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Whenever a piece of Beatles ephemera goes up on sale, it seems to bring in a whole lot of money at auction. Earlier this year, for example, the 12-string Hootenanny guitar that John Lennon played on Help! went up for sale after it was discovered in someone’s attic, and it sold for $2.85 million. Now, there’s another piece of Beatles arcana going up for sale, and this one is arguably even more valuable, since it’s also a singular piece of still-functional equipment, one that could still be employed to make important records: The fully-restored recording console from Abbey Road studios.
EMI had the one-of-a-kind EMI TG12345 console built in 1968. There were 17 such models built around the world, but this was the first one. The Beatles obviously used to to make their final studio album Abbey Road. The different solo Beatles also used the same console in making their classic early solo records, and it’s just been fully restored for the first time since the mid-’70s.
Brian Gibson, a recording engineer who worked with the Beatles, spent five years restoring the console to its full operational capability, mostly using the unit’s original parts. Gibson and his collaborators used the console to record some current artists, just to show off how well it still works, and you can see it at work in the video below.
Dave Harries, another engineer who worked with the Beatles, tells the Robb Report:
This particular console is a one-off. It’s unique. You can’t replace it. It sounds so good that it holds up against any modern console and, in many respects, it’s probably better. Because in those days, it was built to a different standard, cost no object. EMI built this to be the best in the world.
The recording console goes up for sale next week, 10/29, through Reverb. It’ll be listed at a fixed price, though you can make your own offer. Also, if you’re thinking about buying that console, maybe throw Stereogum some money too? You clearly have more than you need.