Abbey Road launches its first-ever in-house built sampled instrument in collaboration with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

Abbey Road Studios has partnered with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey Loverboy on a free-to-download virtual instrument, The Big Nessie.

Marking Abbey Road’s first-ever fully in-house built sampled instrument, The Big Nessie lands to coincide with Loverboy’s spring/summer 2026 collection, and enables producers to “experiment with raw, textural sounds”.

Samples for the Big Nessie were designed using Abbey Road’s ‘Curve Bender’ philosophy, which essentially allows engineers at the legendary studio to capture sounds, process them using the vast array of vintage gear and acoustic spaces available, and turn them into playable digital software instruments.

“There are many beautiful examples of how music and fashion have seamlessly fused together over the years, but this feels like the first time these creative worlds have come together to present a music production creative tool,” says Abbey Road’s Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles.

“Working with Charles Jeffrey was a truly inspiring experience that took both Loverboy and Abbey Road out of their comfort zones to make a fun and quirky sampled instrument for the creative community across the globe.”

Stiles says the samples for The Big Nessie were captured at both the Loverboy workshop in Somerset House and Studio Two at Abbey Road, calling them the “perfect environments” to design Abbey Road’s first in-house built sampled instrument.

Abbey Road Studios is not just a music icon; it’s a cultural hub, a laboratory of dreams,” adds Charles Jeffrey.

“Loverboy has always aligned itself with institutions that celebrate culture, from the British Library to the V&A. Partnering with Abbey Road, a place that fosters innovation and creativity, felt like the perfect fit as I explore new dimensions in music and fashion.”

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy’s spring/summer 2026 collection is called Prepared Piano, and is a “love letter” to its partnership with Abbey Road.

Learn more at Abbey Road Studios.

Sam is the Associate News Editor for Guitar.com and MusicTech. Thoroughly immersed in music culture for the majority of his life, Sam has played guitar for 20 years, studied music technology and production at university, and also written for the likes of MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer.