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Keith Emerson's Model D w/detached keyboard


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Currently up on eBay:

 

eBay auction for Keith Emerson's Model D

 

Apparently, he had a Minimoog modified so that the keyboard could sit with his stage rig while the electronics sat elsewhere. The opening bid is nearly $10k, so I won't be bidding...and I'm not sure I would anyway, as I've got roughly the same functionality with a Behringer Model D plus the MIDI keyboard that I built out of the old Kurzweil.

 

But...

 

Keith Emerson never played my rig either, so there's the historical aspect to be considered. Maybe there's still some of his DNA on the thing and it might somehow graft onto my DNA and give me (in some pseudo-scientific, mumbo-jumbo sort of way) Superhero Playing Powers . If I could play even one tenth as well as Emerson, it might be kinda awesome.

 

Okay, maybe I should reconsider bidding...

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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Interesting, do you reckon he left it at one setting or was there a tech that changed it for a given tune?

 

 

My closest brush with a "famous instrument" was being at a coworker's house, and since he knew I played in a band he says "do you want to see my roommate's keyboard?" Er, sure I guess...I was expecting some consumer thing with speakers. He slides out this big tolex case from under his pool table with "Oberheim" on it. I can't remember which model (4 or 8 voice, it was large) it was but supposedly it was owned by Geddy Lee. It wasn't in working order apparently but the roommate figured it was still worth $10K. Not sure if he knew/was telling the truth about it. Sure took me by surprise when that thing came out into the light though :D

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Emerson was hardly the only owner of such a device. Moog Music offered it as an option from the factory.

 

Look up Juliens Auctions and there's no evidence of such a device being sold (seller is just dropping the Juliens name to boost interest and the price).

 

In the early 1990s, Keith had a massive selloff of music equipment to pay off a bad divorce before emigrating to the US. SOS published an article on the sale in 1995. Keith does mention the detached Minimoog among the items to be sold, while the article says that every item in the sale will include a signed certificate of authenticity which has no mention in the auction description.

 

There have been plenty of forged signatures on "celebrity" guitars, amps, and other music gear. How do we know this isn't a forged Emerson signature?

 

Smells fishy.

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I can't think of a scenario where I'd want a Minimoog separated from its knobs. Unless he used it as a one trick pony special effect like a thundering, rattle the walls, 3-oscillator bass patch or something. Or, as mentioned above, he had a pet nerd hidden offstage dialing up patches to a predefined script.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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I remember in the late 70's he had a pull-out drawer on the left side of the Hammond C3 for the Mini keyboard. But anything Emerson had was used a great deal, it would really have to be a collector's piece.

 

What I would like to know is what ever happened to the big Modular Moog?

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What I would like to know is what ever happened to the big Modular Moog?

 

There's an organization near Philly with a large collection (EMAPP? Might have the name wrong). The Emerson Modular is in their possession, as well as the Minimoog prototypes.

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There have been plenty of forged signatures on "celebrity" guitars, amps, and other music gear. How do we know this isn't a forged Emerson signature?

 

Because underneath the signature he drew a little arrow and a note that says "Really my signature, not a forger's, honest!" What more could you want?

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I actually ran across the detached Mini in a photo recently. I knew it was more than a one-of-a-kind beastie, but I didn't know how many they made or that it was an option Moog even officially offered.

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

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