As a new recording studio owner myself, the search for high quality, used equipment has become a bit of an obsession. While names like Funky Junk and Larkings List are well known in the UK, other sources are a bit more obscured by eBay and other online, classified sites.

Considering that any old SSL or Neve console can cost more than a small house, buying from anonymous online sellers is an extremely frightening process, no matter how cheap the kit is. There are, however, many companies that specialise in the field of used recording studio gear, refurbished equipment and the offering of services on everything from the vast panoply of outboard gear to consoles and microphones.

Larkings List
TL Audio founder Tony Larkings has been operating as a reseller of used and modified recording gear for decades.

Larkings List is a resource of used, professional recording equipment and the supplier of used recording consoles, audio effects and processors. The company also stocks used microphones, mastering equipment and hard disk recording systems, including DAWs such as Pro Tools.

Based in Hertfordshire, UK, Larkings List has many of its recording consoles on display in its showroom and claims to have the largest stock of analog and digital recording desks and mixers in the UK. The company also exports gear overseas and has seen a big demand from the European market for its used consoles and equipment due to the growing strength of the euro. In addition to resale, the company also supplies and installs complete recording systems, acoustic treatment, repairs and part exchange, as well as offering good finance deals.
www.larkingslist.com

Duncan Pro Audio
UK console manufacturing giant SSL has taken a turn towards the consumer market in recent years, although the company still has the legacy of building some of the biggest and most widely used recording consoles around the globe. Duncan Pro Audio stepped in to corner the market on used SSL consoles and is the exclusively recognised European dealer of previously owned SSL consoles.

The company works directly with SSL UK to provide refurbished consoles of varying ages, from ten years to 12 months old. While SSL continues to manufacture large format recording consoles, Duncan offers the same quality products at prices varying from £15,000 for a 4048E with E computer and Total Recall, to the £120,000, 80-channel 9000 K series and even the recently made, state-of-the-art Duality desks.

Duncan Pro Audio knows how big and daunting the decision to buy a high-priced recording console is and, as such, it offers years of industry experience and customer service, directed towards choosing the proper gear for every customer. Most of its consoles carry a warranty, with on-site commissioning by an SSL trained technician and a complete technical service if required.

The company also provides studio consultation in conjunction with experienced engineer Drew Griffiths, in addition to supplying software and hardware to suit the needs of a new or existing studio.

The decline of the pound has also created a recent upswing in sales for Duncan. Most consoles are sold to the US and Europe, but sales to Australia have been known.
www.peterduncan.com

Funky Junk
The company Funky Junk was inspired after its founder, Mark Thompson, purchased an Ashley equaliser for his home studio that turned out to be an empty box with knobs on it. Through his research, he found that there was a great need for a reliable studio supplier to do the legwork to find used gear for high-end studios. Over two decades later, Funky Junk claims to be Europe’s leading supplier of used
studio equipment.

Located in East London, Funky Junk overhauls, maintains and sells used gear with three-month warranties included for each purchase. It also staffs trained engineers and technicians who provide technical support and back-up.

The company carries large stocks of fully serviced, used outboard and mics and also houses up to 20 consoles of varying sizes from the likes of Neve and SSL. It modifies large format consoles to make eight to 20 channel desks for home and project studios.
www.proaudioeurope.com

Studio Systems
As one of the many proponents of the analog-only mandate for audio recording, Studio Systems of Cornwall, UK has specialised in trading Soundtracs analog mixing consoles for over two decades.

It deals specifically with Soundtracs because it believes this brand has been consistently manufactured to an excellent, wide-ranging standard that has withstood the test of time. It furthers the idea by quoting Soundtracs’ MD, Todd Wells: “We over engineered – just to be sure”.

Studio Systems assures its customers that every desk is fully serviced and provided with full technical support for years beyond the sale date. The company has 25 years of experience with Soundtracs and offers services beyond that of an eBay sale. It has sold its consoles to satisfied producers and engineers all over the world.
www.studiosystems.co.uk

Recycled Audio
Recycled Audio began life as a technical company based in Oxfordshire, UK. With over 20 years of studio service and repairs with SSL desks in numerous studios around the world, the company has expanded its focus to include the sale and service of second-hand consoles with SSL trained technicians.

The company prides itself upon maintaining a strict honesty policy when it comes to the condition and history of any desk it sells. 

It can also offer modified and customised consoles to fit the requirements of its customers’ needs. Its consoles are fully refurbished, tested and include a 90-day part and labour warranty, manuals, a channel extender and a spare channel, when available.
www.recycledaudio.co.uk
     
Gear Source Europe
Gear Source Europe is a leading company involved in sales of used gear for the live entertainment industry. It deals mostly in the high-end market, providing lighting equipment and mobile staging, as well as the expected live mixing consoles to rental companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Owner Gary Nelsson has seen a growth in the used market over the past six months as more companies have begun to consolidate their inventory and sell off superfluous gear. He states: “In the past, the companies that had gear they wanted to sell did not have the time to take pictures and make the effort to sell it. Now that business has slowed, they have had the opportunity to liquidate their stock to raise more capital.

“This sector of the industry has been professionalised to a great degree and companies can source equipment more easily though a company such as us.

“Most of our new business has come from word of mouth. Considering the large price tags that come with some of the equipment we sell, our clients want to know they are buying from a credible and responsible source.”

There is little you could think of that Gear Source doesn’t handle, being one of the most respected online sources of good quality used amplifiers, consoles, microphones, recording devices, speakers, cabling and even line array systems.

On top of that, the company multiplies each of those categories exponentially by dealing with brands as diverse as Crown Macrotech, EV, EAW, Yamaha, Powersoft, Mackie, Peavey, QSC, JBL, AB, Crest, Digam and more.
www.gearsourceeurope.com

Vintage King
Vintage King offers everything from used multitracks and consoles to outboard, monitors, mics and DAWs. Customers can find used desks from API, Neve, SSL and Trident for sale on its site, in addition to a myriad of gear from high-end manufacturers such as Neumann, Pultec and Eventide. Hundreds of used pieces are bought through Vintage King and shipped around the globe from what it claims to be the ‘largest selection of new and used pro audio in the world’.

Nearly all the items sold by Vintage King are serviced and come with a warranty and most have a ten-day trial period from the date of shipment. Its in-house technicians also rebuild, refurbish and customise the equipment.

Vintage King credits its continued success in this sector to the fact that it guarantees its products. Its diverse client range extends from bedroom users to big names such as Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Metallica, Jack White and The Who’s Pete Townsend.
www.vintageking.com

Odyssey pro sound
Odyssey Pro Sound of Salem, Massachusetts is a buyer and seller of used and vintage pro audio and recording equipment, including consoles, signal processors, microphones, recorders, amplifiers and monitors. Visitors to its website can find an impressive mix of both digital and analog from modern to vintage and classic gear.

The site functions as an eBay-style hub for buyers and sellers and buyers can benefit from a strict money-back guarantee if the kit isn’t up to scratch.
www.odysseyprosound.com