Paul McCartney

Lot 31. Paul McCartney’s Tour and Studio-Played Left-Handed Wings Yamaha BB-1200 Bass.

Paul McCartney’s tour and studio played left-handed Wings Yamaha BB-1200 electric bass guitar. This cherry burst BB-1200 was a principal weapon in McCartney’s sonic arsenal during his activity with Wings in the late 1970s, and he was frequently photographed playing it on stage, during live performances, and in the studio.

Constructed of maple, alder, and mahogany with an ebony fingerboard featuring inlaid mother of pearl fret markers, the BB-1200 features a neck-through design for extra sustain and P-style split pickups. Prized for its consistency of tone and playability, the Yamaha bass was used prominently on Wings final studio album, Back to the Egg (1979).

It was also played throughout the subsequent tour, and was used notably again on recordings for McCartney’s next album, McCartney II (1980). During his prolific and peerlessly influential career, McCartney has only been known to play less than a dozen basses with any frequency, returning to old favorites again and again over the decades.

Few individual instruments have ever pressed to the forefront of his musical endeavors, providing a vehicle to move his sound in a new direction. This Yamaha BB-1200 is one of the most important Paul McCartney instruments ever offered at auction as it bridged two important chapters in McCartney’s career, helping to define the end of his run with Wings and laying the groundwork for his renewed solo efforts.

The piece exhibits some pocking and crazing to the finish with nicks, scratching (most pronounced on the reverse), and surface wear over the body, and light rubbing to the fingerboard from frequent use. McCartney’s original brown leather Yamaha strap with adjustable silver-tone buckle belts is also included. The strap is also depicted in period photos of the instrument, and it shows some age in wear. These items are accompanied by the original Yamaha textured leatherette over wood hard case, which retains the original Yamaha toolkit.

Bruce Springsteen’s recording career spans over 40 years, beginning with 1973’s ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ’ (Columbia Records).

He has garnered 20 Grammys, won an Oscar and a Tony, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, been a MusiCares Person of the Year, received a Kennedy Center Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Springsteen’s memoir ‘Born to Run’ (Simon & Schuster) was released in 2016, followed by a historic 236-show run of ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ at Jujamcyn’s Walter Kerr Theatre in 2017 and 2018.

His most recent studio album, 2020’s ‘Letter To You,’ marked Springsteen’s first time recording live with the E Street Band in decades and debuted at #1 in eleven countries. In 2021, Springsteen collaborated with President Barack Obama on the book and podcast Renegades: Born In The USA, reopened New York theatres with a reprisal of ‘Springsteen On Broadway’ and shared his never-released “The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts” film.