Is the Moog GrandmothersTill Worth It In 2024? There May Be Tears 😢

Would I buy the Moog Grandmother again now? You won't guess my answer...
I compare it to the Matriarch, Korg's MS-20FS and the PWM Malevolent for features and VFM.
Moog Videos: • Moog Videos & Tutorials
Jorb: Why I'm (Probably) Selling the Moog Matriarch: • Why I'm (Probably) Sel...
PWM Malevolent: www.1pwm.com/malevolent
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My 1990;s Studio: • My 1990 Studio - Yamah...
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Equipment used:
Komplete Kontrol
S49 Keyboard
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#Electronic_Music​ #Synthesizers

[@IanWaugh]

See what fellow synthesists think about synthy topics: www.youtube.com/@IanWaugh/community

[@gautrstafr]

You should make a follow-up video with the Taiga Keyboard that's just announced today! I personally from the options would probably buy the PWM Malevolent. I have a Voyager so I got the Moog sound covered. Also keep in mind Sweetwater prices do not include any kind of taxes and I understand UK prices do include VAT.

[@IanWaugh]

Hi Gustavo - Yes, it was announced the day after the video went out 😢 Someone also mentioned the MiniBrute ii although that definitely wouldn't have altered my opinion 😊 Prices were a comparison. Some folks in some parts of the US don't pay any or very little tax depending on where they buy from. according to a friend over there 😲

[@mwmusic29]

Excellent points Ian. I miss my Grandmother and would love to have it again but if I'm putting in that much money I'd rather add a little more and get something with a few more features. Thanks for the great video! :)

[@IanWaugh]

It's cheaper over there than it is over here 😊.But price-wise we're heading into poly synth territory

[@ryanlewis9418]

The deepmind12 is like 200-300 cheaper, moog need to lower the price of it by a couple hundo FR.

[@greenvelvet]

Seriously considering buying a second grandmother. What a powerful sound that I've never heard come out of another synthesizer.

[@IanWaugh]

Go for it 👍

[@DisciplinedCommotion]

when I tried a GM in the shop 3 to 4 years ago there was no way I was leaving without one, it was about £780.00 I think.

[@IanWaugh]

@@DisciplinedCommotion Yes, that would be about right 👍 You make great use of yours

[@TheSemtexCow]

The PWM Malevolent has been the object of my desires for a long time. It just sounds so knarly and deep.

[@IanWaugh]

Yes, it certainly sounds that way on the demos 👍

[@demonsk]

I love patching my Moog Matriarch, such a beautiful sounding synth!

[@IanWaugh]

Hi - Yes, it absolutely is 👍

[@MrMusicbyMartin]

I remember “Never Mind the Quality . . . Feel the Width” - about a tailors in London, funny show: ‘Everybody Out!” I’ve had a Grandmother since it came it, it still has a great deal of value to me: it’s meant to be played like Rick Wakeman playing the keys, not Aphex Twin twiddling the knobs. I love the colours, it sets it apart from the black’n’silver brigade. The patch points and MIDI make the unit an excellent conversion machine, connecting MIDI devices like the Octatrack or my DAW with my Eurorack modular gear. The keyboard is excellent, as is the build: it’s a properly heavy synth. Quality is an important to me, I believe it will last longer than, say, a Kong MS20. It uses a classic subtractive synth model so it is easy to interpret and patch them components: there are no menus, just a few features buried deep in the MIDI implementation. An important factor - Moog have changed owners since I bought my Grandmother. I don’t even know if they are still making them but before long they will be looking to release other products. I do wish I’d gone for the Matriarch with all the additional features (I wish I’d had enough to buy a EMS VCS3 to be honest) but I won’t get rid of the Grandmother, it’s limited but it’s too useful and it sounds great.

[@IanWaugh]

I'm glad that comment wasn't totally wasted 😊 Yes, it's a bit special, for all the reasons you mention. 👍 We're all waiting to see what's next from Moog

[@DisciplinedCommotion]

I went for a GM because I wanted to get back to having knobs and stuff, I used to have a Prodigy back in the 80's and wanted to get back to hands on control. I reckon I would still get one today, and its not over complicated.

[@IanWaugh]

Absolutely! The main reason, I think, for using hardware is the hands-on twiddling 👍

[@DisciplinedCommotion]

Ian, yep, see grab n twist :)

[@IanWaugh]

@@DisciplinedCommotion 😄 👍

[@klinkske]

Korg ms20 go up in price when korg stops making them any time again. The mini is like my dad said: you have two kinds of cheap. Cheap that breaks down, and cheap that keeps working. I had 3 recent moogs with issues and you can read about issues with grandmothers online. I wish i got a green ms20 FS when they were about 1k…

[@IanWaugh]

I like cheap that keeps working 😊 I think any piece of gear can break down, especially ones with complex electronics. Moogs are no exception but sorry to hear you had so many problems with yours 😢

[@RobertRodriguez19906]

i have a white ms20 mini , the build isnt like a PREMIUM synth, but the SOUND! this thing has quickly become my fav synth. I have other polys like the rev 2 ubxa juno 106 miniloguexd minifreak blofeld ... and i always resort to the ms20. with that said i just bought a dark version grandmother today ... hope i dont regret it!

[@IanWaugh]

@@RobertRodriguez19906 Hi Robert - be interesting to hear how you think the MS and GN compare.

[@RobertRodriguez19906]

@@IanWaugh i should be recieving it anytime this week! i will sure let you know after ive played around with it!

[@IanWaugh]

@@RobertRodriguez19906 👍

[@denisbassom172]

When showing US prices are you including tax/VAT, which is generally already included in UK prices?

[@IanWaugh]

Tax varies in the USA depending on where you live and where you buy from. I've looked at prices of various synths on Sweetwater and compared them to UK prices and you cansee that some use a £=$ conversion while others do take into account the conversion rate.

[@PaulAW1410]

The Korg MS20 re-issue was a kit (and very expensive!), but I did indulge, having had an original in the early 80’s. They released a flat MS20M kit, which I got too, minus the keyboard, flat and the ability to use Volt per Octave. I love Korg gear, but the prices drive me mad.

[@IanWaugh]

Hey Paul - I missed those earlier kits. heard about the Hz/Volt switch. What idiot decided NOTT to put that on the FS? 😲

[@ErnestLock]

Hey Ian. Great review of objectively knob-y features vs price. However, sonic features of GM, Matriach, and other synths although arguably subjective, are at least 50% of the reason to buy one synth over another. I've had my GM for almost 5 years and it was a love-hate relationship until I added three off-board hardware effects: reverb, delay, and audio preamp. Now i have a synth that delivers the punch and other-worldliness i hoped for with GM out of the box. I completely agree that GM is a fickle machine but certainly through perseverance and a few off board effects, it is now quite wonderful to play. Full disclosure: my GM made two return trips for in-warranty repair. I purchased the extended warranty.

[@IanWaugh]

Hey Ernest - Sorry to hear you've had probs. In spite of the hand-made/made in the USA claims, I don't think Moog is any more reliable than any other synth I like the GM as it is but I have also run it through a few effect which , to be fair, would enhance any synth 😊 but I really like the one knob per function aspect 👍

[@robaire.b]

You are fortunate to own the ‘dark’ version. They are less easy to get hold of and as you note, seem to command a higher price than the garish and unsettling standard version. Similar situation with the Matriarch

[@IanWaugh]

Yes, why Moog discontinued the Dark is a mystery (kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWGym5dnecdjm9E) but I did pay over the odds for mine 😊

[@goldenmantis]

Moog Grandmother is an entry level synth. I got bored of mine and sold it within a couple of months. If Korg were to make a MS20 ‘plus’ with sprung mod wheel and some extra features like an arp it would be the ideal monosynth

[@goldenmantis]

The grandmother has a great keybed and sprung pitch bend wheel but the tone of the filter is boring

[@IanWaugh]

Hi Greg - yes, I can see how you might see it that way - it does seem basic but you can do a lot more with it when you gett into patching. but I'm not sure it's any more powerful than the GM although they do sound different. Depends what you want.Interesting that you mention the MS-20n as I always wanted one 😊 Did you get a replacement?

[@goldenmantis]

@@IanWaugh i got the full size reissue of the ms-20. I prefer it to the grandmother. I even bought a matriarch but it was too heavy to gig so I sold it too after a couple of months. The search for the ideal synth continues!

[@IanWaugh]

@@goldenmantis Yes, far more to the Matriarch but the search for the perfect synth continues, , always... 😊

[@kylehamilton3386]

I think the Minibrute 2 should also be considered. Its very feature rich. It has more features than Grandmother. That being said it didn't click the same way my grandmother did. I got the 2s version and it was a great start before i dove into eurorack and is still very useful with my modular.

[@IanWaugh]

Yes indeed. I was thinking of the module versions and the keyboard version totally slipped past... 😢

[@dxutube]

I am a Korg fan & have always been inspired by the MS20, but never tried one hands-on & I will take your comments onboard the next time I delve into PMT.

[@IanWaugh]

They probably still have the Mini. If you try one, let me know what you think.

[@Ikatxu]

What bothers me about the Korg MS20 mini is that they opted to keep the original shape instead of a flat design. Yeah, the original design is a classic, but if I am going to buy a compact synth, I want to be able to fit it in a backpack with my laptop. And what's the point of a mini version if it is not compact?

[@IanWaugh]

Good point! I assume it was made as a cheaper alternative to the biggie. If you want flat there's Behringer's K2... 😊

[@mickeythompson9537]

There was the flat / desktop Korg MS-20 kit.

[@IanWaugh]

@@mickeythompson9537 With a Hz/Oct switch I believe...

[@Ikatxu]

@@mickeythompson9537 Seems cool! I wasn't aware of this one

[@mallery7]

Minibrute 2 is an alternative as well, but keyboard is only 2 octaves

[@IanWaugh]

Hi - Yes, you're absolutely right. No idea how this slipped through the net but it wouldn't have altered my overall conclusion 😊

[@bike.krueger]

feature-wise it maybe is, but definitely not sound-wise in my opinion. I have both, but never used the MB2 since getting the GM.

[@IanWaugh]

@@bike.krueger Yes, I wouldn't put them in the same category but it's good to have alternatives 😊

[@skyko]

Hi Ian!! I didn't vibe with it just based on the name... 😆I've never actually even heard it. You are very smart to get the black version! The multi-colored one makes me want to BARF. 🤮 (Plus all this modular stuff is Chinese to me...) I would LOVE a sub 37 though... Great video!!!

[@IanWaugh]

Hi - thank you 😊 Yeah, you might think synths would have more techy names, named after stars or constellations or quantum particles 😄 But it sounds great and patching isn't too difficult. The Sub 37 is great! Fancied one of these but too similar to the Grandmother, I think.

[@robjansen5236]

Tastes differ. I find the colours quite attractive, much more so than the almost unavoidable black that is always used for synths.

[@IanWaugh]

@@robjansen5236 Yes indeed 👍

[@almightyEsquilax]

I dunno, if I had a synth I could troll someone into barfing with, that actually sounds kind of fun!

[@IanWaugh]

@@almightyEsquilax Lost me with that one... 😕

[@PabloInformation]

@ 999USD or in Canada recently 1399 CAD now with Covid inflation @ 1499CAD the pastel grandmother is Still a Excellent value for an authentic Moog with CLASSiC Moog tone + modular capability & Spring verb... I bout it instantly! remember Moog's Selling the Minimoog for 4999 USD! However at 999 UK pounds for England ect. which is = 1250USD or 1725CAD I agree its a bit Steep for you lot.

[@IanWaugh]

The Minimoog is a cash grab 😊

[@PabloInformation]

@@IanWaugh yes of course ;) but if you want a 'Real Moog' mono the grandmother is its closest available Sibling & ultra cheep by comparison. and even against the Behringer model d clone I definitely like the grandmothers powerful Moog Sound more.

[@ingolf7411]

My first synth, in 1978, was a Korg MS10 ... and I felt like in heaven. Later on synths came and were sold again. In 2020 I bought a Grandmother for € 889 (the colourful edition). Great fun and a great synth and Moog sound. Then I got an offer for a used Matriarch (nearly new) for € 1.700. And yes ... the Matriarch was placed on my desk. Although the Grandmother was pretty easy to handle, I sold the Grandmother. And the Matriarch is still there (and will be there, as it is a fantastic instrument).

[@IanWaugh]

Hi - Yes, super - occasionally think about getting one but...😊

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

The Malevolent was TERRIBLE, the build was like soup and it made the Korg mini look like a tank! Found it very limited tonally and it lasted just 2 weeks with me

[@IanWaugh]

That's interesting. Specs look good on paper but I can't imagine any build worse than the Mini 🫢

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

@@IanWaugh Aye, you're right...I had the FS of the MS20 and it was a TANK, loved that thing. I'm jinxed though...just returning mty Grandmother as it's got loads of defects :( P.S. great vid, made your opinion piece useful and relevant to everyone, thank you

[@IanWaugh]

@@Farold_Haltermeyer Thank you for your kind comments. Sorry to hear there's probs with your GM 😢

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

@@IanWaugh have you ever been told you have a bit of Dennis Norden about your delivery?

[@IanWaugh]

@@Farold_Haltermeyer Ha! Ha! Nope. I think he had a great delivery. Not quite there yyet 😊

[@suspiciouswatermelon7639]

Moog went out of business in the 80's. Bob died in 2005. I have absolutely no interest in the modern Moog company or their products. When I saw that they were capitalizing on the transgender craze in order to advertise their products, I became thoroughly disgusted with them. Moog needs to disappear.

[@IanWaugh]

That's one way to look at it 😊

[@final_mile_music9713]

Get a life. You can’t even watch a video on instruments without getting outraged over something that none of your business.

[@suspiciouswatermelon7639]

@@final_mile_music9713 Stop defending those people. If it was none of my business then they would keep those activities in their own bedroom instead of parading it around everywhere.

[@mickeythompson9537]

Horrible synth... looks like a toy, sounds harsh... and that stupid name: in a world where we have the Andromeda, the Jupiter, the Prophet, the Iridium... this one is the _Grandmother._

[@IanWaugh]

🤣 2 out of 4 ain't bad 😊

[@rodnee2340]

That harsh sound is what makes it!😂 tbh you have to push the VCOs past 12o to get that. So I never go below 12o!

[@IanWaugh]

@@rodnee2340 Yes, that adds a bit overdrive so it can do harsh AND gentle 👍

[@_manasikara]

:)