Abbey Road’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ recording console sells for $1.8 million

A nearly one-of-a-kind recording console used in the production of Pink Floyd’s iconic 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon” sold at auction Monday for more than $1.8 million.

The 40-channel, custom-built EMI TG12345 MK IV recording console fetched $1,807,500 from an unidentified bidder Monday — more than double the amount auctioneers expected the iconic studio gear to earn during its “TCM Presents … Rock and Roll Through the Lens” sale, Bonham’s auction house said afterwards.

Formerly housed within the Beatles’ famed Abbey Road Studios in London, the console was one of two made by EMI engineers in 1971 to replace earlier equipment on the verge of becoming obsolete. It ultimately spent more than a decade inside Abbey Road’s Studio 2 prior to being replaced in 1983, and was utilized by three-quarters of the Fab Four for post-Beatles solo work, among other projects.

Most notably, though, the console was used in the production of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” the band’s best-selling record and one of the most successful albums of all time. The progressive rock outfit began recording “Dark Side” at Abbey Road in June 1972, and the album ultimately sold more than 45 million copies following its initial release the following March.

“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,” said Katherine Schofield, the head of entertainment memorabilia for Bonham’s London office. 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.”

British music producer Mike Hedges purchased the console from Abbey Road in 1983 and said it was still in “excellent working condition” upon hitting the auction block. He was only slated to fetch about $700,000 for the gear, Bonham’s said prior to bidding.

Other music memorabilia that earned big bucks this week include a custom clavinet previously owned by the late Parliament-Funkadelic musician Bernie Worrell and a pair of letters penned by late rapper Tupac Shakur, the likes of which fetched $20,000 and $11,875, respectively.