EMI TG12345 MK IV. The console that Pink Floyd used to record ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ in 1972 at Abbey Road Studios. Photo credit Mike Ross.
 
Only two of these custom EMI TG12345 MK IV consoles were ever made and according to former Abbey Road engineer Brian Gibson—long considered to be one of the foremost authorities in the world on such things—this particular console is the “greatest to ever be constructed.”

This particular EMI TG12345 MK IV was in use for over a decade in Studio 2 at the world-renowned Abbey Road Studio. The mythical studio that has stood on 3 Abbey Road, St John’s Wood, City of Westminster, London, England since 1931 has recorded notable bands from The Beatles to The Buzzcocks during its long history. When it comes to the history of this console, it is as rich as the studio it occupied during its heyday. Though it was used by other prestigious artists such as Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Kate Bush and later on by The Cure—as the title of this post indicates—the most noteworthy piece of musical history created with the help of this console was Pink Floyd’s 1973 mind-bender The Dark Side of the Moon. Whoah.

More after the jump…