Top 5Seen using
Photo: Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Paul McCartney. Every item links to its public source.
12 items · Last checked What bass does Paul McCartney play?
Paul McCartney uses his '63 Höfner 500/1 violin bass, which he says encourages him to play freely, and played his recovered 1961 Höfner at the last Got Back show in 2024. He has been seen using a Rickenbacker 4001S, Vox AC30s, Mesa/Boogie bass amps and a Yamaha stage piano.
Top 5
Where to start with Paul McCartney's gear.
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Höfner
500/1 violin bass (his '63)
Top 5Uses
“It's a wonderful instrument to play: lightweight, and it encourages me to play quite freely.”
Said in Rolling Stone: Paul McCartney Pays Tribute to Hofner Bass Company, December 2025
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03
Höfner
1961 500/1 violin bass ('The Lost Bass')
Top 5Seen using
Seen in paulmccartney.com (via The Paul McCartney Project): The Lost Bass, by technical manager Keith Smith, April 2026
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04
Rickenbacker
4001S bass
Top 5Seen using
Rickenbacker
4001S bassSeen in Gearnews: Paul McCartney at 80, his instruments and amps, July 2022
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Mesa/Boogie
Bass amps
Top 5Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
Bass ampsSeen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
No store page for this one.
What basses Paul McCartney uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Basses
“It's a wonderful instrument to play: lightweight, and it encourages me to play quite freely.”
Said in Rolling Stone: Paul McCartney Pays Tribute to Hofner Bass Company, December 2025
No store page for this one.
Seen in paulmccartney.com (via The Paul McCartney Project): The Lost Bass, by technical manager Keith Smith, April 2026
No store page for this one.
Rickenbacker
4001S bass
Seen using
Rickenbacker
4001S bassSeen in Gearnews: Paul McCartney at 80, his instruments and amps, July 2022
No store page for this one.
Amps
Mesa/Boogie
Bass amps
Seen using
Mesa/Boogie
Bass ampsSeen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
No store page for this one.
Vox
Guitar amps
Seen using
Vox
Guitar ampsSeen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Seen in Gearnews: Paul McCartney at 80, his instruments and amps, July 2022
No store page for this one.
Fender
Bassman (Get Back sessions)
Seen using
Seen in Gearnews: Paul McCartney at 80, his instruments and amps, July 2022
No store page for this one.
Stage
Seen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
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Seen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
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Avalon Design
U5 DI for his acoustic guitarsSeen in Mix: Paul McCartney Tours New York City, December 2017
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Studio
Seen in Gearnews: Paul McCartney at 80, his instruments and amps, July 2022
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Paul McCartney's gear.
What bass does Paul McCartney play?
A Höfner 500/1 violin bass. His technical manager Keith Smith wrote in 2026 that Paul plays his '63 Höfner all the time, and Paul played the recovered 1961 'Lost Bass' at the final 2024 Got Back show. He also played a Rickenbacker 4001S in the Beatles years.
What amp does Paul McCartney use?
On tour, Mesa/Boogie amps for bass and Vox amps for guitar, per his front-of-house engineer in Mix in 2017. Gearnews notes he has used the Vox AC30 throughout his solo career, an AC100 in the Beatles years and a Fender Bassman in the Get Back sessions.
Why does Paul McCartney play a Höfner bass?
He wrote in 2025 that it is lightweight, encourages him to play quite freely and offers pleasing variations in tone. He bought his first Höfner 500/1 in Hamburg in 1961.
What piano does Paul McCartney play live?
A Yamaha piano fitted with Helpinstill pickups, which also triggers a Kurzweil MicroPiano for the mix, according to his engineer in Mix in 2017.
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Paul McCartney
About this guide · Last checked
Paul McCartney is the Beatles and Wings bassist, singer and songwriter. This guide covers his Höfner violin basses, Rickenbacker, Vox, Fender and Mesa/Boogie amps, and the stage gear his crew has described.
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