Musicians keen to get themselves a piece of rock history will have the opportunity to purchase a whole host of recording equipment at auction, originally from John Lennon’s home studio.While we can’t promise that getting hold of a microphones or mixing console will transfer any of the former Beatle’s legendary song writing talent to you, owning a piece of memorabilia which has helped shape the modern music industry is sure to be spoils enough.
Lennon had the technology installed at his Georgian manor house estate at Tittenhurst Park back in 1970. The property later became the recording venue for the Plastic Ono Band and Imagine albums.
Auctioneers have put early estimates on the mics of upwards of £5,000 each, but they claim, as with everything related to the fab-four, that “the sky’s the limit”.
Taking place on May 11th, the online sale will also feature Ringo Starr’s coffee percolator which was used to energize countless studio guests. No estimate has been put on the coffee-maker as yet.
An acetate disc used for mastering recordings, in which all four Beatles have etched their names, is expected to sell for tens of thousands of pounds.
Recording equipment specialist seller MJQ Ltd, which is handling the sale, has also put a mixing console from Abbey Road Studios up for sale, with the console used for various recordings over the past 18 years.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, auction administrator Hamish Jackson is confident that the auction will raise at least £300,000.
“Anything involving the Beatles will always be popular,” he told the paper. “My father ran an auction in 1980 of stuff from Abbey Road and a roll of toilet paper which had ‘Property of EMI’ stamped on every sheet sold for £500. A few years ago, the same roll was on eBay for £30,000.”