Ok so my local music store has a MiniMoog Model D for only $1800!!!
My only question is, if YOU had the chance to buy it would you? Or would you get a different synth? And if YOU would get a different synth what would you get within a $2000 price range?
PS Only Analog, possibly Virtual Analog.
PPS Please just try to refrain from the “Depends on the person, try it out yourself and then decide”. My local music store only has workstations and digital synths. The Minimoog is the only analog they have and they only have one of them.
For a little more you can get a new Voyager Old School with a warranty.
I’d say if you wanted the Model D, you would need to be sure on its condition, and be prepared to service it as it starts to age.
You could get a Little Phatty for $1300 if you don’t need 3 Oscs and better tonal control. Then you’d have more to spend on effects e.g. Moogerfoogers.
VAs (e.g. Virus, Micro Korg) are much cheaper but won’t sound “the same.” That’s entirely subjective though, and it really depends if you want to drop 2k on an analog monosynth.
There’s also the DSI Mopho and Prophet '08/Evolvers.
I’d say it has already aged and you won’t really know what is good and what is not right for several days of having it at home. Then you’ll need to decide if you want it repaired and calibrated or if you want to live with the quirks. Some people like that, some people don’t. Buy it if you want a piece of history, or are preprared to use it only for sampling if its not really playable.
Personally I’d love one but a brand new Voyager comes first.
That’s great, my Voyager is also a lifetime investment. It is mine now and it will still be mine in my old age. All my digital synths will be upgraded (euphemism for thrown out) as technology advances. The Voyager is an instrument in the sense that a grand piano is an instrument.
My concern is that when you buy a used analog synth manufactured decades ago, you don’t know what you have bought for several days or even months. Entirely different to your moog changing over a lifetime.
Definitely buy it if you’ve got the cash.
I mean, think about it… It’s a model D! Even if you left it for a year, and then fixed it up when you saved more money, it’d be well worth it!
Nothing prevents anyone from buying a VOS some time down the line, but to own a Model D (even temporarily) is one of my “50 synth things to do before you die” goals.
Yeah, some of Bob’s DNA is actually on it. I kid - but seriously, that is a good deal from what I understand…if it’s a value question, I think it will appreciate if you keep it for a few years and have to sell it.
If it’s a “I need a keyboard to play now” issue, then get something with a warranty, and no headache - but still buy the Model D, c’mon dude. You can always do and be like, I wish I hadn’t, but the “I wish I had..” feeling is much worse.
As others have mentioned, if you’re not a collector or tech wizard, simply buy it & put it up on eBay. If it’s in proper working condition and cosmetically sound, you’ll easily get enough for an OS & maybe enough for a Select Series.
if it’s in pristine condition, you could get $3k+ on ebay for it. Depending on how many things are cosmetically wrong (or just a little functionally weird, ie a few keys doing weird things) you could get somewhere around 1900-2500.
Between Ebay and Paypal, you will lose a hefty chunk of change too if you were to sell it, but if you can get 3300 for it, then it’s totally worth it. Really depends on the shape of it.
All of this said, I’d definitely rather have a new Moog than an old one. If I were in your shoes, had the money, and the Mini turns out to be in really really good shape, I’d buy it in a heartbeat, sell it on ebay for a tidy profit, and go on a Moog shopping spree for a new Voyager and some foogerfriends/cp/vx units to go with it!
::edit:: oh yeah, and I’d sample the hell out of the mini before it sold, too!
You guys are super helpful, AND super awesome. I have decided I am going to buy it. Im going to test it out tomorrow, I didn’t test it out the first time because I was just in complete awe of the thing I just stood there and stared. What are some things I should look for so I can get an idea of what kinda condition its in? Sound and appearance.
