How would you like to learn how to play bass like Paul McCartney… on a bass played by Paul McCartney?! If you have a lot of disposable cash, you might get the chance, as a Hofner bass that was owned, played, and signed by the Beatles legend is up for bid now as part of an auction hosted by the Gotta Have Rock and Roll website.
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The violin-shaped instrument, which dates back to the 1960s, is expected to fetch between $500,000 and $750,000, and the website currently is accepting bids starting at $150,000. McCartney gifted the bass to a music executive, and he signed it with the phrase, “Paul McCartney Woz Here!”
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The instrument also comes with a photo of McCartney playing the actual bass, as well as a letter of authenticity by respected Beatles memorabilia authenticator Frank Caiazzo. While McCartney is a left-handed musician, the bass being auctioned is right-handed.
McCartney has played Hofner basses throughout his long music career. He bought his first one in 1961 in a music shop in Hamburg, Germany, when The Beatles were regularly performing in the city.
The signed Hofner bass is just one of a variety of Beatles memorabilia that’s being sold as part of the website’s Rock & Roll Pop Culture Winter Auction 2023.
Among the priciest items is a 1962 Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by American singer/guitarist Chris Montez, who toured with The Beatles in 1963. According to the auction site’s profile of the instrument, McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison frequently played Montez’s Stratocaster backstage while they were touring together. The guitar is estimated to be worth between $500,000 and $1 million, and the auction site is seeking a minimum starting bid of $300,000.
Also being auctioned is a handwritten copy of McCartney’s lyrics for his Beatles song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” which was used in the studio while the band was recording the tune during the Let It Be sessions. The document is valued at between $500,000 and $750,000 and the bidding on the item currently stands at $325,000.
Other Beatles-related collectibles up for bid at the auction include a Hofner lap-steel guitar that McCartney, Lennon and Harrison are all believed to have used during the Let It Be sessions, a Grammy National Trustees Award presented to Lennon in 1972, and a 1963 Beatles concert set list handwritten by McCartney and signed by all four band members.
The sale also features memorabilia owned and/or signed by Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Beyoncé, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, KISS’ Paul Stanley, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and many other celebrities.
Bidding on all the items will be open on the website until December 15. To check out all of the lots, visit GottaHaveRockandRoll.com.
(Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
