The secret to Paul McCartney's genius? It's all about that bass
Paul McCartney made the Hofner bass guitar famous, not the other way around. Indeed, it was McCartney who made bass players cool, giving them a status in rock almost equal to that of lead guitarists. That is why the new global search for McCartney’s 1961 Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass – the most important bass in music history which disappeared later that decade and has now been found – is causing such interest.
Source: yahoo.com