West Hollywood, CA (December 11, 2025)—Rock stars auctioning items they don’t want anymore is nothing new. In recent times, top artists have been selling off old guitars, stage outfits and even professional recording and touring equipment. Well, leave it to veteran rocker Joe Walsh kick that last trend up a notch with his upcoming “Life’s Been Good” auction.
Named after his 1978 hit single, “Life’s Been Good,” the event will take place December 16 and17 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA and online at juliensauctions.com. Items hitting the block will include goodies from across his varied career, from his solo work to his time as a member of The Eagles, The James Gang, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band and others.
As might be expected, the auction features many road cases, amplifiers and speakers, clothes, awards and more than 400 guitars. There’s everything from vintage moon boots to a 2014 McLaren Spider to ham radio gear (Walsh’s favorite hobby) to a signed print of a nude painted by Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh.
For the pro audio-minded, there’s intriguing items like the four acoustic wall panels once owned by Les Paul (Walsh apparently picked them up from a previous Julian’s Auctions event). There’s also Walsh’s personal EMT 251 digital reverb unit, a Peavey PVR-1 omni electret condenser mic, a Leslie speaker cabinet, and his old Ultimate Ears UE11 in-ear monitors (custom molded, so don’t bother trying to jam them in your ears). If none of that seems practical enough, maybe place a bid for the Hickock 533A Tube Tester.
That’s all fine, but by far, the highpoint of the audio offerings is a mixing console used to record dozens of the biggest names in music history: Walsh is selling his API console—complete with power supply, patch bay and spare parts—which previously was used in a Record Plant and Design FX mobile recording truck.
Carrying an auction estimate of $250,000-$500,000, the console has been used to record The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Beastie Boys, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Green Day, Michael Jackson, the Oscars, the Grammys, TV episodes, award shows, radio concerts and benefits, and far more.
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The auction listing notes:
An API recording and mixing console, formerly installed in one of The Record Plant’s mobile recording trucks, with the number 2395 inscribed on one side. This particular console –– along with its associated rack mount equipment –– has recorded many live performances by world-famous artists including Eagles, Blues Traveler, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Green Day, Michael Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl Halftime performance. This console was also used to record for broadcast including The 1992-1995 Academy Awards, The 1993 Grammy Awards, VH1 Storytellers for Tom Petty, Tom Waits, and Sarah McLachlan. An exhaustive list of the projects which featured this console can be found below.
API is one of the most revered brands in recording equipment, and as one of Record Plant’s former location rigs, the truck housing this console was fully equipped with a custom API 44/24 bus x 32 monitor console, with API 550A EQ’s and analog VU metering. In the 1990s, modifications by Jeff Bork utilized the original API components but created additional features with many relay activated functions for increased dependability. Channel modules have solo in place, both program and monitor sections, solo safe, 8 aux sends, sends to two stereo buses-A&B, bypass-able modern VCAs on the small monitor faders, fader flip and switch deferrable pan pots. There are 48 toggle switches to active or deactivate 48 mic lines of microphone phantom power. The console features a massive, comprehensive remote TRS long frame patch bay and remote monitor section.
New features include: -EQ button pushed in on large fader puts the EQ and EQ patch point on the “listen” position or monitor to record flat but EQ the monitor. Patch point follows the switch; Disengage the EQ button and EQ and patch point is back on the small fader. -Follow pushed in on top – sends signal from the big fader up to the little fader to send to buses for use as additional sends in the mix mode. -PFL – just determines pre/post on the yellow solo button -PG sends to 7/8 from little fader instead of big fader -PF Pre Fade or Post Fade
It also features an API patch bay assembly, phantom power switching assembly, and API tape return/ bus monitor section. The patch bays are labeled Multi Bay, Guest outboard, Outboard In/Out, and Pro Tools in/out. Includes power supply, and TRS patch cable and numerous spare components. Includes a file of paperwork including schematics, diagrams, repair and modification notes, and other general notes.
Some of the proceeds from the API’s sale will benefit VetsAid. The Joe Walsh auction kicks off at 10 AM on December 16, 2025, both in person at the Troubadour and online at online at juliensauctions.com.
