Moog Model D back in production

[Aperkeys]

Clonk

Costs around 5000$

 

[RichieP_MechE]

About 5 years, ago. Moog announced the end of production of the very popular Model D reissue. 

 

Good news - as of today - the Model D is back in production! https://www.moogmusic.com/news/one-and-only-minimoog-model-d-returns

 

Sam Ash has it listed at a price of $4,999 USD. I seem to recall that the original reissue sold for around $3,500. I should have bought one then!

[Jim Alfredson]

Vintage Minimoogs are between $6k and $7k on Reverb.

[yannis D]

Good for very high end pros and rich amateurs alike.

This tag price is very far from every working musician i know of...We will stick to our Novations and MacBooks 😉

 

 

 

[mynameisdanno]

That first reissue they were making in the late '10s are just excellent instruments.  It feels like giving up absolutely nothing vs. a vintage unit, and gaining several really useful additions without losing the vibe.  Mine held up great on the road.

 

The new walnut stain looks sharp.  Looks like the only other change is a spring-loaded pitch wheel... well, I guess I could get used to that.

 

I might be disappointed about this new production taking away some of the ridiculous appreciation of the previous reissue in the used market, except that I never considered selling it for a second!

[GovernorSilver]

This might eliminate my GAS for a Bridge Golden Tasman.   Almost.

 

The Moog site does not mention if this is a limited production run or if they'll just keep pumping them out as orders come.

[GovernorSilver]

 

[nadroj]

Does it sound £4700 better than a Behringer Model D? Probably not. In a mix? Definitely not.

[The Real MC]

37 minutes ago, nadroj said:

Does it sound £4700 better than a Behringer Model D? Probably not. In a mix? Definitely not.

The reissue Minimoog is still trading on the used market higher than its original retail price.

Good luck selling that Behringer.  Retail stores will not take any used Behringer on consignment.  

 

If it breaks, service techs won't touch them due to getting burned one too many times from lack of warranty reimbursements.  

 

A quick peek on eBay shows plenty of used Behringer model D yet only a handful of reissue Moog model D.  If the Behringers sit so well in a mix then why are people selling them and hanging on to the Moogs?

[David Emm]

I started with a Minimoog. I LOVE Minimoogs. I know I'm going to Synth Hell for saying it out loud, but I also feel as if I'm having to swat them away like mosquitoes. Its the Minimoog Of The Week Club. 😱 H.B. 2027 will proclaim that every child born in the U.S. shall henceforth be issued a Minimoog. They won't be allowed to vote until they can perform the solo from "Lucky Man."

 

I'll soon be in a straitjacket, whistling it to the other patients. Please help me. 😳 (I need someone to do the Moog bass BOM-BOM moments.)

[BadLife]

I am not a keyboard player, but exactly what sounds does this thing produce?  I looked at it out and it did not seem to have $4000 worth of controls on it. If I said that right.

[Shamanzarek]

2 hours ago, David Emm said:

 H.B. 2027 will proclaim that every child born in the U.S. shall henceforth be issued a Minimoog. They won't be allowed to vote until they can perform the solo from "Lucky Man."

 

 

There will a be lot of disappointed children when they discover the Minimoog doesn't have enough keys or oscillators to play the "Lucky Man" solo. Perhaps Wakeman's "The Revealing Science of God" Minimoog solo would be a more appropriate choice.

[ProfD]

As long as vintage synths are selling for big bucks on the used market, there will be a  demand for these newer reissues especially if they cost less and have a warranty. We live in great times technologically. 😎

[zxcvbnm098]

13 hours ago, RichieP_MechE said:

About 5 years, ago. Moog announced the end of production of the very popular Model D reissue. 

 

Good news - as of today - the Model D is back in production! https://www.moogmusic.com/news/one-and-only-minimoog-model-d-returns

 

Sam Ash has it listed at a price of $4,999 USD. I seem to recall that the original reissue sold for around $3,500. I should have bought one then!

To put it in perspective, in 1974 a Mini Moog cost $1595, a fair chunk of change considering the minimum wage was $2.00/hr. - at least here in California. In 2022 dollars that $1595 translates to around $9500. 

[Al Coda]

10 hours ago, BadLife said:

I am not a keyboard player, but exactly what sounds does this thing produce?  I looked at it out and it did not seem to have $4000 worth of controls on it. If I said that right.

 

I dunno what you´re playing,- but do you think any vintage electric guitar, bass, other electromagnetic keyboards, or rare vintage drum-, brass-, reed- and string(ed) instruments have thousands of dollars worth of "controls"?

 

 

A.C.

[CyberGene]

13 hours ago, The Real MC said:

Good luck selling that Behringer.

I purchased my Behringer Model D for €250 brand new. Why would I sell it? I would just throw it away if it fails. Doing great for two years now. I’m not dismissing the reissue but at 20 times the price of a Behringer Model D, it’s certainly a niche product for connoisseurs. 

[Al Coda]

24 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

I purchased my Behringer Model D for €250 brand new. Why would I sell it? I would just throw it away if it fails. Doing great for two years now. I’m not dismissing the reissue but at 20 times the price of a Behringer Model D, it’s certainly a niche product for connoisseurs. 

 

 

The pure signal path in a Minimoog as it is, never didn´t offer everything I wanted.

The vintage Minimoog D (and the re-issue,- I guess) aren´t "surface mount" devices like the Behringer synths.

I always modded my Mini a bit for doin´ thing the stock version can´t.

I don´t think that´s so easy w/ the Behringer Model D which is one reason why it didn´t catch my interest.

For standard Mini sounds I have Minimax and Miniverse and they do it well.

But they all cannot replace my customized Minimoog D.

 

The other reason is reliability.

My Mini is about 40+ yrs old and plays very well still.

You won´t believe,- even the keys are well aligned, I planned bushings (gommets) replacement of Pratt-Read keyboard action and guess what,- it wasn´t necessary at all.

The gommets are spares now and until it will be necessary.

 

I can´t imagine a 300 bucks Behringer synth will last for long,- it doesn´t have to for the price.

But,- how do you know for how long it´s replaceble in case of failures and when techs refuse repairs.

 

 

A.C.

[BadLife]

Al Coda I guess I said it wrong.  What I would like to know is what the Mini Moog is capable of?  Shamanzarek indicated that it doesn't have enough keys or oscillators to play the "Lucky Man" solo.  That was what I meant for $4000 what can it do.  Since I play guitar I can get one Gibson for $4000 or 10 Epiphone's the Epiphone's can do everything the Gibson can with perhaps a slight reduction in sound quality (which can be very subjective) .  Just would like to here the value use case for one of these.  I get that it is a quality reproduction of a rare vintage instrument, but what other use case is there for it?  I can see that it might just make someone happy just to own it, but is there more to it that that? 

[ProfD]

19 minutes ago, BadLife said:

Just would like to here the value use case for one of these.  I get that it is a quality reproduction of a rare vintage instrument, but what other use case is there for it?  I can see that it might just make someone happy just to own it, but is there more to it that that? 

The short answer is...no.  There is nothing more to it from a technological perspective. 

 

In fact, synthesis moved beyond the limitations of a monophonic synthesizer several decades ago. 

 

Those *vintage* sounds have been sampled and modelled and recreated in all types of KBs produced over the years.

 

However, these reissued synthesizers satisfy fits of nostalgia one has to have in order to truly appreciate it. 

 

For one reason or another, upon reading Keyboard magazine back in the 1980s and seeing those full page color ads, some musicians were unable to get their hands on what has now become vintage synthesizers. 

 

Fast-forward to present and flush with cash or credit, those same musicians can fulfill their dream of owning a brand new synthesizer from yesteryear.

 

No need to worry about the maintenance and reliability issues and exorbitant prices being asked for a used vintage synthesizer. 

 

Today, we can buy a Minimoog or Prophet 5/10 or OB-X8 hot off the press and sometimes for less money.

 

So, yes...there is more to it from the perspective of owning a piece of technology we never thought would come back around.😎

[GRollins]

A few thoughts on comparing the Behringer Model D with the Moog Model D

1) There are about ten gazillion people who have bought the Behringer, versus a few thousand who own a Moog. Let's say that in any given year 1% of the respective owners decide to sell their synths. As a simple application of math will show, there will be a lot more Behringers on the market than Moogs, simply as a function of there being more in the field.

2) I suspect that a fair percentage of the people who bought--and are buying--the Behringer are members of the "beep and boop" crowd. A lot of them are just getting started in music and don't really quite understand the whole synth thing. They've just watched a few YouTube videos and think cool sounds will simply leap out of the D on their own. When they buy a D (along with a sequencer and so forth), they may be overwhelmed and give up, having bitten off more than they can chew. The people who buy the Moog Model D are more likely to be knowledgeable--they know what they're doing and have a game plan. There are people in the middle, like me, who play Behringer Model Ds using a keyboard, thus creating a "Moog Model D" for a fraction of the price. It would be interesting to know how many Behringer Model D buyers even own a keyboard, whereas the Moog comes pre-equipped with one and that's the way most users will play it, even though the reissues now have MIDI.

3) At $261.75 (Behringer Model D current price on Sweetwater), the eBay used "sold" prices of $150-250 ain't so bad--especially at the upper end of that range. And that's with a bunch available, mind you, so supply and demand isn't being badly tilted by a lack of supply. They're selling like hotcakes, both new and used.

4) I'd love to own a Moog, but the price is prohibitive. I've got two Behringers--one bought new, one bought used--and have far less money committed. Setting Rick Wakeman aside, I daresay you'll search long and hard before you find many people who own more than one Moog. For someone such as myself, a firm believer in "deep oscillators (tm)," I'm having a friggin' blast with my Behringers. If I was to come across a Moog D cheap enough, hell yeah I'd buy it...but at current pricing, I'll manage with the Behringers.

 

I know it's popular to look down on Behringer. I get it. But there's a lot of music in those little Behringer boxes and that's a good thing.

 

Grey

[Joe Muscara]

On 11/17/2022 at 12:38 PM, mynameisdanno said:

That first reissue they were making in the late '10s are just excellent instruments.  It feels like giving up absolutely nothing vs. a vintage unit, and gaining several really useful additions without losing the vibe.  Mine held up great on the road.

I've heard that one live! Too bad my iPhone couldn't handle the low note At All.

 

[I went to the Heart show and made it a point to record Magic Man to catch Dan's Minimoog synth solo. I played it back and when he hit the low note, nearly ALL the audio, not just the synth, dropped out.  It just couldn't handle it.  ]

[GovernorSilver]

3 hours ago, BadLife said:

What I would like to know is what the Mini Moog is capable of? 

 

This is a cheaper way to satisfy your curiosity

https://www.moogmusic.com/products/minimoog-model-d-synthesizer-app

 

It might drop to an even lower price soon for Black Friday

[Al Coda]

3 hours ago, BadLife said:

I guess I said it wrong.  What I would like to know is what the Mini Moog is capable of?

 

Lightning fast envelopes for percussive attacks p.ex..

The "buttery" sound of that filter ... it has a tone.

I also like to play THIS Pratt-Read keyboard action which adds mechanical noise to the sound,- in opposite to the follow up j-wire contact Pratt-read actions.

P.ex., playing a vintage Prophet-5 or a vintage Minimoog D action is a night and day difference,- at least it was for me.

In the past I bought 2 Prophets, rev 2 and rev 3, in the hope they will replace my Minimoogs and add advantages like preset memory and MIDI,- they didn´t.

In fact, I sold the Prophets and use at least 1 Minimoog D still.

I need it´s haptics, exactly that control-panel, it´s wheels, switches and CV pedal connected to it´s filter input as also the so called "feedback" path.

 

It´s the same love organ players have w/ their real Hammonds.

 

I grew up w/ it and I know how to work w/ it,- it´s a player´s (lead) instrument and not so much for the crowd sequencing everything.

It´s also a great bass synth even I prefer the sound of the Taurus I for bass.

It´s a synth sounding great w/ just only 1 oscillator in use.

Jan Hammer did countless solos and bass lines w/ the Minimoog D and just only 1 oscillator active.

When being used right, it´s VERY musical.

It´s also still one of the devices I can repair in-house in future.

 

I always liked it much more than a Memorymoog which promised to replace 6 Minimoog Ds,- which it doesn´t.

You know, most talking about Memorymoog think "18 Oscillators stacked" that´s the sound. It isn´t.

I hate these unison detuned sound,- well not always, but most often.

But a single OSC voice of a Memorymoog never sounded like the Minimoog D and the Memorymoog´s action was crap too.

 

Anyway.- I love the Mini and that´s why I didn´t sell the last one.

 

 

A.C.

 

[GovernorSilver]

seen on another forum

 

Quote

this new business model of really expensive pricing doesn’t seem sustainable to me in this market and I can picture Moog going out of business.

 

🤣

 

This ain't the ARP Avatar.  🤣

[CyberGene]

I don’t see, for instance, why a Subsequent 37 is cheaper than the new Minimoog reissue? Yeah, one less oscillator I guess 😀

[Mark Schmieder]

It's nice to see this back in production again. Although not quite the same thing, I'll probably stick with my Voyager, but I'm still glad to see these made again.

[The Real MC]

4 hours ago, GovernorSilver said:

 

This is a cheaper way to satisfy your curiosity

https://www.moogmusic.com/products/minimoog-model-d-synthesizer-app

 

It might drop to an even lower price soon for Black Friday

 

"Gateway drug"

[GRollins]

On the "what's the Model D bring to the table" question, I'll say that I've got more hardware than I deserve, and I know and admit it. Disclaimer out of the way, it's the Moog sound (also in this context to include clones) that keeps me turning back to them instead of other items I happen to have. Everybody who plays music has favorite instruments, but the sound of a Moog ladder filter is--at least for me--'bout near perfect. The only other filter that I've had experience with that ranks near it is the (Eurorack) manhattan analog SVVCF. Others need not apply. There's just something about That Sound that soothes my soul.

 

A lot of people go for this oscillator. Others get chills over that oscillator. Fooey. At the end of the day, it's the filter that defines the sound most completely and Bob Moog did a really, really good job of designing a musical sounding filter. It just plain sounds good.

 

You can buy another filter design. You can buy the Moog. Or you can buy a clone of the Moog filter. The first option hasn't worked out for me (with the arguable exception of the SVVCF). Getting a Moog VCF as part of a full synth is an option that I've tried three times: A Voyager keyboard, a Voyager RME, and a Little Phatty. All three times have worked well. (Let's not start splitting hairs about the differences in their VCFs compared to the Model D.) Getting a copy of the Moog 904A is something I've just tried for the first time; got the Behringer 904A. I haven't had it long enough to render a definitive review, but it seems good enough. Note that I don't have a full 5U Moog 904A to compare it to, it's just going to have to sound good or not on its own.

 

In short: Why buy a Moog?

Because the son of a beach sounds good--better, in my not-so-humble opinion, than 99.99% of the competition.

Someone remind me to rob a bank or win the lottery so I can afford the real thing.

 

Grey

[RABid]

Gigged through the 80's with a MiniMoog. Never want to do that again. For anyone willing to spend $5000 for the reissue, I'm happy for you. But I will put that towards a Jupiter X and Hydrasynth.

[Al Coda]

7 hours ago, RABid said:

Gigged through the 80's with a MiniMoog. Never want to do that again

 

Wel, I gigged w/ 2,- but doesn´t matter.

Today, it´s for the (home-) studio and I don´t gig anymore,- with or without the Mini.

But if I´d do,- for gigging I urgently wanted preset memory and advanced MIDI features !

 

 

A.C.