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A fascinating collection of laboratory equipment from the Danish firm Bruel & Kjaer is going up for auction, with the starting price significantly below its original value.
The equipment will be auctioned through Vintage Electric Musical Instrument Auctions (VEMIA), with the auctioneer Peter Forrest overseeing the sale.
Peter said: “I’d seen Bruel & Kjaer gear being used in the Radiophonic Workshop at the BBC, and in Stockhausen’s studio, so I knew it had the potential to produce interesting sounds.
“I admired the stance I believe B&K had for most of the time when they were producing this stuff from the 1950s to 1980s of not making equipment for offensive military purposes. They also chose a seriously beautiful colour for their casework, which they still use today. And to cap it all, the insides of these instruments are hand-made works of art.
“For the last 30 years I’ve been travelling around the country to auctions, BBC sales, universities – anywhere there was some of this wonderful gear for sale. Sometimes I even trusted eBay sellers to ship safely – not easy.”
The collection, which takes up a space 4m wide and 2m high and weighs one ton, would have cost over £500,000 if purchased new, with some individual units costing the equivalent of a Mini car at the time.
The auction will begin with a starting price of £6,000, with no reserve, and after including buyer’s fees and UK delivery, the final cost could be under £7,500.
Peter is putting the collection up for sale as he prepares to step back from running the auction, and needs to free up storage space as a result.
He added: “It is all sold as seen, with no guarantee of working order. But it would make a sensational static display which could then, piece by piece, be renovated and brought back to full functionality.”
The Vintage Electric Musical Instrument Auctions will take place from 2nd to 9th November at spheremusic.com, with the sale expected to generate £500,000 from equipment valued between £15,000 and £100,000.
