The recording console that the Fab Four used to record their iconic album Abbey Road is about to hit the market.
The console will be listed with a fixed price on 29 October by Reverb, but interested buyers can make offers of their own. And while the price hasn’t yet been shared publicly, it’s likely that the console will fetch a pretty penny.
The one-of-one EMI TG12345 console has been restored to its former glory, and now one fan will have the chance to add it to their collection.
The piece was custom-built for EMI Studios (now known as Abbey Road Studios) in 1968 and is one of just 17 made worldwide by EMI. The band used it to record Abbey Road in 1969, and then each of the Beatles used it for their solo projects. John Lennon’s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Paul McCartney’s McCartney, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and Ringo Starr’s Sentimental Journey all feature the console’s unique sound. Harrison even asked EMI if he could buy one for himself, but the company declined, worried that it might then be replicated and sold to a competitor.
“This particular console is a one-off. It’s unique. You can’t replace it,” Dave Harries, who partook in several Beatles recording sessions with the console in the 1960s, said in a statement. “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.”
As for how much the console will fetch, a a previous sale of a different TG 12345 model suggests the original will likely fetch several million. Back in 2017, the TG12345 MK IV console - which was used to record Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, as well as projects by Kate Bush, the Cure, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr - sold for $1.8 million at auction, reports Rolling Stone.