Ever fancied owning a piece of Beatles history? Now's your chance, as a vintage Studer A80 analogue tape machine that formerly belonged to Ringo Starr is going up for sale, giving you the opportunity to place a rare piece of equipment with a tangible connection to the Beatles' legacy in your home studio.
The specially modified Studer A80-VU II, which was used to record the Beatles drummer's 1983 solo album Old Wave, is expected to fetch upwards of €50,000 when it goes up for auction via online marketplace Catawiki tomorrow, January 10th, alongside a variety of Beatles-related memorabilia.
Released in 1970, the A80 was a professional audio recorder manufactured by high-end Swiss audio brand Studer. Available in numerous configurations, ranging from mono and stereo to multi-track formats, the A80 was a highly-regarded piece of equipment that could be found in thousands of top studios, including Abbey Road Studios and George Harrison's home studio at Friar Park.
The A80 going up for auction was acquired by Starr in the early '70s after he purchased Tittenhurst Park, a property previously owned by John Lennon that was home to Ascot Sound Studios, the studio that gave rise to Lennon's Imagine, Yoko Ono's Fly and Judas Priest's British Steel, among many other historic recordings.
Following the purchase, Starr rebranded the studio as Startling Studios, tasking engineer Eddie Veale - the original designer of Ascot Sound Studios - with acquiring and customizing a two-track Studer A80 to act as the studio's central tape machine for mixing and mastering.
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The A80 in question became a cornerstone of Startling Studios, where Starr hosted recording sessions for his solo material and the work of other artists. Following the sale of Ringo's estate in 1988, the A80 passed through various owners before being picked up by Dutch producer and engineer Lex van Coeverden, who has preserved the fully operational machine in excellent condition.
"There’s a strange magnetism to this machine—it’s like it carried its history with it, quietly waiting to tell its story again," Coeverden said in a statement. "When I saw it, I didn’t just find a recorder; I snagged a piece of music’s soul."
“This recorder is a rare piece of musical evolution, a tool that has both witnessed and shaped the creative process of legends," adds Catawiki's Ariel Cabello. "Its analog complexity doesn’t just capture sound, it translates emotion–qualities that digital technology still strives to replicate. We’re beyond excited to be a part of this historic sale!”
The auction of Starr's Studer A80 begins tomorrow, January 10th, and ends February 2nd, and bidding starts at €17,500. Find out more and view the listing on Catawiki.
