I’ve been searching for a while for a vintage moog and came across this micromoog on ebay. I’ve looked at many micromoogs over the last few months and I’ve yet to see one with a ribbon controller this clean. The seller said it had been stored in an air conditioned facility and that it looks hardly used. Come with the original box, also very clean. Possible NOS?
Anyways, he said it powers up but had no way of testing it, but I got a good price I think ($580) so thought I’d take a chance on it. Just wanted to know some tips on what I should look for when testing it when it arrives? Any possible problems from sitting unused for a long time?
edit: btw, the seller has a few other items also in barely used condition, if anyones interested. It looks like they were all purchased from a storage facility. He’s got a Moog 3-Band EQ too.
Great little synth,I’ve had mine maybe 20 years - works fine - mine is an early Williamsville made unit, single circuit board (very neat, mainly 1458 Opamps/3080’s 4016/66 gates - all common components!)
If you turn the synth upside down - there’s calibration legends corresponding to small holes drilled on the back of the micro,these are your calibration pots ( range/scale/emphasis etc..) only use a flat blade screwdriver to adjust the internal pots - very gently, the pots are soldered straight to the main board and can bend inwards if too much pressure is applied! ( if the tunings fine - leave well alone! )
But if its been powered up recently,then if something has blown, its not going to make any difference! If you smell burning - switch off!
its a well made synth - should be OK, leave for 20 minutes for the 'heat chip technology" to stabilize the moog and play the keys - click the oscillator octave pot (should play good octaves) just use your ears!
If your’e a techie, check the +/- 15 volts and adjust if necessary PSU is seperated from the sound board!
I used to get original parts from Mike Buckie at Modusonics, but I think he’s out of the biz now! Synthfool is a good bet for parts (the E402 dual transistor is a weird one!) but is still available!.. so enjoy and make noise!
john
Congrats on your winning bid ! That’s a good price for what seems like a very clean unit. The only thing to look for is possibly scratchy pots and switches from having been in storage a long time. It might correct itself by moving them lots of times (from one end to the other for pots and back an forth for switches).
Other than that, everything should be working ok. Maybe a little hum or noise from the output (aging capacitors), but then again maybe not…
Keep in mind that the ribbon controller requires a fair amount of pressure to work. That’s normal for a Micromoog/Multimoog.
Thanks! appreciate the tips. I’ll see if I can do a demo when I get it and post a vid.
btw, do you know if its possible to get sound out of the outputs by plugging headphones in it? I’m not sure I’ll have my guitar amp here when it arrives. I know it probably wouldnt sound good through headphones but just to have a way to see if it at least works.
Man, fantastic score! Even if there are issues, the cost to fix it shouldn’t be too bad. Be prepared to spend another $300 though. If it just needs calibration, $150 would be a good bet. Super-jealous!
You should get something when you plug headphones in, but it won’t be very loud.
The manual states that the “HI audio” ouput will drive headphones, although it would play only on the left side of stereo headphones due to the mono output jacks.
You can use headphones, but it’s much better if you use some late models and not vintage 8 or 16 ohms.
The headphones I use are 24 ohms impedance and they work on many synth outputs directly.
What to watch for (perhaps better asked before buying, but whatever):
Are the keys smooth? Do they need new bushings?
Any keys glitch or not play?
Are the selector switches sturdy and not flopping around? (this is very common and not often easily fixed.)
Do all switches and pots work without noise or cutouts?
Is the keyboard scaling correct? (use a tuner or reference pitch)
Is the ribbon controller both smooth to touch and without any glitches?
(btw, I sell that ribbon covering. One can make ribbons look like new.)
Has the front inner support piece in front of the keyboard come loose? (they often do.)
Does the modulation wheel work correctly?
Is any of the outer hardware or Cinch connectors corroded or oxidized? (this can suggest what life the instrument has seen.)
There’s many other things to check, but these are the most likely to observe on a Micro.
Hope it all works and you’re happy with it.
They may have only one oscillator, but Micros shouldn’t be underestimated.
