DaBous Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Hi All. So a few weeks ago a guitar player friend of mine posted on Facebook that he needed some quick cash for a new ax and was selling a bunch of stuff - including a minimoog model D for $500. I called him and asked if it worked and he said of course not for that price. It was a fixit project that he never got to - so I negotiated him down to a few hundred and grabbed it. My plan was to flip it - get it fixed and sell for nice profit as they go for crazy amounts of money on Ebay if they work. It had some serious issues - oscillator board was dead and keyboard had problems - extremely dirty. Cosmetically not too bad. So I sent it off to Analog Lab in NY and crossed my fingers. They got it going pretty reasonable. ( I highly recommend them BTW ). My plans to sell it didn't last long though - I have had it back for about a week now and I am in love. Now I understand why folks get so excited about analog synths. I use synth leads all the time for soloing in my various bands - I have a bunch of synth lead samples in my NS2 - and I have a Roland ax synth keytar - but this baby is in another league - they sound like toys by comparison. Can't wait to use this baby on a live gig. Anyway just thought I would share a little vintage gear porn. This one is one of the earlier models and has the old oscillator board - made in October of 1973. She cleaned up nicely and is a beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Nice! David Gig Rig:Depends on the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Thank goodness for broke guitar players! Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyS Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Frickin love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Very Cool! "I cried when I wrote this song Sue me if I play too long" Walter Becker Donald Fagan 1977 Deacon Blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Now I understand why folks get so excited about analog synths. I use synth leads all the time for soloing in my various bands - I have a bunch of synth lead samples in my NS2 - and I have a Roland ax synth keytar - but this baby is in another league - they sound like toys by comparison. Can't wait to use this baby on a live gig. careful young fella. seems like more of a studio piece to me. lots of good new analog stuff now, mopho's and sub-phattys and such for gigging. Mazel Tov on your purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBous Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 careful young fella. seems like more of a studio piece to me. lots of good new analog stuff now, mopho's and sub-phattys and such for gigging. Mazel Tov on your purchase! Yup agreed. This won't be a long term gigging tool. Just keeping it in tune is an adventure and I'm not sure how long this 40 old machine will hold up to the rigors of gigging. I'm already GASing for some of the boards you mentioned. I'll take this bad boy out a few times for fun, then retire it to my vintage corner. Maybe a voyager or sub 37 acquisition soon........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Very nice! Enjoy it. I don't think you'd regret buying a Sub 37. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I know a guy in Sweden who is gonna be crying over this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 btw.. are those wheels ridged or smooth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogholic Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I know a guy in Sweden who is gonna be crying over this... Neil you bastard Hahahaha....Yeah I´m crying alright No, seriously, congrats and "welcome to the club" All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Sorry mate.. Just sipping a Guinness here in the town.. Y'know the one you think is flat because there's no bubbles.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 btw.. are those wheels ridged or smooth? They look smooth to me. I had one of those (SN mid 6000's, purchased 1975) that I really wish I had today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Mine is SN1800 or so... From 72/73... It also has the smooth wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yup.. Looks like my old mini as well. smooth wheels rock. Congrats on the find. DON'T SELL IT! '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Nice score, looks like a beauty! Mine isn't nearly as pretty, but I love it anyway, and I'll never get rid of it. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mididude Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 One word: phat. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenElevenShadows Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Now I understand why folks get so excited about analog synths. I use synth leads all the time for soloing in my various bands - I have a bunch of synth lead samples in my NS2 - and I have a Roland ax synth keytar - but this baby is in another league - they sound like toys by comparison. Can't wait to use this baby on a live gig. Definitely. Most stuff such as what you're describing sound like toys compared to things like this. There's a certain physicality and gutsiness that these things have. Congrats on the purchase!!!!!! Ken Lee Photography - photos and books Eleven Shadows ambient music The Mercury Seven-cool spacey music Linktree to various sites Instagram Nightaxians Video Podcast Eleven Shadows website Ken Lee Photography Pinterest Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogholic Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Sorry mate.. Just sipping a Guinness here in the town.. Y'know the one you think is flat because there's no bubbles.. Hahaha...talk about making a fool of myself.... All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 With your Mini and your Rhodes, you just need a Clav to hit the '70s keyboard rig trifecta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 With your Mini and your Rhodes, you just need a Clav to hit the '70s keyboard rig trifecta. That was my old rig in the mid 70's. Had a second keyboard player play Hammond. '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzkey Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 With your Mini and your Rhodes, you just need a Clav to hit the '70s keyboard rig trifecta. and a b3... that make it a quadfecta? congrats on the acquisition!! gig: hammond sk-1 73, neo vent, nord stage 2 76, ancona 34 accordion, cps space station v3 home: steinway m, 1950 hammond c2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Ingram Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Congrats on the purchase. You'll make a nice profit. In terms of gigging, it's safe to say that an early 70s instrument is no longer viable, even if it is a Moog. If you actually want to gig with a Moog, you'd be better off selling this one for a small fortune, and spending some of that on a new Phatty or Voyager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBous Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Congrats on the purchase. You'll make a nice profit. In terms of gigging, it's safe to say that an early 70s instrument is no longer viable, even if it is a Moog. If you actually want to gig with a Moog, you'd be better off selling this one for a small fortune, and spending some of that on a new Phatty or Voyager. At this point I think I will be keeping the minimoog. Don't think I can part with it. But I agree not practical for gigging . I gig a couple of times a week so I need reliable equipment. I am looking at various ways of incorporating true analog lead sounds for solos. I can use my NS2 as a midi controller - and I have a wireless midi setup for my Roland Ax Synth. So a mono analog synth module might work. There is the Moog Slim Phatty and the Dave Smith Mopho module. Any feedback on these or other suggestions from you analog experts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Tonewheel Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Welcome to the club!! Although there are many synths with many more features, the Model D has so much soul and is just so damn musical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Great find... I wonder how many are still in circulation. According to SynthMuseum.com about 12,000 were built, but I would guess that a quarter to a half are gone. Sundown Working on: The Jupiter Bluff; Driven Away Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Welcome to the club! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Coda Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 In terms of gigging, it's safe to say that an early 70s instrument is no longer viable, even if it is a Moog. I sometimes wonder from where all that knowledge and experience comes from. The Minimoog D, even being a dynosaur synth, is one of the most reliable and easiest to service instruments out there. Give it some love, clean job and overhaul and you can gig w/ it all day if you aren´t too lazy to dial in your sounds needed. In a live gigging situation it will be your lead (probably bass-) synth only so you won´t need many different sounds. There´s the option to use CV pedals for the filter and vca, so that introduces a variety of sounds alone if the instrument is played right. I owned 3 Minimoog D from different production runs,- also one of the early ones w/ 4 digit serial number and the old OSC board as well as smooth wheels. There´s much rumour about the sound of the early Minimoogs but I always prefered the newer OSC board because of it´s tuning stability which is essential for gigging. Also, w/ sweaty hands I also don´t like the smooth wheels, so I replaced ´em in the past. I still have one of my Minimoogs and it works since I buyed it. I performed outdoor w/ it last summer and it was stable in tuning and rock solid once being warmed up for 15 minutes. It requires to be tuned only once after the warm-up and then I can play w/ it as long as I want. I doubt a Voyager is more stable than my Minimoog D over time. I´d never replace my Minimoog D w/ a new MOOG but adding a new to the old one might be thinkable. A Sub37 as a rackmount would be interesting. A.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangefunk Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Al Coda, what year are your OSC boards? I have 1974 written on one of mine but not sure if that's just a parts number... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Coda Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Al Coda, what year are your OSC boards? I have 1974 written on one of mine but not sure if that's just a parts number... No idea, I never looked at this. I had only 1 of the old Minimoogs and sold it to a buddy in 1989 and together w/ my Prophet 5 rev3. I cannot remember the serial no. of that Minimoog,- it was 4 digit,- but also not a RA Minimoog. It had a beautiful dark wooden case though,- mahogany or walnut. It was a great sounding synth but unstable tuning wise as also much drifting until the old OSC board was exchanged against a newer one introducing the "heat chips". It can be it even didn´t came w/ the octave buffer board which was common until ser.no.#5000 and became a MOOG modification then. So, if a Minimoog is under ser.-no. #5000,- it has the octave switching design flaw (goes out of tune when switching octaves) until it get´s that modification. My 2nd Minimoog D was already above ser.-no. 11xxx and I lost it when it was stolen after a gig. All MOOGs above ser.-no. 10175 have the new OSC boards and the last Mini I own is also one of these. You identify this OSC board by count of trimmers,- there must be Hi / Scale / Oct & Shift for each OSC = 12 trimmers. I have to mention the older Minimoogs offer a much more beautiful case in regards of wood and grain. A.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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