' famed appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. McCartney continues to use his Hofner to this day, and the design is often referred to as the "Beatle bass." This re-issue left handed Hofner bass guitar is beautifully signed across the mother of pearl pickguard by McCartney in black felt tip and in Excellent condition, accompanied by a hard-shell carrying case and a Caiazzo COA. (4644)Signed Document/Item Song