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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Jonathan Horsley

“I bought my first Höfner bass in the ’60s. I have loved it ever since”: Paul McCartney pays tribute to Höfner as the legendary German brand’s future hangs in the balance

Hofner Paul McCartney Beatles Charlie Chaplin The Beatles
Paul McCartney plays a Höfner 500/1 bass guitar live onstage and points to the crowd during his 2024 Got Back Tour.

Paul McCartney has expressed his dismay at the financial troubles that are rocking Höfner. The future of the German company is under threat, after it was revealed that it had filed for preliminary insolvency proceedings at the Fürth Local Court, in Germany.

McCartney has been playing Höfners since since 1961. He picked up a 500/1 violin-style bass guitar for around 50 bucks when the Beatles were workshopping their sound night after night in Hamburg.

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