THE STORY

In the early 90s I did a lot of work on analogue synths working for a number of well known bands as well as building my own analogue synth called “The Aviator”. It was basically a hobby for me. Please Google Tony Wride and Exclusively Analogue to find out more. You can ignore all the flying related stuff associated with my job!

In 1992 I was doing some work for Vince Clarke of Erasure prior to their Abbaesque tour and went to a rehearsal studio at Brent Cross in North London. Next door to the Erasure studio was another band rehearsing for their tour and it turned out to be ELP preparing for the “Black Moon” Tour! Keith had been one of my keyboard heroes and I never ever thought I would get the chance to meet him let alone see him rehearsing. I met Will Alexander, who was Keith’s technician, and got talking about the famous big Moog which they planned to take on tour. “We would like to get it fitted with MIDI” said Will and I then suggested fitting a Kenton MIDI retrofit for a MiniMoog which is what I ended up doing! (See the pictures). Whilst working on the Modular I talked to Keith and Will about the gear they were going to use on tour and Will said “We need another SE1 (Basically a Minimoog in a rack with MIDI) to go in the rack but the dealer said they can’t get one in time”. It just so happened that I had just traded a mint condition Minimoog for an SE1 with a studio in London so sitting in the back of my car was an SE1! When I said to Will that I could get them an SE1 for the tour he asked “How soon?” “How does 3 minutes sound?” I said. Talk about coincidence!!

Keith ended up with my SE1 for the tour but I was now Minimoogless. Fortunately sitting in amongst a collection of unused ELP gear was the electronics section of a Minimoog looking in a very sorry state. I asked Will what had happened and what was happening to the remains of the Minimoog. “It’s one of Keith’s early MiniMoogs that had the keyboard separated from it so that it could be mounted on the Hammond. It doesn’t work and the keyboard is in storage.” We ended up agreeing to me having the non working “split” Minimoog as part of the deal for the SE1 on an understanding that they would send me the keyboard in the future.

I took the electronics section home and refurbished it so that it was working, without the keyboard, and on my last visit to the rehearsal studio showed Keith and Will the much improved condition Minimoog. Keith very kindly signed the back of the electronics section for me (see photos) and in 1995 I finally got the keyboard section when Keith’s unwanted gear was taken out of storage to be sold. In the article Keith mentions the ‘Split’ Minimoog; http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/may95/keithemerson.html

Sound on Sound May 1995 Keith Emerson quote:

• MINIMOOG (1970)

“I had one of my Minimoogs split because it was the only way to make certain musical arrangements possible. The keyboard could be divorced from the more bulky electronics by several metres, so I could mount it in places the complete synth simply wouldn’t go. On the other hand, the use of the ribbon controller was far less pragmatic — it was pure showmanship.”

So that’s how I ended up with this very unique instrument back in 1992 and for the past 20 years I have kept it safely stored bringing out every so often to enjoy the rich Moog sound.

THE “SPLIT” MINIMOOG.

The keyboard section is basically the front half of a standard MiniMoog but the electronics section has been built into a plywood ‘box’. As you can see from the photographs the keyboard is linked to the electronics via a long cable and’d’ type connector. Apparently there was another longer intermediate cable, to increase the separation distance if required, but I don’t have this. The Minimoog also has some other modifications that were done to it for Keith but they don’t seem to be connected and I have not been able to work out what they are for! On the keyboard ‘bender’ panel there are 2 red LEDs and a small toggle switch linked to a ribbon cable. Obviously this was for something that Keith needed on stage but I haven’t been able to work out what. The Electronics section has the ‘mains’ supplied via a DIN style jackplug and there appears to be a balanced output socket added.

All the ‘normal’ MiniMoog bits work as they should and I have just done a complete calibration on it. Note that this has the early ‘richer’ sounding Oscillators rather than the later clinical ones!

It has taken a lot for me to decide to sell this Minimoog but a change in personal circumstances means I will be making a major change to my life and lots of things have to go. However, I’m not going to let this very unique instrument go for a stupidly low price, I’d rather keep it, so please don’t send me questions about accepting a lower price.” Link

The front panel is in pristine condition, as is the aluminum casing. The only detail worth noticing are in the refinished wood casing: the top of the control panel is missing the wood trim, also the front corners are rounded out which just gives it a little more character. Also the power cable is neatly re-soldered close to the plug. I will include the paperwork I received with it which includes schematics and a copy of the technical service manual.” Link

Works flawlessly!

I purchased the mini to finish up my band’s new record, we no longer need it! I hate to see her go…

Serial# 10742 (a little hard to read)

Includes original manual, road-case (new foam!), and a new S-trigger cable!

You won’t be disappointed, this is the REAL DEAL.” Link

(1) Synthesizer
Manufacturer: Moog
Model: 339A
Serial #: 5443
4 octave keyboard
Mono and stereo 1/4″ jack outputs
Footswitch jack
Dimensions: 15″ x 30″ x 5.5″
(1) Power cord

Condition

Previously owned
Item has been powered on but not thoroughly tested
The seller we represent states that the item is in full working order
All measurements approximate
Please see photos for further details” Link

Gebraucht – keine Mängel bekannt

mit Originalgebrauchsanleitung

Ich Ebay – Du Versand.” Link

KEINE GARANTIE ODER RÜCKNAHME !!!!

Lieferumfang:
Moog Rouge Synthesizer,
Netzteil,
Bedienungsanleitung” Link

Despite its size and price, it can produce the classic Moog sounds; bass , lead , strings and pads! It is incredibly versatile, with ‘raw’ bass sounds and smooth leads being just as easy to programme.” Link

The Moog Sonic 6 stopped production in 1979, I believe. It comes built in to its own hard case and has a built in speaker too, so it is very easy to transport to gigs, rehersals, etc despite the weight from the analog internal circuitry.

Bought in 1980 from ‘The Synthesizer Store’ (Chase) in Manchester, this Moog Sonic 6 (synth in a suitcase!) has all the original knobs, sliders caps, etc (one slider cap has fallen in half but just needs a little glue).

This synth is in full working order. However it could do with a little TLC as some of the sliders and knobs make a crackling noise which I’m sure will go away with a good internal clean.

There are little signs of wear apart from invisible, internal dust and a few minor scuffs on the casing (plus the above mentioned slit to one slider cap). However the case is covered with stickers from the 80′s (as seen in photo in mirror), which I assume can easily be removed to leave it newish looking. There is no instruction manual but its operation is straightforward (fairly intuitive).” Link

This unit was obtained from the original owner. With the exception of some scratches near the low ‘F’ key and a small chip on the right rear corner of the body, it is in excellent condition (see photos).

The pots, switches, and sliders work fine. The knobs and slider caps are intact. All 32 keys function properly. The painted graphics are complete and unmarred. The headphone jack works. The input and output RCA connectors and pitch and trigger ports have not been checked, so their condition is unknown. The original owners manual is included.

Additionally, there was a foam sheet under the control section designed to keep dust and dirt out of the unit. Undoubtedly, this has long since decomposed and will need to be cleaned out and replaced.

Although we have gone through the tutorial twice and have found everything to be working as stated, this unit is being sold “as is” and no returns will be accepted.” Link

Description
This auction is for a Moog Source synthesizer in excellent condition. It is 100% functional and sounds fantastic.

Functional Condition
This synth is functionally perfect. The membrane panel looks almost new and the buttons respond to a light touch. The keyboard has a crisp, even action with no sticky or dead notes. The knobs, controllers and all “level 2″ functions (e.g. arpeggiator, sequencer, sample & hold effects) also work perfectly.

The oscillators are stable and well calibrated. The second oscillator is in tune at roughly halfway through its range and the fine tuning knob is at concert pitch when it points straight up. The volume knob is noiseless with even resistance throughout its travel and the data entry knob spins freely with a lot of inertia.

Cosmetic Condition
Cosmetically, this synth is about an 8 out of 10. It looks clean, well cared for and much newer than its true age. The membrane panel is nearly flawless – you have to look closely to see that it’s not a brand new replacement. The rest of the synth is in great condition but there are some minor signs of wear. The chassis has a few noticeable scratches and scuffs and there are various small dings and scratches in the wooden end panels. The most noticeable flaws are the scratch on the front panel on the far left side (see the closeup photo of this area) and multiple scratches on the underside (see the photo of the bottom panel).

History
I acquired this synth from a friend in the late 90′s. At that time it had been sitting its case since the power supply went out several years earlier. I kept it for another ten years without having it repaired. So between myself and the previous owner this synth has been unused and stored in its case in an air-conditioned, smoke free apartment for at least 12 years.

I finally brought the synth to Ed Miller of Synthesizer Repair in Hollywood about 18 months ago. He fixed the power supply and replaced one of the DAC’s (used to convert the digital control signals to analog). The replacement DAC is an identical NOS part (i.e. same part number, same manufacturer, made in the early 80′s). I asked Ed to clean and calibrate the synth as well but he said that it “looks like a museum piece” on the inside and that no additional work was required. With the exception of the repairs performed by Ed, this synth is 100% original.

Sound
This synth has that unmistakably fat, warm and punchy tone of a classic Moog. The circuitry is essentially the same as a stripped down Minimoog, so it’s not surprising that it sounds nearly identical to that synth. All of the waveforms sound great and the filter is pure, legendary Moog.

Side by side with a Little Phatty, the Source sounds a little more raw and has more bite in the high end. The filter envelope amount (“contour amount” on the Source) has twice the range of the Little Phatty (at the expense of being positive only) so you can easily create sounds with an extreme attack.

I haven’t had the chance to compare the Source directly to a Minimoog. But Ed Miller, who has owned and worked on plenty of them, believes that no synth comes closer to a Minimoog than the Source.

Additional Items
The original owner’s manual, technical service manual and schematics are included. The Anvil case it’s been stored in for so many years is also included. This a lightweight case that’s not fitted (there is a lot of room for the synth to move around) and the foam is getting old and brittle, so you’ll want to replace it if you plan on transporting the synth on a regular basis. The power cord that came with it is also included (I’m not sure if it’s the original).” Link

Sounds and works great!

I bought it used in the late 1970s. An upgraded stabilized oscillator board was installed in 1981. I just had it cleaned and serviced and it sounds incredible! Looks beautiful too. ” Link

I’ve had this for a few years, but hardly used it. It is in excellent condition – no missing knobs or sliders, and sounds incredible. Comes with original power lead.

The reason for the sale is twofold – I am switching to purely software based synths, and trying to save for a holiday; the missus has put her foot down!

No flightcase, but will be shipped securely via courier.” Link

The Memory Moog also has control voltage outputs allowing for a Memory Moog to play a Mini Moog. There is a tuning calibration circuit to match the Mini to the Memory. I have also used this Memory Moog to control a modular synth. An extremely versatile instrument.

The patch memory can be down loaded enabling numerous banks to be built. The Memory Moog has a cassette interface for saving the data. This can easily be saved as a .wav file making file storage easier. I worked for Gibson Guitars in the 1970’s and our plant manager knew the Moog plant manager thus while on vacation I received the gold plated guided tour when the Memory Moog was in development, and Mini Moogs/PolyMoogs were on the assembly line. I have included a picture of some concept drawings of the Memory Moog.” Link

This is a ridiculously good sounding synth. I cannot emphasize this fact enough. Its tone is completely convincing, the controls make it easy to dial in one cool-sounding patch after another. The glide feature is great. The two oscillators can make rectangle, triangle, and saw waves, and can be synched or detuned for a thick stacked sound. This is a synthesizer and keyboard player’s dream.

The board itself is clean. The keys are level and function smoothly. These switches and pots are designed to prevent dust getting inside, and accordingly the controls work smoothly and produce no “crakle” type sounds. This board was not made with the foam inside that can deteriorate, so it is really good to go for the foreseeable future. Tuning trimpots are easily accessible on the back of the board. The power cord is built-in.

The only performance-related fault that I could find is that the glide control produces anomolous results at higher settings, causing a de-tuning effect. I found that this was a minor fault however, because the most musically useful glide settings are in the lower settings, and the glide works very well at these settings. ” Link

I pluged the unit in and it powers up and works fine as far as i can tell..Some of the sounds crackle when i hit a key but i think that its a dirty pot because if i play with the pots the sound will come back in and clean.Im not 100% sure.The slide on the pitch left was replace with a pot but works fine.There are a few screws on the bottom missing and some of the vernier on one side is missing.Other than that it is solid.I tried to describe this so there are no suprises.” Link

Der Minimoog Model D stammt aus den Endsiebzigern.

Er befindet sich in optischem und technischem Bestzustand.

Er ist aktuell komplett restauriert worden und spielt sich und sieht aus wie am ersten Tag.

Das Gerät kann gerne besichtigt und getestet werden.

Selbstabholung ist genauso möglich wie Versand.” Link

Wer sich keinen Minimoog leisten kann/will sollte sich den Prodigy mal näher ansehen. Dicke Bässe und Leads vom feinsten.
Alle Potis funktionieren ohne Kratzen oder sonstige Auffälligkeiten, alle Schiebeschalter funktionieren, die Tastatur hat keinen Mangel.
Das Tuning ist stabil (nach der Analogtypischen Aufwärmphase)!

Die ist ein Privatverkauf, somit keine Garantie oder Gewährleistung!
Ein Antesten des Moogs ist jederzeit in 4563 Micheldorf / Oberösterreich möglich!
Selbstabholung wäre mir auch am liebsten, Versand ist natürlich auch möglich!” Link

This listing is for a unique Realistic Moog Concertmate MG-1 that has been modified and now has MIDI input and control, filter audio input, and improved retrigger speed and glide response. Here is a list of all modifications:

Sticky black foam removed
1/4″ Audio jacks for input and output (see photos below)
External audio input to filter (see photos below)
Improved gate response
Multitrigger & continuous glide
Octave pitch drop
MIDI2CV – Design: Bojan Burkeljc
Notes – CV/Gate
Velocity – Filter Cutoff Frequency CV
MIDI CC#1 – Filter Cutoff Frequency CV
MIDI CC#2 – Oscillator 1 – Pulse Width (~25-50% Duty Cycle)
MIDI CC#3 – Oscillator 2 – Pulse Width (~10-35% Duty Cycle)
CV/Gate (From MIDI or Keyboard) Select switch

Cosmetically, the MG-1 is in very good shape. The case is in excellent condition for its age, but the keys have some scuffs and rough patches. There is one slide cap missing and some are slightly loose.

These modifications transform the existing MG-1 into an expressive, responsive, and controllable analog monosynth with a lush Moog ladder-filter. One of the first things I noticed when playing this MG-1 with a MIDI controller was how dynamic it felt. The filter really opened up when I played heavy-handed, and became smooth and dark when I played lightly. I then used MIDI software to generate and apply MIDI CC LFOs to the pulse width of both oscillators and then it started getting complex… The pulse width modulation isn’t over-the-top, it stays within a range that adds character but preserves the overall Moog sound. With the MIDI LFOs running, I turned up the MG-1′s internal modulation routing and that resulting sound easily surpassed the original MG-1, it reminded my of playing a Mono/Poly or a Pro One. On top of that, you can add a MIDI LFO or the internal modulation to the filter cutoff.

To the left of the keyboard, there is a switch to select between MIDI keyboard control or internal keyboard control.

The MIDI input is by far the biggest upgrade to this MG-1 – with this interface you can control the notes, the filter cutoff, pulse width of oscillator one, and pulse width of oscillator two. In addition, the midi note-velocity controls the filter cutoff. Both the filter input and the MG-1 output are 1/4″ jacks (they take the place of the cv/gate in). The MIDI board is a MIDI2CV, designed by Bojan Burkeljc. The board converts MIDI data from note on/off messages to pitch and gate voltages, velocity to filter cutoff voltage, cc#1 to filter cutoff voltage, cc#2 to pulse width cv for oscillator 1, and cc#3 to pulse width cv for oscillator 2.

The sticky black foam has been removed from the MG-1.

The filter input and MG-1 output use the existing 1/4″ pitch and trig jacks on the back panel (see photos below). The jacks are unlabeled in order to preserve the original aesthetics as best as possible.

The external audio filter input can be mixed with the other signals, since it enters the circuit in the mix section behind a resistor.

The improved gate response affects the keyboard gate and allows for faster internal keyboard playing (quicker successions of triggered notes)

The multitrigger modification affects play of the internal keyboard. It restores Moog’s typical low-note priority, retriggers when you play a new note and release a note to return to the original note. It also adds continuous glide, such that the glide will not stop in-between notes (and off-pitch) if you take your hands off the keys, the pitch will continue to glide to the note you played.

The output sounds best with the volume somewhere in the middle. You can turn it up to full volume to get interesting overdrive effects. ” Link

The first owner bought it new in the box in 1980 (it was on the clearance table!) and I obtained it from him in 2003, it has seen only studio use and is in great shape as you can see.

The only issue is the raised E key in the top octave; I can ship with a small foam pad on the underside of the case edge to even it out but it’s best fixed by a professional, only takes a few minutes. All keys work.
Serial number 1549, all knobs and switches work and are original; all jacks are functional. You can interface the new Moogerfooger pedals with some of the rear panel jacks!
Pressure sensitivity works well across the whole keyboard, all functions/routings work with all destinations. The pitch ribbon works well too.
It takes about 5 seconds to start making noise but about 5 minutes to warm up completely; it stays in tune well but the interval between both oscillators may need to be fine tuned after warm up. This is not at all unusual with older analog gear.

Cosmetically it’s about a 9 out of 10 with the exception of the key and some wear on the pitch ribbon. This is a great chance to get a very expressive vintage synthesizer with lots of adaptation possibilities to the Moogerfooger line!

I’m not going to tell you this is a Minimoog or better… it’s not. It’s different and does some cool things the Mini doesn’t but they don’t sound similar for the most part. The pressure sensitivity makes the board… the oscillators are kind of limited as they’re tied together in octaves but the pressure, ribbon and routings are very fun. This is a GREAT performance synth for studio or live (get a hard case, I never did…)

I’ll ship in highly reinforced and secured boxes, no case with this keyboard. You are paying something for packing in addition to postage.” Link

This Multi functions perfectly as well. Please see the video below for a demonstration of this synthesizer’s functional state.

The filter modification, found here, is installed. It increases the bass response when sweeping the filter.

Note in the video demo that when the mixer splits the signal evenly between the two oscillators, the volume decreases. This is by design as described by well-known synth technician, Kevin Lightner:

“The Multimoog added a second and third board that contained an additional VCO (and aftertouch, etc.) They routed both VCOs in a different way and with less distortion. Had they run both VCOs hot, they would have increased intermodulation distortion, which wouldn’t have sounded very pleasing.”

This is an amazing instrument. The aftertouch “Keyboard Touch Force Sensor” adds much expressiveness when playing. This model also has selectable multi-triggering/retriggering, which is somewhat rare for Moog synths.

The interface jacks on the back make this keyboard a good candidate for integrating with a modular system. Note the many patch points on the back of the synth illustrated in the photographs accompanying this listing.

Although this is a museum quality instrument, it is offered AS-IS; I will not accept returns because an aspect of the instrument’s design is different than expected.” Link

These were marketed by Radio Shack in the early 1980s, but were actually built by the original Moog Music Inc. Hence, I felt it needed to be represented like an amazing
vintage Moog should be with Moog logos and real wood panels!

The MG 1 is known for it’s evil goo problem. This one has been thoroughly de-gooped and ALL the sliders, switches, plastic sliders caps and knob covers are BRAND NEW!
This is the most amazing MG 1 ever and even graced the stage of Moogfest 2010! ” Link

This vintage keyboard is in amazing shape and within the last month I have had it serviced by a vintage synth technician in Nashville and had them clean up the areas that tend to go bad first, like the sliders, slider caps, switches, and switch knobs. This keyboard is ready to go whatever direction you want to take your music!

This is the perfect piece to capture that true Moog sound, filters and all. Also included is the AC adaptor that came with it when I bought it. I’m selling because I simply need a little cash to pay off some Christmas debt. I truly hate to part ways with this amazing vintage synth, but so is life!” Link