McCartney On His Switching Of Basses

Musician:  Why did you switch [from the Hofner to the Rickenbacker]?
McCartney:  It was given to me.  Back in the mid-60s, Mr. Rickenbacker
gave me a special left-handed bass.  It was the first left-handed bass
I'd ever had, 'cause the Hofner was a converted right-hand.  It was a
freebie and I loved it.  I started getting into it on Sgt. Pepper.  And
now I'm playing a Yamaha.
Musician:  How come?
McCartney:  Because they gave me one -- I'm anybody's for a free guitar!
-- from the 1980 Musician interview
It wasn't "Mr. Rickenbacker" who gave Paul the bass, it was a
Rickenbacker worker named F.C. Hall. Paul started working with it well
before Pepper; it's on Rubber Soul if I am not mistaken.