I’d like to be under the sea, with Ringo Starr’s Studer 80 recorder, in the shade
- Professionally customized to Ringo Starr’s exact specifications
- Comes with a certificate of authenticity
- Expected retail price for at least €50,000 ($51,000)
Ringo Starr is one of the most famous people in the world, and not just because of his voiceovers in the Thomas The Tank Engine animations. The former Beatle is a hugely influential drummer and is still making music: his latest album with country and roots music, Look upcame out just four days ago. And now you can own a unique piece of equipment from his own recording studio.
The equipment in question is a Studer 80 Audio Recorder, the same recorder used in the 1970s at Abbey Road studios and many of the world’s other major recording studios. It is sold on the online marketplace Catawikiwhere it currently has a bid price of €18,000 – lower than the reserve price. Bidding is open until February 2, 2025 and is expected to exceed €50,000.
However, expect to pay a little more for shipping unless you live in the Netherlands: it weighs almost 100kg.
What’s so special about Ringo’s recorder?
This particular Studer recorder was customized by the Fab Four’s sound engineer, Eddie Veale. And it’s the real deal: current owner Lex van Coeverden, a celebrated Dutch mastering engineer and producer, has owned it since 1988 and it comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Veale himself detailing the changes Veale has made.
The auction is one of many Beatles-related listings on Catawiki’s website, which describes itself as “Europe’s most visited curated marketplace for special objects.” These objects include rare Pokémon trophy cards, a Chrysler Stratus Convertible from Real Madrid’s European Cup victory parade and also a strange Banksy original, as well as significantly cheaper items.
As for Ringo, he’s touring the new album. You can check out his currently scheduled US tour dates here. And with the dates for Record Store Day 2025 set for April, there’s never been a better time to get started with vinyl. What better place to start than with this Rubber soul?