Langevin AM16

This one is really special. I would love to have this in my studio! Note that I have also posted this console on my other blog, its full of stars where there is some audio of this thing in action

Ebay Starting Price £6000, BIN: £8000, Loc: Seattle US, Seller: audiorecordinginc

This is what he says:

"Up on the auction block:  Historic Langevin Recording Console

Please re-read description as the console has been removed from the table now for shipping...

This auction is for a one-of-a-kind custom Langevin console built in the 60's for recording engineer Kearney Barton. Kearney has recorded the following artists in the "golden age" with this exact board: The Kingsmen, The Standells, The Sonics, Earl Hines, Paul Bley, and many others. He's an illustrious character in the history of northwestern American music and has recorded so much great music, but is now retiring from the music industry.  Almost all of his other equipment has sold locally in the Seattle, WA area.

The mixer is fitted with 21 Langevin AM16 amplifiers, 2 Langevin 252 graphic eqs, 3 Langevin 251a 2-band equalizers, 2 low pass filters, and 2 high pass filters. The board is also extravagantly appointed with a single pan pot module that is patchable, as are the equalizers. This entire board is patchable; it almost looks like a modular synth. A local tech, long-time friend to Kearny, and Seattle native has helped put together a .pdf describing the signal flow of the console for potential buyers. This PDF is viewable in the classifieds at gearslutz dot com by searching for "historic langevin console".  Even if you're not interested in making an offer on the board, I'd encourage a read through the .pdf as a reminder of how a great simple design could be used to make music in that decade. This board is obviously not a candidate for a commercial installation. Someone who is looking to do back-to-basics raw rock / soul / funk recordings would be seriously rewarded though. The sound of the solid state AM16 amplifier is well documented as a great classic, smooth and punchy solid state design.

Original asking price was 20K. That is just over going rates for the amps and eqs at fair market, plus a small amount more for the historic importance of the board, and the routing / faders / etc. For example, AM16 in tray = $600, 252a = $800-$1200, 251a = $500, the HP and LP filters... when you start to add it up you'll see where we got that #.  Everything on the board currently works, and there really wouldn't be many capacitors to redo b/c there aren't many in the design. Also, very few switches can fail because of the patchable design, and aside from cleaning the faders there wouldn't be that much maintenance on the board needed. The fact that everything is done through patch points, not switches, actually lowers the noise floor of the whole desk considerably and contributes to a very "upfront" sound. This board was very nearly sold 2 weeks ago, but things happen and now we're putting it on eBay because the buyer changed his plans.  We really hope that the board is not parted out and is used as a complete console!

The console pictures were taken before it was decommissioned.  The small monitor section off to the right is included in the auction.  The turntable is not.  Also, the table that is pictured is *not* included, as the console has been removed from it for shipping and crating.  A new mount / table will need to be constructed by the new owner... since we don't know where it will be installed, it seems to make sense to allow the new owner to customize it to their situation. This will also make it smaller for shipping.

There is one fader cap missing, and a couple of pots need cleaning.  Other than that, the board is fully passing signal and all functions working, but the board is sold in as-is condition, it will most certainly need some degree of work to get it fully installed.  The board comes with 3 spare pots.  A simple 8 into 1 monitor mixer is included, as is a talkback mic and relay box.  A huge number of TT cables are also included for patching the console, as nothing is normalled.

The board is available for pickup in Seattle, WA. We will consider freight shipping and could help organize that. It would be incredibly heavy to move overseas.  Do not let our low feedback as a seller discourage you;  the person that is organizing and posting the auction is an ebay seller under the name the_holy_mountain with very high feedback, but this auction needs to be listed under Kearney's eBay account for financial / accounting reasons.

Dimensions:

The mixer is 60" long, 26" deep, and 10" high at the tallest point of the cabinet.  It has a flat bottom and could rest on a table, or be dropped in another table as pictured.  The mixer sat in a recess in the table top.  That recess was about 4" deep.

Appx. 500 lbs in total weight, but some of this could be broken up into smaller packages.... i.e. all the AM16 modules, the console frame, the power supply, the meter bridge, the small monitor section, the wiring harness, etc.  Many notes will be provided for the new owner as to how to wire it back up, but it will take someone who is skilled with electronics to re-assemble after shipping.


For serious international buyers, please write for a shipping quote--YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND ZIP CODE. Due to

the weight and value of this item, shipping overseas will be very expensive (in the $3000 and up range depending on location).

You will be responsible for all importing duties

BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FULL SHIPPING AND CRATING.  DO NOT USE THE EBAY SHIPPING CALCULATOR. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BUYING, CONTACT US AND WE CAN TRY TO GET SOME SORT OF QUOTE TOGETHER.

Also, we will not declare this item at a lower value for customs / VAT if bought internationally.  This makes it almost

impossible to insure the unit at it's full value when shipping.

Payment via Paypal accepted.

PLEASE NOTE:

If your feedback history is less than 10, please do not bid. Your bid will be cancelled. 

Payment is accepted via PayPal and is due within three business days after auction closes. 

International Bidders:  

This item is heavy and shipping costs vary from country to country, so please email me for a shipping quote. Please include your city and zip code with the request."


UPDATE: I found this fantastic PDF the seller has put up with full details about the console - enjoy!

Kearneys Mixer