Trident 80C #008 (Used)

One of the pillars of the ‘British sound’ of the early 1970s was Trident Studios in London. Filled with brilliant engineers and cutting-edge gear, it was to go-to place for many of the top bands of the day. Starting with the Beatles, who relished the ability to record in 8 tracks (when Abbey Road still only had 4 track), a steady stream of rock stars came through the door. David Bowie in his Aladdin Sane/Hunky Dory/Space Oddity period; Queen and their first few albums; Jeff Beck, Supertramp, James Taylor and many more.

Wanting to remain at the forefront of technology, Trident studios looked in a vain for a manufacturer to make them a custom console. But why ask someone to do something when you can do it for yourself? And thus Malcolm Toft and Barry Porter, the in house engineers of Trident, came up with their own console, dubbed the ‘A Range’. Only a baker’s dozen of these legendary consoles were made, and as the years went by Trident continually innovated with a long line of further consoles, including the famous 80 Series, which debuted in 1980 shortly before the original Trident closed its doors. Following on the heels of this successful console was the model 80B and 80C in 1983, a classic 'split design' console set up in a standard configuration of 32 x 24 x 24 with 5 aux per channel.

The 80C remains in favor with engineers the world over for its signature sound. In fact, the sound of the mic pre/EQs on the 80B and 80C were so good, Trident still makes them available as a stand-alone unit that gives you a pair of these channel strips in a rack mount configuration. But why settle for a racked pair when you can have the original 80C, a console that gives you a lot of British bang for the buck.