Ever wanted to own the microphones used on the recording of Nirvana’s last full-length studio album In Utero? Well now you can… possibly.
They stopped being microphones and now they’re artifacts. I feel like I should get them into the hands of somebody who would take care of them and not put them at risk in the hectic environment of a recording studio.
Steve Albini
The legendary producer and guitarist Steve Albini is going to sell a stereo pair of Lomo 19A9 tube condensers and an Electro-Voice PL20 in two separate auctions on Reverb.
Both auctions will start on 21 September, which just so happens to coincide with the 24th anniversary of In Utero's original release.
So how important were and are these microphones? Well, the 19A9s were used as overheads on Dave Grohl's drum kit, while the PL20 and one of the 19A9s was used to record Kurt Cobain’s vocals.
Albini states that the microphones were too precious to have them as workhorses in his studio: "They stopped being microphones and now they’re artifacts. I feel like I should get them into the hands of somebody who would take care of them and not put them at risk in the hectic environment of a recording studio."
Despite offering the mics to the surviving members of Nirvana, Grohl, Novoselic and Smear all declined, instead suggesting Steve sell them.
The auction will end on 30 September and while there’s no word on starting prices, they will no doubt reflect the current market value for such items.
For more information on the auctions, head over to the Reverb website.
