The long-awaited reunion of the renowned Abbey Road EMI TG12345 MKI recording console and Lockwood Major Loudspeakers has marked a significant milestone in music history. Lockwood proudly provided a pair of original Lockwood Major Loudspeakers to support the special Bonhams auction held at London’s Knightsbridge. Named “Sound of The Beatles: The ‘Abbey Road’ Console,” this auction witnessed the first-ever sale of the iconic Beatles Abbey Road Console.
The historical significance of the EMI TG12345 MKI recording console and Lockwood Majors resonates deeply within Abbey Road Studios. During their tenure, these iconic pieces were the studio’s preferred pairing for recording and mixing. In 1968, the studio manager, Allen Stagg, replaced all studio monitors with Lockwood’s loudspeakers, swiftly establishing them as the industry-standard reference for studio sound. Abbey Road acquired over 30 pairs of Lockwood-designed Loudspeakers. Many original Abbey Road Lockwood speakers remain operational today, some in esteemed private collections.
Installed in 1968 as EMI’s groundbreaking first solid-state transistorised desk, the EMI TG12345 MKI recording console played an integral role in music history. The Beatles utilised it a year later to record and mix their landmark album, Abbey Road, achieving a notably smoother and refined sound. Beyond The Beatles, notable artists like Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney (solo), George Harrison (solo), Ringo Starr (solo), John Lennon & Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band also harnessed the prowess of this recording console alongside Lockwood Loudspeakers between 1968 and 1972.
The legacy of Lockwood Loudspeakers traces back to the 1930s, inspired by Stanley Timms’ visionary spark from the first UK television broadcast. Lockwood has continuously led the way in loudspeaker design, solidifying a partnership with the BBC that birthed the legendary Lockwood Loudspeakers. These speakers swiftly gained global acclaim, becoming the favoured choice of major TV, radio, and recording studios worldwide.
Music legends such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Robbie Robertson, The Who, Iggy Pop, Daniel Lanois, Lenny Kravitz, The Rolling Stones, and many others have entrusted Lockwood Loudspeakers. Their influence has significantly shaped some of the world’s most iconic and exceptional-sounding albums, leaving an indelible mark on music history.
Lockwood’s Studio Client list encompasses the best studios in the industry, including Abbey Road, Decca, Trident, Vangelis’s Nemo studio, and The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Hundreds of studios worldwide select Lockwood as their loudspeaker reference for studio, cutting, and mastering facilities due to their unmatched sound quality.
On its website, Lockwood has a comprehensive discography dating from the present day to 1961, documenting iconic albums and soundtracks made with Lockwood Loudspeakers.
With established global distribution channels, Lockwood remains committed to delivering the same level of excellence to audiophiles for home enjoyment, allowing music enthusiasts to experience their favourite albums and soundtracks as intended by the artists. Each Lockwood Loudspeaker is meticulously handcrafted in the UK using original 1960s designs at Lockwood’s London production facility, utilising UK-sourced components, including custom-designed Volt point-source drive units with Alnico magnets.
The fortunate buyer of the console is expected to seek the matching Lockwood Majors that accompanied this storied console during its illustrious tenure at Abbey Road Studios speakers, marking a complete chapter in the historical continuum of these revered audio legends.
The History of EMI Mixing Consoles
EMI (Electric and Musical Industries) has a rich history of innovation in audio recording technology, with its mixing consoles standing as some of the most influential tools in the development of modern music production. Founded in 1931 through the merger of The Gramophone Company and the Columbia Graphophone Company, EMI became a leader not only in music production but also in the engineering of cutting-edge recording equipment. Central to this legacy are the in-house-designed mixing consoles, which became instrumental in shaping the sound of iconic recordings for decades.
In the late 1950s, EMI’s Record Engineering Development Department (REDD) began developing its own mixing consoles, tailored to the specific needs of its studios, particularly Abbey Road Studios in London. The REDD series, including the REDD.17, REDD.37, and REDD.51, represented a leap forward in audio technology. Designed by EMI engineers such as Mike Batchelor and Len Page, these consoles incorporated features that were revolutionary for the time. They offered precise EQ control, multiple microphone inputs, and robust tube-based circuits, which provided the warm, full-bodied sound that characterized recordings of the era.
The REDD consoles played a pivotal role in the recording of The Beatles’ early albums and other iconic works of the 1960s. Their design allowed producers like George Martin and engineers such as Geoff Emerick to experiment with new techniques, from close-miking to overdubbing, which transformed studio recording into an art form. The REDD consoles’ tube-based architecture gave these recordings a distinctive tonal quality that remains celebrated to this day.
By the late 1960s, the REDD series gave way to the TG (Transistorized Group) consoles, marking EMI’s transition from tube to transistor technology. The TG12345, introduced in 1968, was the first transistor-based mixing console used at Abbey Road Studios. It offered advanced capabilities for the time, including 8-track recording, parametric EQ, and improved noise reduction. The TG12345 was instrumental in the production of landmark albums such as The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Its cleaner, more transparent sound contrasted with the warmer tones of the REDD consoles, reflecting the evolving aesthetic of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
EMI’s mixing consoles were not commercially available but were custom-built for use in EMI-owned studios, giving the company a competitive edge in sound quality. The design philosophy behind these consoles prioritized both technical precision and musicality, ensuring that EMI’s recordings stood out in an increasingly competitive music industry.
The legacy of EMI’s mixing consoles endures as a benchmark in recording history. From the tube-driven REDD series to the transistor-based TG models, these consoles exemplify the pioneering spirit of EMI’s engineers and their ability to merge technological innovation with artistic vision. Their influence is still felt today, with many modern engineers and equipment manufacturers drawing inspiration from the sound and design principles established by EMI’s groundbreaking consoles.
