If you’re as constantly fascinated by Sonic Youth’s seemingly limitless array of arcane gear as we are, then rejoice – they’re putting some of it for sale on eBay! The sale part of an auction to raise money for a charity called ShelterBox – according to their website, they “respond instantly to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are most in need.” There’s a variety of kit available right now, with more to be added. Personally, we quite like the look of the old drum machine – but check out a selection of what’s available after the jump.
So, as we mentioned, there’s a fair bit of fascinating stuff to be had, but perhaps nothing more so (yet) than this 1970s Rhythm Ace Drum Machine: “We just picked up a museum-quality one and so are ready to get rid of this one, as it is a bit noisy.” Looks way cool if you’re into vintage analog hardware.
A xylophone that was used on Daydream Nation‘s “Kissability” – we’ve listened to that song (along with the rest of the album) about a bazillion times and never even realized that there was xylophone on it. There’s also a pretty cool-looking glockenspiel, if you prefer.
One of various guitar cases – there’s six to choose from, with prices from about $50, although again they’re increasing pretty quickly. We particularly like the look of this one, which has apparently been to Russia.
And finally, a weird custom-built mixer, which was apparently constructed on tour out of a microphone case. It was put together by sound engineer Dave Rat, who’s quoted as saying “Its a 4 in 1 out passive mixer. Super simple and yet it sure made it easy to get the 8 track player and toys in the mix. Ha!” Yours for $40.
Check out the main auction page here.
Also on the Sonic Youth front, if you’ve not yet watched this video from La Blogoteque with Thurston Moore talking about his early days in NYC, we highly recommend it. It’s got some great stories (like chasing Joey Ramone down the street to ask where CBGB was), along with a selection of music from Moore’s new solo album: