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After purchasing a bass guitar played by Paul McCartney in the late 1970s and early ’80s, Jim Irsay now has instruments owned by all four members of the Beatles.
Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts and a fervent collector of classic-rock memorabilia, acquired the Yamaha BB-1200 bass guitar during a Dec. 11 auction that benefited Music Rising, a charitable organization co-founded by U2 guitarist the Edge.
The McCartney guitar set a new record for an auction price paid for a bass guitar. Irsay’s winning bid of $471,900 eclipsed the $384,000 someone paid in 2020 for a bass owned by former Rolling Stones member Bill Wyman.
The Jim Irsay Collection already included Beatles collectibles such as:
- The bass drum head used by Ringo Starr during the Beatles’ debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. Irsay paid $2.125 million for the drum head in 2015.
- An orange 1963 Gretsch guitar once owned by John Lennon, purchased for $530,000 in 2015.
- A one-of-a-kind 1966 Vox guitar played by Lennon and George Harrison, purchased for $408,000 in 2013.
- A 1964 Gibson SG once owned by Harrison, purchased for $567,000 in 2004.
McCartney initially played the Yamaha bass several years after the Beatles disbanded in 1970. The instrument was featured prominently on “Back to the Egg,” a 1979 album released by the McCartney-led band Wings. He played the guitar on concert dates and during recording sessions for solo albums “McCartney II” (1980) and “Tug of War” (1982).
Irsay presently is considering locations for a permanent museum to display his collection of instruments and boomer-era cultural artifacts. His “world tour” of temporary exhibitions recently made stops in Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Austin, Texas.
According to the Jim Irsay Collection website, exhibitions are planned in Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome and London.
Other recent additions to Irsay’s collection:
- A Gibson SG once owned by Pete Townshend.
- A 1976 Gibson Explorer once owned by the Edge.
- A Fender Telecaster once owned by Lou Reed.
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So glad this taxpayer made billionaire is able to lavishly spend the wealth he has been gifted.
Big news for Jim Irsay, and Jim Irsay only
We get it, the IBJ really wants his private storage for his collection to be located and funded by Indy.
I hope some other city outbids us in our pathetic attempt to be “world class”.