But I think some consideration needs to be spent both by the maker and consumer as to what their goals are.
Take a hardware sequencer, for example…
If Moog built a standard analog sequencer, it would require many pots.
Pots can vary hugely in price though.
If Moog chose inexpensive pots in order to meet a price point, the units might fail quickly.
That would cause them more service problems and a lack of rep.
Unhappy customers would grow in time.
But if they used expensive pots that last 20 years, many consumers wouldn’t understand why they’re paying so much more.
They wouldn’t see the value upfront; only in time.
But these customers would stay happy, longer and hopefully remain loyal (buying) customers.
It’s decisions like this that Moog has to bear when considering a new product.
A part that’s just a few cents more or less than another can mean the difference between writing a check for $20K or $25K.
It adds up.
So, I’ve not heard much discussion of what people are willing to pay or what their expectations are about quality.
They want Moog, but do they want to go back to Moog’s plastic era or the one made of metal and high quality parts.
The Voyagers and MF’s are closer to this higher quality standard, but their prices are at a premium.
If Moog made a modular or polysynth, would the public buy the high quality version or lament it’s so much more expensive than other more plasticky instruments?
Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying mucho dinnero for high quality products (Moog or anything else). You are right in that you can’t really have premium quality stuff throughout and get this for 200 bucks.
I like the way Moog does business. To me, they are a boutique company, making excellent instruments with great support!
The quality of components Moog currently uses is quite adequate for any product they decide to make. I would be willing to pay twelve, even thirteen or fourteen hundred dollars for a sequencer that had the Moog logo on it. Not right now, but in a few months when I have that kind of money saved up.
As it is, I may or may not be able to afford a set of Taurus pedals, but that’s okay, because I’ll catch 'em within the first run of 1,000.
A mini sequencer might sell better…one that uses the CP-251 enclosure. They could sell one of those for eight or nine hundred dollars, though it would lack some of the functionality of a full sized unit.
I will leave any and all decisions to Moog, as that has worked in the past. They know best what gear we need, and I am sure they will see to it that whatever we need will be there.
…as an organist, I can tell you that the quality electronic organs these days (and they are actually almost 100% sample driven) will cost you in the realm of several hundred thousand dollars… only the bigger companies (like Roland, which owns the Rogers organ division) can actually make a profit at it… just some nickel knowledge.
…in any case, I’d bet Moog would sell more than a handful of modular systems, … there would be little software development needed (correct me if I’m wrong on this)… of course the hardware costs are high, and they would need to offer a wide selection of modules to satisfy potential owners… maybe some sort of base (rack) unit that would integrate, say, a handful of MoogerFoogers, a Phatty/Voyager, and could be added to…
Allen Organ Company also makes a great instrument. The Quantum, line is fantastic . There are several others out there, but I think Allen and Rogers are among the best. Both, like others, offer an interface so you can incorporate your existing pipes with the new digital instrument. Think you can buy a nice three manual Allen Quantum with several options for just under or around $100,000. If you add the interface for the pipes that brings the price up several thousand more.
The cost of all real pipes for a nice sized organ with several ranks of pipes is in the upper hundreds now. The new digital organs when properly regulated sound great. There are all kinds of parameters that can be adjusted through a computer interface.
Bit of trivia some will know RMI was a division of Allen Organs. It was rumored that with the RMI Computer Instrument that you could read cards from Allen’s then digital organ. To load “new” stops” you would feed it a computer card that would then load the “sample” information into the organ. A few years ago I had the chance to tour the Allen Plant, very cool. I found out that they still have parts on hand for organs they made back in the 40’s. Now that is tech support
We actually had one of those at a church I attended back in the 70s-80s! It has an excellent sound! (They still use it to this day!) I recall seeing the organist feeding cards into it from time to time. The card reader was built into the organ (just a slot on the console), and it read standard IBM punch cards if I remember correctly. It was an elegant system; very cool!
Card reder was on the right of the console if I remember right . The new ones are in a whole new ballpark sound wise . I would hope so 30 some years later .
I had some flight time on an Allen organ and an RMI Keyboard Computer II.
The KCII had the card reader. Man did that sound like a pipe organ, and they’re built like a tank. I believe the same cards could be read in either the KCII and the Allen organs.
That was my kind of combo organ… If I ever see one for sale (which is not often) I’d like to grab one.
Still, nothing beats my Farfisa for portability and affordability. $250 used, and I could fit two of them side by side in the trunk of my Charger. But I’m not too sure how we got to talking about organs…I’m sure I started it. I usually do.
I know a guy who used to work for Bradley I think it was. When he was building organs, they used oscillators. The modern ones use sampling, and are quite advanced.
I would NOT want Moog to start building their stuff like a modern organ. What were we talking about again?
. There are several others out there, but I think Allen and Rogers are among the best. Both, like others, offer an interface so you can incorporate your existing pipes with the new digital instrument. Think you can buy a nice three manual Allen Quantum with several options for just under or around $100,000. If you add the interface for the pipes that brings the price up several thousand more.
$250 used, and I could fit two of them side by side in the trunk of my Charger. But I’m not too sure how we got to talking about organs…I’m sure I started it. I usually do. 
