The console used to record The Beatles‘ legendary ‘Abbey Road’ has been restored and is up for sale on Reverb.
The EMI TG12345 recording console – which was used by the Fab Four to create their final 1969 LP – will be available for purchase starting on October 29 via the official Reverb shop of London recording studio pros and collectors MJQ Ltd.
The unique console was created specially for EMI studios in 1968 and was the first of 17 consoles created by EMI. It played an important role in the ambitious sound that The Beatles sought for ‘Abbey Road’.
The recording machinery was disassembled and remained unused for over five decades. It took five years to restore under the guidance of Beatles collaborator and former EMI engineer Brian Gibson (as per Reverb). Gibson and a team of audio engineers and technicians were able to assemble the console with 70 per cent of its original parts and “faithfully reproduced the replacement parts to seamlessly work alongside their older counterparts.”
Speaking about the console on Reverb, Dave Harries – who participated in numerous Beatles recording sessions with the machinery in the 1960s – shared: “‘Abbey Road’ is one of the best albums that’s ever been made, and it sounds so good because of this recording console. Because of the way that Abbey Road was recorded, the album has a distinctive sound that hallmarked the future of pop recording.”
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He continued: “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.”
Along with being used to create the final Beatles LP, the console was also used by all four members – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon – for their solo projects including Lennon’s ‘Instant Karma!’, Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’ and Starr’s ‘Sentimental Journey’ LP.
In other news, a shirt signed by late football legend Pelé was recently gifted to Paul McCartney.
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