A ten-foot wide forty-track recording console that was used to make Pink Floyd’s classic The Dark Side of the Moon album has been sold at auction for $1,807,500 (£1,441,842).
The console sold on Monday (March 27) at Bonhams in New York as part of the “TCM Presents Rock and Roll Through the Lens” auction. The pre-sale estimate for the console was only $700,000.
The console was used in Studio Two at Abbey Road from 1971 to 1983 and, while Dark Side may be the most notable recording made during the time, the equipment was used for hundreds of other recordings by such artists as Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Kate Bush and Ringo Starr.
According to a press release from Bonhams, the console is in full working order and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity by Ken Townsend, a former Abbey Road manager.
Katherine Schofield, the head of entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams, London, said “The world record price of this important item of music engineering only confirms the military precision of EMI craftsmanship and the powerhouse persona of Abbey Road Studio. The intense bidding seen in the room and on the phone speaks to its association with one of the UK’s most relevant and successful bands, Pink Floyd, and highlights the fact that this is far from being any ordinary console.”
While the recording console was, by far, the highlight of the auction, other lots that sold for high prices included:
A Hohner Clavinet D6 customized by Bernie Worrell – $20,000
Two handwritten letters written by Tupac Shakur – $11,875
A costume worn by Eminem in the movie 8 Mile – $11,875
A vintage Moog synthesizer owned by Bernie Worrell – $10,625
A leather jacket worn by Joey Ramone in the movie Final Rinse – $8,750
A three-page handwritten letter by Tupac Shakur – $6,875
A three-page handwritten letter by Tupac Shakur – $6,000
A Mini-Fender Squire guitar signed by the Rolling Stones – $5,625
A black fedora and white glove signed by Michael Jackson – $5,625
A Guns N’ Roses illustrated drum head autographed by Matt Sorum – $5,250
A five-page handwritten letter by Tupac Shakur – $5,000
