On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
"Union Jack" 500/1 Violin bass (serial no. UJ001)
Höfner Gmbh & Co.
Paul McCartney
Not on view
Höfner built this left-handed "violin" bass for Paul McCartney, a career-long Höfner artist, on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebration concert in 2012. The instrument’s Union Jack design pays tribute to not only the queen but also the legacy of the 1960s British Invasion, a transatlantic movement in which British musicians influenced by American pop brought their own music to the United States. McCartney used this bass to perform the concert’s closing number, the Beatles’ "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," joined onstage by the celebration’s other performers.
Technical Description:
Hollow body; spruce top, maple back, sides, and neck, ebony fingerboard; 30 in. scale; Union Jack finish with white and black double binding; set neck with zero fret and mother-of-pearl dot inlays; gold Hofner logo on headstock; two "staple" humbucking pickups, two volume controls, treble and bass pickup on/off and rhythm/solo boost switches; adjustable ebony floating bridge with nickel saddles, nickel “trapeze” tailpiece and tuners, pearloid control surface, plastic "teacup" knobs and switches
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
