Hi guys
if some moog nerd want to see, here there’s a small set of the restoration of an old minimoog 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cicciostoky/sets/72157618921558203/
thanks!
Nice!
Absolutely beautiful! Great job!
What wood stain brand and color did you use? I really like that!
I need to restore my Mini but I’m afraid that my wood sin’t going to look particularly great even if I refinish it. (I have a later model)
Hi -
I was just about to post some questions about Minimoog restoration so… I already did a search and didn’t find the answers.
Where can i find replacement screws for the Minimoog?
I’m getting some scratchy noise when i turn my volume, and osc 2 knob.. can these pots be taken apart and cleaned or do I need to repalce them, where can i get them?
that’s all for now maybe i’ll have some more later. Thanks!
Meta,
I can provide sets of new screws for Minimoogs.
In regards to the pots, it’s up to your own skills and resources.
For example, many of the sealed pots can be opened for cleaning, however there’s risk of damage and putting them back together again tightly can be difficult.
You can replace them also.
I use Clarostat pots (available all over) for many pot replacements, however I have to shorten the shafts on the ones I use prior to installation.
That may or may not be easy depending on your tools or skills.
I can provide pots that have been prepped for installation into Minis, but I can’t say how they’ll be installed.
I’ve seen pots over-torqued to the point the panel cracks and pots left so loose they spin and short out the wires.
Having myself serviced or restored over 400 Minis, the best advice I can provide is to know your own capabilities.
If you don’t feel confident with some aspect(s) of restoration, leave it to a pro.
There’s a finite number of model Ds produced and the choice is up to each owner whether their instrument improves or degrades via their actions.
Some owner-restorations are beautiful and we see them online.
Others aren’t and they’re not exhibited.
Techs like me see these units instead.
So not all “restorations” are the same and many are only cosmetic.
Some are performed by well meaning people that simply don’t have the knowledge or skills to do all of what’s really necessary.
Their Minimoogs come out as partial restorations or botched.
One section or feature might turn out looking or working excellently, the rest remaining problematic because the tech didn’t have complete command of everything.
It’s a lot to ask for someone to have past knowledge of a synth, current knowledge of parts available, wood, mechanical and electronic knowledge all rolled into one.
Many owners and techs can handle some of these aspects, but not all.
If you know you’re mechanically and/or electrically inclined and have good dexterity and tools, you may well be able to perform some of what’s necessary.
But be realistic that some issues or problems may elude you and consulting or employing a tech may be necessary to restore a Mini back to it’s former glory.
great job on the restoration! it looks great!
What do you charge for a typical mini restoration Kevin?
Kevin,
Thanks for the advice! I’ll email you about the parts.
I totally understand what you’re saying. I wouldn’t even attempt doing it if I didn’t have some kind of training. I actually took some Vocational tech classes in both Electronics and Cabinet Making, but that was 15 years ago so I’m just going to do the wood work and the basic electronic stuff, like cleaning and/or replacing bad pots. I have a local tech that will do the rest.
Define “typical”. http://www.moogmusic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6620 This thread was posted shortly after the MouseMini thread, here http://www.moogmusic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6399 .
Ok I get it
But what’s the average cost you’ve charged for a mini restorations Kevin?
Beautiful job, BTW. I like how you took pictures as you completed it. Kinda showing the progress. Very nice. 
What do you charge for a typical mini restoration Kevin?
It depends on the condition of the incoming instrument and the desired result, but most are between $700 and $1100 each.
The general rule is: the older the Mini, the more it will cost, though even that can vary.
It’s also possible to send in just the chassis, keyboard and mod section for service, opting to perform any woodwork yourself.
This can save money both in regards to my services and shipping.
Ok thanks for the info.
If I ever do comes across an old mini for sale I know who to have restore it 
I love guts
Do you calibrate the sound when the restoration is finished Kevin?
I’d prefer not to hijack this nice person’s thread.
Feel free to email me if you’d like.
Good call, sorry about that tasters.
Hi guys and thanks to all for the great compliments.
I’m proud of my work but i’m still waiting for a set of new screws
In the beginning this mini was dead and the overload lamp was ever on:
i’ve replaced the fuses and this issue was solved.
also i’ve cleaned all pots, a full keyboard restoration and solved this problems (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNBj7RowUnk) replacing a small IC on the little buffer board.
now it work beautiful but still need a recapping, wich is the next step
the problem on this wood was the old black nitro paint, wich is now inside the fibers of the wood. i’ve only used a trasparent walnut paint, and this is the result is good about the old black under…
ciao!
If the screws you’re waiting for are from me (synthfool or married_with_patchcords on Ebay) and are late, please let us know.
Fwiw, the 741 probably blew on the buffer board which caused the fuse to blow.
If the fuse is blown, the instrument will usually light the overload lamp upon power-up.
It should also be noted that the later oscillator board draws a lot of current.
More current for that board than the entire rest of the Mini.
So when that board is installed, there’s less margin for problems and fuses blow more quickly.
Sometimes I will install a 1/2 amp fuse instead of the 1/4 amp when it’s the last rev board and I expect the owner to want to use an external Moog sample and hold or ribbon controller.
The additional load of these devices can be too much for the Mini then and a fuse might blow, even though there’s nothing actually wrong.
If you’re replacing caps, also consider taking photos or using the present cap orientation as a guide. The schematic to the rectifier board with the large caps has a mistake and shows one cap backwards.
Many other errors in the service manual, but this one is fairly important.
If you install a 1000uf cap backwards, you’ll be in for some fireworks.
Btw, I can provide a complete set of caps if you can’t locate them elsewhere.
Somehow I doubt locating new caps will be very hard though.
Looks good!
Best of luck!
Yeah, I’ve done that before. Won’t do it again, though. 