Beatles console found discarded in a skip goes on sale for over £2million

The one-off EMI TG12345 was built by EMI Studios in 1968 and was used in recording sessions for artists such as Cliff Richard before being donated to a school that put it in a skip

A console used in the making of the Beatles album Abbey Road and found discarded in a skip is up for sale for over £2million.

The one-off EMI TG12345 was built by EMI Studios in 1968. It was used in recording sessions for artists such as Cliff Richard before being taken out of service in the early 1970s and donated to a school, which then put it in a skip.

Luckily, it was spotted and recovered. The disassembled kit, which was unused for five decades, has had a major restoration. The team, guided by Beatles collaborator and former EMI engineer Brian Gibson, reunited the mixing desk with 70% of its original parts. It is now being auctioned by online marketplace Reverb and listed for £2.25m but it could fetch more.

Dave Harries, who participated in Beatles recording sessions with the equipment in the 1960s, said: “Abbey Road is one of the best albums... ever, and it sounds so good because of this recording console. This console... sounds so good that it holds up against any modern console and, in many respects, it’s probably better.”

The restoration was worked on by Malcolm Jackson and son Hamish, both from Hertfordshire, who own Malcolm Jackson Quipment. Malcolm said: “Anybody who gets this console... it’ll be the most famous studio in the world.”

The Beatles recorded Abbey Road – featuring Here Comes the Sun, and Come Together – in 1969. The album cover shows the band on a zebra crossing outside the studio in St John’s Wood, North West London. EMI Studios was renamed Abbey Road Studios in the 1970s.