Gear from Butch Vig, Billy Bush and Smart Studios Heads to Auction

Los Angeles, CA (March 20, 2025)—Longtime collaborating producer/engineer/musicians Butch Vig and Billy Bush have put dozens of outboard units, mics, instruments and more up for auction at analogr.com. The equipment comes with impressive provenance, having belonged to Madison, WI’s legendary Smart Studios, Vig’s hit alt-rock band Garbage, and even the late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen.

Best known for his work as the drummer/co-producer of alternative rockers Garbage and for producing landmark albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind and Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish, Vig noted in a statement, “We’re glad to put some of our gear out on the market, and let other people enjoy and love it the way we have.”

Meanwhile, Bush, who has worked with Paul McCartney, Muse, Dweezil Zappa, Tegan and Sara, Against Me, Neon Trees, Snow Patrol, Foster The People, L7, Lupe Fiasco and Garbage, among others, is also selling a variety of items, including a one-of-a-kind tube mic pre that previously belonged to Eddie Van Halen.

That Greg Hanks Design BA-660 Tube Mic Pre/Limiter was purchased from Van Halen’s 5150 Studios when the guitarist was clearing out gear some years ago. The unit is said to be only the 660 modified by Hanks with a DI—a customization made so that so that Van Halen could play directly into it. Bush explains, “This beast is a groundbreaking piece of gear: the highest headroom of any mic-pre and the only one on the planet with DI.”

Other items from Bush hitting the block include a Brauner VM1 Microphone used to record Garbage’s titular James Bond theme for The World is Not Enough, a Chandler Limited TG1 and a rare Klon Centaur Overdrive Pedal used on countless recordings by Bush.

Meanwhile, up for sale from Vig are a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, Barefoot MicroMain 27 Speakers, various mics including a Sony ECM-737, Blue 8612, and a Heil Sound PR-30, a GML 8200 EQ, guitar amps and a touring drum kit used across 300 shows during Garbage’s Beautiful Garbage era.

DJ / Producer Paul Oakenfold’s Gear Goes to Auction

A considerable amount of gear from Smart Studios, which Vig shuttered in 2010, is also now being auctioned at analogr, including a Manley Stereo Pultec EQ, multiple RCA BK-5B mics, a Summit Audio TLA-100A, two Universal Audio UREI LA-4s, a Groove Tubes Vipre Preamp and more.