Moog Reissues Model D Minimoog, Adds MIDI and a Springloaded Pitchwheel - Only $5k!

[JockMcRonan]

outta here

[pdxindy]

Non collectors of hardware synths would do well to look at the Roland SE02 boutique , an enhanced MODEL D clone with full midi specs presets etc or the Behringer Model D. Through hole construction does not sound better than modern solderbath robot assembled pc boards. Sonically you lose nothing.

The Roland SE02 sounds good... but it is so tiny and requires such careful attention to find and adjust stuff. The knobs are tiny and jammed together. Ugh!

One of the great things about Moog synths is the size. Big controls with plenty of space around them. For me, the Matriarch is a joy to use in a way that the SE02 never could be. As a musician, I would never want to fuss with something so small as the SE02 up on stage. The Matriarch or Minimoog its so relaxed to adjust on the fly while playing. On the Matriarch, my hands know where to go without even looking. I've never had any tiny gear that was the same and a big reason why I stopped buying tiny stuff.

[pdxindy]

There are a lot of doctors, dentists and lawyers reaching for the phone to order yet another perspex case.

And plenty of musicians too...

[JockMcRonan]

outta here

[ghettosynth]

Non collectors of hardware synths would do well to look at the Roland SE02 boutique , an enhanced MODEL D clone with full midi specs presets etc or the Behringer Model D. Through hole construction does not sound better than modern solderbath robot assembled pc boards. Sonically you lose nothing.

The Roland SE02 sounds good... but it is so tiny and requires such careful attention to find and adjust stuff. The knobs are tiny and jammed together. Ugh!

One of the great things about Moog synths is the size. Big controls with plenty of space around them. For me, the Matriarch is a joy to use in a way that the SE02 never could be. As a musician, I would never want to fuss with something so small as the SE02 up on stage. The Matriarch or Minimoog its so relaxed to adjust on the fly while playing. On the Matriarch, my hands know where to go without even looking. I've never had any tiny gear that was the same and a big reason why I stopped buying tiny stuff.

Agreed. I have zero interest in a 6k minimoog, but, I can see the appeal to people who want that and want through hole circuits. Even I like through-hole for modification purposes. As someone else pointed out, adjusting for inflation, it's not really expensive, it just seems so because of what it delivers in terms of function.

But to compare this to the SE02, or worse, IK's pushbutton minibox completely misses the point. I think that, outside of modular/semi-modular gear, we're at a place where the sound of the hardware isn't often the deciding factor to go hardware, it's the nature of the hardware as instrument.

Bah, anyway, I just agree with your perspective on this. I prefer playable instruments and, for me, playable means all of the instrument, not just the keys and mod wheels. Frankly, I think that these minimoogs will sell well because they are a solid instrument all the way through and will be for years to come. Thick circuit boards with thick lands suitable for 1/2 watt resistors and chunky soldering irons will be able to survive more than a few ham-fisted repairs. I see these to be the synth equivalent to an expensive signature Les Paul. I wouldn't pay for either, but I can see the appeal for those interested.

[JockMcRonan]

outta here

[revvy]

Yea! When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s all the synths and samplers were super affordable

[JockMcRonan]

outta here

[ghettosynth]

Seriously...the bourgey attitude that $5k is not really that much just goes to show what an indulgent game of the overly well heeled, this pass time has become. I wait with baited breath to hear the first release featuring one of these synths that has even the slightest fraction of the soul that the local bands I used to see on the council estates of the West Coast of Scotland using crapped out, hand me down, cheap as shit instruments (and later in the Western Suburbs of Sydney)

You're misreading what people are saying. $5k is a shit-ton of money. One doesn't need to spend $5k to get a playable instrument. However, if you want to make a minimoog like they were made in the 70s then that's an expensive process. For that process, $5k is not necessarily overpriced. What music has soul and what doesn't has fuckall to do with the discussion.

[revvy]

Yea! When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s all the synths and samplers were super affordable

Wasn't that bad..I picked up a SH101 brand new for AU$125 and a second hand DX7 for AU$50 back in the mid-late 80s (and a Boss DR550 for $50)...all this when I was working part time, studying full time.

Better now though!

Tons of cheap stuff, SW too (sometimes free). Brilliant affordable guitars too.

Kids today have never had it so good.

There’s always been expensive stuff available.

[JockMcRonan]

outta here

[pekbro]

All in all, I paid more than the cost of this for my latest guitar and boutique amplifier rig. Fortunately, I don't really want one of these. I suspect they could get by with charging quite a bit less if they wanted and I'm sure they never even considered it.

[ghettosynth]

Yea! When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s all the synths and samplers were super affordable

Wasn't that bad..I picked up a SH101 brand new for AU$125 and a second hand DX7 for AU$50 back in the mid-late 80s (and a Boss DR550 for $50)...all this when I was working part time, studying full time.

The SH101 retailed new for $495 in 1982 and was produced until 1986. By 1986 it was old news, hence, why it went out of production. So if you bought one "new" for $125 Australian, then you had a blowout deal. Trying to argue that the price of synths should be comparable to clearance prices is specious reasoning. A $125 SH101 was sold to you new at a loss. Roland did this regularly. My JD800 was $1295 on blowout. The TB303 was buy one get one free towards the end of its very short life. So what?

$495 in 1982 is about $1500 in today's money. The SH101 is cool enough, certainly, but if you think that it's comparable to a Moog in terms of build quality then I have a bridge to sell you. I still own two (SH101s) and have played them live extensively. I have also modified mine so I know how they're built. They are a great live synth, but they are cheap plastic and the sliders feel cheap. They flex and rely on the strength of the solder pads to hold jacks and pots in place. They are only marginally reliable and rely heavily on low costs "synth module on a chip" parts of the day.

You bought cheap synths in the late 80s because nobody wanted them. We all did. You didn't buy an M1 in the late 80s for $125, you had to spend some $2k to $2.5k in 1989 money if you wanted the trendy instrument of the day. That's about $5k in today's dollars.

Top instruments have always been expensive and there has always been cheaper stuff available. It wasn't better then, frankly, it's much better now. You can get a B2600 for $700 ish that is large enough to play and recreates enough of the vintage feel that it feels like an instrument.

[pdxindy]

Seriously...the bourgey attitude that $5k is not really that much just goes to show what an indulgent game of the overly well heeled, this pass time has become.

Sounds like you are bitter that other people are more successful than you.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

So the other current Moog synths are all surface mount? I've never popped one open. I'd be surprised because I've heard they have reliability issues and that's not something I generally associate with surface mount, unless the problems are with things like pots that may get wired in.

I'm really just trying to figure out how they can build and sell a Matriarch for less than half of what the Minimoog sells for if it's not just 'we know people will still buy it for 5k so we'll make a massive profit on each'. If there's a legit reason, I'd certainly be curious. Note: I'm really only interested in the comparison of Moog pricing to Moog pricing because it's a more apples to apples comparison.

Another comparison, is the Moog One surface mount? The Minimoog is closer in price to that than I ever imagined a Minimoog reissue would be, but the Moog One has 8 or 16 voices. I just legit don't understand how they got to the cost when compared to other things in their product line, but that may not mean they're ripping anyone off, there may be legit reasons why it costs what it does and I'm currently just too ignorant of potential reasons to understand why.

I now feel like my Prophet Rev 4 was a total bargain compared to the Minimoog, and a few days ago I thought it was expensive as all hell!