Minimoog History 1971-1981 (by synthpro)

Hey Guys,
Today, I thought I would take a little time to document some of the changes across the minimoog production from 1971-1980.
Serial #s reviewed is as follows:
R.A Moog SN: 1037 built 3/71
Early Moog Music SN 1548 Built 6/8/72
Moog Music SN 6768 Built 1/29/75
Late Moog Music SN 13061 Build date unknown
Here is the link for the musonics minimoog:
• Freddy's Musonics Mini...
I did forget to finish explaing the Pitch/Mod Wheel changes:
3/1971- 7/1972 used the clear wheels
7/1972-1973 used the blocky white wheels, here is a video explaing these style wheels: • Alan's 72 Minimoog Res...
1974-1/1975 used the smooth edged cream wheels
1975-1980 used the ribbed wheels found on most moog models
1981went back to clear wheels as a special edition run
NOTE: The 73 minimoog (not shown in this video) is built very similar to my 72 electronically/cosmetically but the difference being that the face plate is embossed with that leather texture but is still bonded to the metal plate. Badging is the same, sharp corners with embossed texture on metal backing. On the 73 era minimoogs, they use the same badge on the front and back unlike the 72 which had the etched metal badge on the back. The 73 is also when the white version of the clear wheels are present but I did find out a few months ago that those white style wheels started roughly July of 72.
Here is a video reference of a 1973 era minimoog: • Evan's Minimoog Repair...
Another side note is that transistor matching in the VCF also plays a BIG role in sound besides gain stage changes. early moods had all transistors matched and later units did not.
Thanks for watching, and for the support!
(UPDATE: after talking to my friend, Michael Caloroso, I was informed that the transformer in the R.A Moog is not original. it would have been mounted the same as later units. Also, top wood trim would not have screws, it would have been glued in place without screws)
Sincerely,
Jareth

[@snoolee7950]

Probably the best synth content on KZbin

[@synthpro]

Thank you very much!!

[@coyotesynth]

I really want to say: thank you. This is the best video seen on the different models of Minimoog.

[@synthpro]

You're welcome, happy to hear you enjoyed it!

[@ericMT]

You are a true Moog enthusiast. You not only know how to play them but you know how they work and you know the history and all the differences between all the classic Moog synthesizers. It’s really great you are sharing this with all of us.

[@alphabeets]

This was probably your finest video. Great info here. Thanks!

[@synthpro]

Thank you very much!!

[@nofretzDW]

This is gonna be a great resource for years to come! Great stuff!

[@synthpro]

Thanks Dadrian!!

[@adamwalters5850]

There’s an interview with Gary Numan where he’s asked about the stability of his old gear and he said Minimoogs were awful for tuning but he sent them all away to have the new boards put in and they were all really stable after that

[@synthpro]

That's cool! I always have to explain to people that owning a vintage minimoog is a lot like owning a classic automobile with carburetors, it has to warm up, you may have to do some slight adjustments to get it tuned up, but it's a classic and nothing more fun than playing these vintage synths especially on a nice high powered sound system. That version 3 oscillator board is like fuel injection, you turn the key and give it a little warmup time and it's ready to play.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@synthpro Yeah so basically like the Behringer Poly D. You turn it on, give it about 15 minutes of warm up time and then you're basically good to go.

[@ParanormalLight]

Very informative video. Thanks for posting Jareth.!!!

[@SacSynths_Jack_Z]

Really fantastic video!!! Love this kind of stuff. Thank you!

[@iwillnevergetone5]

Synthpro, I've just sat here and watched each of your Minimoog restoration videos. loved every one of them & you do amazing work, each one that leaves your shop sounds top notch. thanks for putting them up

[@genestratton2822]

Great description of the various series. Thanks.

[@grandtheftautocj]

Your channel is amazing. Keep up the good work.

[@synthpro]

Thank you very much!!!

[@realqwave]

The very best video to learn about the different revisions. Thank you! I played several Minimoogs over the last 40+ years. My 1979 rev 3 VCO version (with a self made clear coated beech wood hopusing in favour of its plain dark brown original housing) sounds not that organic and bold as the rev 2 VCOs or the very similar sounding Minimoog Reissues 2016 (I own one). I never had a chance to play such an early Minimoog. But as the VCOs changes are much like the Modular 901 to 921 modules, the sound would be very different. Especially the harmonic content of the triangle. But keeping the pitch is also needed, so rev 2 is a good compromise in sound and tuning. BTW: you see the power cable on the far left on of the panel left on the oldest versions, while all other versions got the external accessories sockets on the far left and the power cable to the right of these sockets.

[@theoliviaarchives4794]

So much knowledge in one video, thanks for sharing.

[@deantiquisetnovis]

Thank you! This is an excellent overview!

[@AnalogFunk]

This was fascinating. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Learned a lot.

[@davidlovering6033]

Wonderful. Thanks Jareth for sharing.

[@synthpro]

Thanks David, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@tuoettore]

Nice and complete explanation of the Minimoog over the years, outside and inside. Thanks for doing this!

[@synthpro]

Your very much welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

[@AndyWhitmore]

excellent video - thanks for posting!

[@sotirisnikolaidis4835]

amazing video!!👍🎹🙏🏻

[@sunnypedaal]

Very informative , thanks 👍🌞

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Interesting. The momentary switches for "Glide" and "Decay" thing was something i didn't know until now. It seems at that stage the Minimoog had a little bit in common with the vibrato key of the Arp Odyssey.

[@prophetate]

Absolutely amazing 😊 thanks for the history lesson, I used to have #1737, but it has been sold but have the reissue in walnut 😊

[@FredwreckLA]

very informative! thanks so much for sharing!

[@synthpro]

Your very much welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

[@vimfuego8827]

Fasicating, thank you very much.

[@synthpro]

You're welcome! I appreciate you watching!

[@vimfuego8827]

@@synthpro Thanks for your acknowledgement

[@Feldspar__]

This dude is awesome. I'm glad we have people like him.

[@MysticFrequencies]

Awesome Jareth! Nice video! :)

[@towerofspunk]

Fantastic history lesson.

[@synthpro]

Thank you! Happy you enjoyed it!

[@Heavy_Distortion]

Excellent content!

[@synthpro]

Thank you very much!

[@timmantle7154]

Thank you.

[@theboofin]

Thank you for that. Lotsa fun! My Mini was Dec '73, 37XX. I replaced those awful can trimpots with multi-turns and it was very stable afterwards.

[@synthpro]

Your welcome! Thanks for watching, happy you enjoyed it.

[@mattdelany6799]

Why do you x out the serial number? I have 2448, 3869 minimoogs.

[@theboofin]

I can't remember it. @@mattdelany6799

[@ravivpinhas9740]

Brilliant!!!

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Super interesting to watch and listen to . Its good to see what I have seen in the service manuals In the flesh. Was the reissue based on the 75 moog or last revision. I'm very sure the ua726s were discontinued a long time ago. Is there a modern equivalent built into one ic ??. I do know that people do use the 3046 with a thermo circuit in a lot of cases. Anyway great video nearly watched it all. Will finish up watching after work today.

[@synthpro]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed this video! The reissue is based on the 74 era minimoog with rev 2 oscillator design but of course with new components. The transistor array chip actually came back into production for a while in a surface mount package and that is what both moog used in the reissue and Behringer used in the model D.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

@@synthpro I'm not sure if you have seen this link before are any ideas if these are genuine not sure if you have a source for replacements ?, still I thought it might be useful to you www.veswin.com/product-UA726HC.html

[@christineerickson7549]

Wow This was great! Turns out I have one of those early ones. I remember I did buy the gen 3 osc board, but still have the old one. it's been sitting in it's road case for 35 years and ready for a rebuild. I have no idea what I'll find inside! Wish me luck.

[@Richard_P_James]

Such a good video!

[@vlzmusik]

Very interesting! I find the 71 model surprising. When I look at the classic Wakeman Six Wives inner photo, I see his two moogs are 72 models. But he was already using an mm in 71 with Yes on Fragile (Sept 71), one of the first mm studio recordings. That one must have been a different one from those in the Six Wives album.

[@synthpro]

It is very interesting for sure. I'm not 100% sure how many minimoogs were built in 71 but there is a possibility that the LHC may have been revised after this unit, Herb Deutsch has a later serial R.A Moog and it has the rocker switches for Decay and glide. I have seen a live show where Rick Wakeman did have a R.A moog along with these 72 era moog music minimoogs.

[@vlzmusik]

synthpro there's BBC footage of their 71 tour at the time they were recording Fragile and he appears to have a single mini on stage. Maybe that's the one and then he added another two. I think in the Yessongs film he's using three and that is 73. Maybe the two from the Six Wives photo and the first one. Incidentally, do you know what is the first studio recording of the production mini? It appears to be the solo in Uriah Heep's July Morning (played by Manfred Mann), July 71 (a live recording of Zappa's Mothers precedes that I think). Fragile is Sept 71.

[@synthpro]

@@vlzmusik that's another great question, I'm really unsure who would have used the early production units but I have seen a Italian band PFM use a R.A Moog and believe Patrick Moraz did as well when he was playing with YES, there is a great example of these early oscillator boards letting him down at a live show, he goes to play the minimoog solo and completely out of tune. Kraftwerk had a early minimoog as well, I have actually seen them use a heating pad to help stabalizer tuning, (I'm sure they had a few mods as well seeing what they did to their polymoog). Here is PFM live with the R.A moog: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6SrdoOqaZaGoMU

[@vlzmusik]

synthpro yes PFM Storia di un Minuto was recorded in the second part of 71, same time as Fragile. So it goes in the bag as another early use of the mm. There's a video (Feb 72) of Flavio Premoli demonstrating the mm, I wonder if it's the same model as he used in the video you posted, because this one seems to have the momentary switches in the LHC (or am I imagining it?) kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpPQdnuogLBnZ6s

[@Claude_van]

Wow, that was good!

[@ogasi1798]

nice

[@ImageLightProductions]

Very cool.. Been trying to figure out what year my Mini was built.. It's definitely a later build but, not V3..

[@synthpro]

Thank you! What serial # is your minimoog?

[@ImageLightProductions]

@@synthpro Hey Jareth, 9087 is on the label strip..

[@synthpro]

@@ImageLightProductions your minimoog is from somewhere around 1977

[@ImageLightProductions]

@@synthpro Coolio.. I want to bring it down for you to go through at some point.. It's showing some signs of its age.. Lol These Moogs are so much fun to work with.. Listen to The B Moog by ImageLight on #SoundCloud soundcloud.app.goo.gl/m32S

[@sequentix]

At 34:57 you can see the Trumansburg label says “Mini Moog Synthesizer” as separate words. I believe it became Minimoog later because that’s what folk called it.

[@theoriginaldanalogue]

Fascinating. Thanks so much. So interesting to see the development of these wonderful machines. I’ve just bought a ‘73. Got it cheap as it’s in need of a service but it still works ok. Out of interest, what capacitors do you use when you replace the originals? Do you try and use the same make if they’re even still available? Thanks

[@lqr824]

Hey Jareth, your work and expertise is always appreciated. Could you take a second to measure the thickness of the side panels? I have an early one and I just can't tell looking at it whether it has the thicker panels you mention.

[@attorks]

Great and informative video, Jareth. But I get a little bit nauseous with all that camera swinging around ;-)

[@synthpro]

Thanks Martin. Sorry it made you nauseous, I will be more aware of that next video : 0 )

[@Tommysynth]

Jareth please ,rec an audio of all minimoog to listen the difference.

[@synthpro]

I am definitely going to try and do that. My studio is down right now, major computer failure but will try to hurry up and get something worked out where I can record direct audio again.

[@Tommysynth]

@@synthpro Thanks !!!!!

[@prosoloist]

@@synthpro computer comsmooter ;). Exactly why I always have a cassette player with blank tape ready. Failsafe! ;)

[@synthpro]

@@prosoloist I used to use cassette but got tired of having to edit tapes. I was running a 16 channel mixer with Cubase which was great. I still have all my files luckily. I have gone back to my Fostex MR-16 HD multitrack recorder for now.

[@JOSHRIGGSZ]

THIS WAS GREAT. CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO START ON MINE IN A FEW WEEKS. PS MY MINI MOOG IS THE V3 OSC BOARD!!!!!

[@lucasc5622]

HI JOSH, DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A KEY ON THE LEFT OF YOUR KEYBOARD THAT LETS YOU CHANGE THE CAPITALISATION OF WHAT YOURE TYPING

[@JOSHRIGGSZ]

@@lucasc5622 GOD BLESS THE TROLLS LOLOL

[@synthpro]

Looking forward to getting you fixed up Joshua🙂

[@automaticgainsay]

A lot of the explanation for various changes comes from where they were built. I am curious about your 1972, as it is strange, and seems to be a sort of transitional model. Does it say "Williamsville" on the back? I'm also curious about whether it has the initial Minimoog internal design or the Williamsville-version design. 1972 was a very transitional year, as it was the year that Waytena sold Moog Music to Norlin. Your 1972 looks like they were using up the remaining Moog/Musonics parts before switching to the standard Williamsville design. At first, I thought that's just what it was, as the clear wheels were still optional for years after they started using the white... but that smooth front and the different badge! I've never seen the like. Your 1972 is like a missing link for me. The other thing was that in 1976, there was a Minimoog hiatus as they worked on the new design that became the "Buffalo" model. That is also around the time that the serial numbers did a leap. I wasn't able to watch all of this right now, but I caught some of it... great content! I'm pretty sure that the wood used on the prototypes and the R.A. Moog Minimoogs actually came from the lot of Walnut that Bob Moog had in his barn. Oh, and one more thing... I think Richie Walborn was an intern in 1971. Anyway, great stuff!

[@synthpro]

Hi Marc, Thanks for your comment and info. I do go over internals later in the video but here is some extra bit of info I have gathered over the years from the units I have restored/my 72 minimoog. These 72 era minimoogs do not show up often but they do in fact still hold the R.A Moog printing on the boards and include a scale adjust for the VCF but you can tell that the board was not redesigned at this point for the rheostat trim pot. This design can also be found in the 73 minimoogs as well. The 73 minimoog is built very similar to my 72 electronically/cosmetically but the difference being that the face plate is embossed with that leather texture but is still bonded to the metal plate. Badging is the same, sharp corners with embossed texture on metal backing. On the 73 era minimoogs, they use the same badge on the front and back unlike the 72 which had the etched metal badge on the back. The 73 is also when the white version of the clear wheels are present but I did find out a few months ago that those white style wheels started roughly July of 72. Here is a video link to a 73 minimoog I restored. It was a Australian export model with the fixed transformer voltage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/imq2lYVvebZ1Y9U Lots of changes happened between 73 and 74 from what I have seen over the years. In 1974 you start really seeing the unit fall into a mass production design and the gain staging as well as the transistor matching changes effecting presence and emphasis saturation. They started only matching critical transistor sets. Hope this helps🙂 Thanks again, Jareth

[@automaticgainsay]

@@synthpro Fantastic information, Jareth! Thank you! I used to work in the archives of the Bob Moog Foundation, and while there is a tremendous amount of information there, details like these are not often documented (working at Buchla, I also know this... it's amazing how many little details change for various reasons... and no one will notice until sometime in the future when lovers of these instruments will obsess over the details like we do!). Along these lines, my Minimoog is 5055, and it was built July 17, 1974. It has the alternate selector knobs that happened for a time for that year, likely due to a momentary lack of availability of the standard selector knobs! Anyway, thank you for making not only great content, but historically important content!

[@tonedetective9757]

Any tips on cleaning the back metal panel/chasis ?

[@iwillnevergetone5]

Also, have you gotten to play/inspect one of the recent StudioElectronics MiniMidi V30 reissues? (not the original models from '89 with the re-housed moog boards, bu the V30 version that came out Jan 2020) curious if you think those carry as much sonic prowess as the original Model D's. If you ever get to play/test one.

[@deantiquisetnovis]

My first DYI synth, a Formant which I built in the 80s had the UA726 Transistor pair in the VCO and I always found it to be sounding sterile. What I remembr was that the UA726 were very expensive and rare. Can you still get them nowadays?

[@musicxtn]

Awesome Video. Thanks. Would love to know what your thoughts are on serial number between 30## to 3100... any thoughts would be appreciated. I’m assuming it’s a 73... which would make it like your 72? Thanks in advance

[@synthpro]

Thank you, happy you enjoyed the video! You are correct, 30xx would make it a early 73. I actually just bought serial number 3344 built Oct 73 that I plan on adding into a second part of the minimoog history video. 73 minimoogs are built very similar to my 72 minimoog but differences are that it had a embossed leather texture on the interface panel which did have a metal backing like my 72. Badges were still sharp corners and metal with plastic overlay but once again with the embossed leather texture. LHC panel becomes more like later production as far as graphics but would have the blocky white wheels instead of clear wheels. The circuit boards still hold the R.A Moog name and would still have the filter scale trimmer sticking off the board like what you see in my 72.

[@musicxtn]

@@synthpro wow I truly appreciate your information. This means a lot. Thank you!! Has anyone told you you sound like Elvis? Are you in the South? I’m an Aussie in Los Angeles. In fact, is it possible I drop you a private note at all to get just a little more advise as I am looking to purchase one soon with the serial I mentioned and can even compensate you for your thoughts and advise. My gmale is cj.djss.la at g mail.. thank you so much!! CJ

[@robertapricemoog9493]

I have a beautiful nminimoog, but how could I please find out it's age?

[@DJSTOEK]

🙂😷😷

[@piynubbunyip]

Is there much of an audible difference? Probably a difficult video to make.

[@synthpro]

There is definitely audio differences but it's mostly with harmonics withing the filter and VCA that tends to change due to gain staging changes and transistor matching changes. I'm going to try and do some form of audio recording to see if I can capture the differences. It will be a little hard to do since oscillator tuning does play a role in how the harmonics are developed and the early minimoog drifts more than the rest.

[@piynubbunyip]

@@synthpro thanks for the reply. Great stuff!

[@robbystafford8273]

2016?