LeftyBassist.com

I don't know what to say. $99k, gulp. But wasn't this bass supposedly stolen back in '69? To the best of my knowledge, he only owned the '61 and his more famous '63 500/1. (He did/does own a couple fo other Hofner, but those came much later, like the Jubilee). I'm extremely skeptical this is legit (And what does "Van Wouw" mean?), considering this seller has little selling history, but it sure looks like the real deal and if it is legit, arguably the most important bass ever made because it was McCartney's 1st bass.

https://reverb.com/item/72590700-hofner ... op-reviews

And now the same guy has the '63 500/1 listed for $125k. I'm calling BS.

https://reverb.com/item/72591935-hofner ... 3-sunburst

https://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/factfil ... nwouw.html

It's bullshit, really. Paul famously got his first 1961 Höfner in Hamburg, Germany. The 1963 was given to him by Selmer UK, the UK distributor of Höfner at the time. That 1961 bass is missing to date, but was heavily modified and should be easily recognizable by its refinish and distinctive custom pickup window.

Not seeing where the seller claims that this bass was Paul's.

Funny - if not Paul's, overpriced. If Paul's, underpriced.

I think it's pretty heavily implied. He makes references to this specific bass: "In addition, Mr. Andy Babiuk featured this very guitar in his highly acclaimed book, "Beatles Gear" on pages 76-77". I own that book, and it's a picture of Paul playing his original. Also, "Please reach out with any questions, additional picture requirements and/or an appointment to see this piece of Beatles history." That's like trying to sell a stock '61 P Bass and saying, "Reach out to me about this piece of James Jamerson history". So the listing is deliberately misleading, which is why he thinks he can get $99,000 for it.

Seller is being careful to not have it in writing.

I reported him. But Reverb's policy is that they require at least 2 Reverbers to report it before they remove it, so if somebody else wants to do the honors, we can continue protecting lefties.

I have no problem with some seller inflating their asking price to these ridiculous asking prices (Good luck to you if you actually get it), but don't be a dick and try to mislead people with deliberately inaccurate info. Here's a link that explains how to report a fraudulent listing:

https://help.reverb.com/hc/en-us/articl ... -to-Reverb

The statement I bolded is very direct and explicit.

"This very guitar" makes it so for me. No ambiguity there.

But... I read up on Babiuk and understand he's published several versions of "Beatles Gear." Which version do you have?

Regardless, at best this seller's description is misleading, imo.

Also, did you ask the seller if this was actually Paul's bass?

Also, which ad did you report to Reverb?

The link in the OP leads to an inactive listing.

I think this is the current active listing:

https://reverb.com/item/72692183-hofner-500-1-van-wouw-left-handed-bass-1961-sunburst?bk=

I reported both the listings from this guy for the '61 and '63 bass. Guess what? Now the '61 is listed by another seller. So there's two listing up there for the same bass. if that doesn't raise a red flag then I don't know what does.

I'm not wasting my time contacting the seller to inquire. if they were the real deal, one wouldn't go to Reverb to sell them, they belong in a museum or would be sold to private collectors (and way more than his asking prices too). I know it's BS. Sure, they may be actual lefty '61 and '63 Hofners, which we'll all agree have some value to them, but nowhere near $100k. McCartney still has his '63, and his '61 was stolen over 50 years ago, so if it were his '61, then this guy's trying to sell stolen property and could face serious criminal charges.

There's only one listing for the bass. Like I said the one you linked in your OP is no longer active.

Really curious to see pages 76-77 of that Babuik book. If that shows Paul's bass, then this ad is almost certainly a fraud. But if not, it's merely trying it's best to associate this bass with Paul without explicitly saying it was actually Paul's.

Also, anyone who's willing to spend $100k for a bass is probably going to do some serious due diligence and not rely solely on this ad.

I asked the seller if the bass was Paul's and about the book reference:

"only 3 were made left handed. Likely yes but we don’t know so we can’t price it as if it was. It would be “add a zero” otherwise. Or more.
There’s nothing in the book that says anything that would concur or deny.
It’s simply a cool one of three made in my opinion. Ultra rare.
Dave"

IMO, slimy used car salesman tactics for sure, but not fraud.

The most famous bassist ever in the most famous band ever is so closely associated with the Hofner bass, so it's not surprising for sellers to call that out in their ads. And this ad is for a real '61. But still, the ad is over-the-top sleezy AF.

At least the seller has an honest Reverb shop name - "California Dream'n."

Yep, BS and deliberately misleading. Valuable basses, but not 6 figures worth, and he knows it.

Paul's original Hofner would be very easily recognized as it was uniquely modified in the mid-sixties with a new 3-color sunburst paint job like a Fender and a black plastic reinforcement for the pickups. The real one would be unsellable as it is a very famous piece of stolen property.

For that very reason, Paul himself has said that it's probably on the wall of a hidden room in a schloss where the current "owner" goes to view it sitting in a comfy chair with a snifter in his hand.

Today on CNN!

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/04/ente ... index.html

Just heard that too on CBS. Perfect timing. I hope it's found. Major historical significance!