So, I had some time to kill today and decided to head over to Sam Ash to get some MIDI cables. After I grabbed my cables, I turned to leave and at the corner of my eye I saw wood grain and the green and orange and yellow labeling. I got as giddy as a trekky meeting Kirk in person and instantly started moving every possible slider and pot. Now, I have never really looked at string synths before, but good god almighty, the Opus 3 is absolutely amazing!!!
This synth was one of the best conditions I have ever seen a Moog in. It looks like it just came to the store right off the assembly line. The keys play like new. If it wasn’t for my wedding this year, it woulda been in my car in seconds. Oh well, next time.. But if you happen to be in the area, you should go check it out, even if it’s just to play it. I’m still glowing haha!
Am I reading that right? $749.99? I’m almost glad I’m broke right now, because my wife would KILL me if I brought that home! “Why are you bringing another synthesizer into this house?” “It does strings,” “Don’t you have a keyboard that does strings?” “But this one’s analog,” I’d end up losing.
-That’s the Minitaur’s current position. Its tucked between a DSI Tetra and a Shruthi-1. Blends right in. But, hiding the LP was tough. It was under a dust cover for quite some time. “Hi, My name is Adam and I am a synthaholic.”
well… first Moog I bought was an MG back in '91- I saw it on my first marriage honeymoon in a music shop in Savannah- (I lived in Athens, Ga)- The new wife wouldn’t allow the 300$ purchase, so when we got home, I sent the shop $300 (from our wedding present money) and had them send it to me… so maybe I should call this shop up…!
was at sam ash again today. The Opus was still there. Spent another 20 minutes of so twiddling about. Thought long and hard about putting it on the card. Driving back, I says to the gf, “man, sucks we don’t have the money right now for it”. She looks at me and says, “well, if you would have bought a cheaper wedding ring, we could have gotten it today”. What??? DAMNIT!
Any woman that allows a guy to take over the basement and turn it into a recording studio is worth her weight in gold. But, she was talking about MY wedding ring haha! I HAD to get the platinum. Oh well, my bet is that Opus will be sitting there for some time. Hopefully I can gather up the funds.
Some of those old string synthesizers are just plain cool. I have a Crumar Orchestrator that just has this beautifully warm and full sound that just couldn’t be emulated. I’ve never played an Opus3 before, but I’m sure it is awesome. I really wouldn’t mind getting a hold of a Korg Lambda ES50 either. There’s just an x-factor about them, you know? Can’t quite put your finger on it, but there’s something about that sound that is solid gold.
I would immediately suggest that you purchase a much cheaper string synth and buy an MF-101 to run it through. There are much more interesting and powerful string synths which are not bogged down with the financial burden of the Moog name. Of string synths, the Opus 3 isn’t awesome.
I hear ya. A band I used to play guitar for, I would occasionally use a Roland RS-09. There weren’t a lot of sounds that could be coax out of it, but what could, sounded amazing! That said, the Opus, from the total of 1/2 hour of playtime I had with it, is not stellar(I had gone back a second time, in a more calm and collected state and was not as blown away as my initial interaction). But it is capable of some pretty awesome sounds, albeit, limited. Regardless, I am a Moog nerd and if I had some keesh layin around, I’d get it without hesitation. Besides, it would have gone on her card anyway
I agree my friend, I have played Herbs Opus 3 and I wasn’t thrilled. He really wanted to call it the SOB (strings,Organ and Brass) But we all know that wasn’t going to happen. I actually saw the original drawing Herb made on the Opus 3 before it was built. I will try to get a picture of it when I see him.
By the way , I love the sound of the Roland RS202
This is true!
There is something attractive about the thing… I’m not sure what it is. I sometimes even find myself saying “oooh, an Opus 3! I wouldn’t mind having th—” and then some other inner voice says “uh, pal… remember how much you hate the Opus 3?” It has a certain hypnotic effect even if it isn’t awesome.
Perhaps it’s just that it’s a rare instance of a Moog being entirely hype-priced.
My favorite string synth I have heard in person is the ARP Solina. Again, my opinion. There’s just something about it that gets to me everytime I hear it. It sounds like a MIDI orchestra to my ears, I guess.
I have a solina and love it, though try to use it sparingly and only 3-4 notes at a time, otherwise it gets murky. The bass kinda sucks on it, and that’s where I think the roland beats the ARP. But it is a string synth, which to me is more useful in the high mids and highs anyway.
That’s a keeper, right there! 
