Ross Hogarth Visits The Vintage King Tech Shop

Famed producer/engineer Ross Hogarth has worked on many incredible records from the likes of Mötley Crüe, John Mellencamp, REM, Celine Dion and more, but some might not know that he plays an integral role in the history of Vintage King. Hogarth began working with Vintage King owners Mike and Andrew Nehra when he agreed to do FOH Sound for the brothers' band, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Suprise, during a summer tour with Dave Matthews Band.

"Ross was doing the Glyn Johns miking method on the drums for our live show," Mike Nehra remembers. "They [Dave Matthews Band's sound crew] walked out on stage, this huge stadium stage, and said, 'How's that going to work?' We said, 'Just listen.' He ended up getting them to use some API rack gear too."

The two parties bonded quickly over their love of studio gear, as the Nehras and Hogarth both brought choice pieces of studio equipment on tour with them. "These guys just had shit that people would be like, 'You're taking that out on the road.'" Hogarth says of the Nehras affinity for the classics.

It was during this tour that the seeds of Vintage King were sown as the Nehras worked to purchase and sell gear whenever they had an opportunity. "All of Vintage King was started when Mike was in phone booths, this is before cell phones." Hogarth recalls. "I remember it being cold and whatever timezone allowed you to be calling England, you were talking to someone like, 'I got this Neve console.'"

While in town for a recording session with Flogging Molly, Ross came over to the Vintage King Tech Shop and took a peek at what was currently being worked on. From the desk used for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy and Nirvana's In Utero to the a pair of Helios modules from Olympic Studios, continue reading below to get a look at some of these fantastic pieces of gear currently being housed in our Tech Shop.

This module comes from the famous White Room API, which was owned by the Doobie Brothers prior to the Nehras purchasing it for their own studio. The desk is currently going through a major restoration to return the desk back into its rightful condition.

Ross Hogarth and Mike Nehra stand in front of the Neve 8068 console that was formerly housed at Electric Lady Studios, The Record Plant and Pachyderm Recording. Among many of the amazing records cut on this desk, John Lennon and Yoko Ono used it for Double Fantasy, their final musical output before John's untimely death. This console was last featured at Andrew Crowley's Organica Recording in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Nehra and Hogarth also checked out a beautiful pair of Helios mic pres that came from Olympic Studios, the recording home to the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, David Bowie and more. These are very clear, open pres with some nice color and lots of punch.