Im I understanding correctly that the Taurus III will only be produced in a limitied run? If that is so, why would Moog do that? This is obviously going to be a huge seller for them. Just not understanding the logic behind that kind of marketing.
Please explain…thanks
They’re funny that way.
Hey, are you a real Raelian?
Indeed I am. Rael was a big fan of the T1 under Rutheford’s foot.
You do know what I am talking about right?
No! Please explain.
Regarding the T3s…perhaps a thousand is a “big seller” for this type of item. When they announced them last year, the initial deal (as I recall) was that if they received pre-orders for 500, they’d proceed with production. They met that number pretty quickly, within a month or two. I presume that if they sell out of the thousand, they’ll make more.
Good point.
Rael is the main character in the concept LP called The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis released in 1975. That was the last year Peter Gabriel was with them. Michael Rutheford was the bassist who used a set of Taurus I’s. Genesis made excellent use of bass pedals and of course the Mellotron which were in part of their trademark sound.
Ah. I didn’t know that. That’s one of those albums I’ve been meaning to listen to, like, forever. The current Raelians are members of a free-love cult led by a French woman wearing a giant Dr. Seuss hat.
…never saw that coming…
Definitely pick up The Lamb. It’s a “must have” in any collection.
I look at it this way, the keyboard market is a really huge market overall. All types of customers with all types of wallets and all types of individual needs looking for all types of boards. Then there is the synth market, much smaller than the general keyboard market. Then there is the Analogue Synth market, even smaller. Then there is the Monophonic Synth market very small. Before the Phatty, the Moog synth market was either used or the Voyager, which for most people is a hefty sum to get. THe Phatty broadened that market a bit. So for people seeking a monophonic analog synth that is a Moog, we are talking about a much smaller demographic than the general keyboard market.
Then we think about a monophonic synth that costs around $2000 and only is good for a few octaves. This is an even smaller market.
So they thought, "Well if we think we can realisticllly sell 500 then lets build it. So they needed 500 to go ahead with the project. Id be willing to bet that they have sold every single unit. Trying to market this as a permanant thing, they would need lots of shelf space and end up with a surplus of Units that would have already satisfied the demand of a small demographic to begin with. So, by limiting the production run, they are creating lots more hype, an instant collectors item (which adds hype) and they don’t have to worry about putting more money into production than they sold and having to cut prices to free up storage space in the warehouse.
Plus I think all marketing endeavors is like an experiment to see how their client base will respond to various products.
That, coupled with the laws of supply and demand generates a profit AND a rush to buy their product, which leaves them with avenues and revenues to persue more R&D. Once they have the boards printed up they could probably do as many runs as they want. I think Moog Music Inc is heading in new directions in the post Bob Moog world and I think this is the first of many great things to come from their marketing department.
This is just my theory.
Eric
Edit:
This is of little consequence to this thread but I thought that Id add that the Modular Synth group is probably the smallest of the demographics, though perhaps a little larger than those customers who are actually seeking bass pedal synths.
You do know that T1s didn’t exist during the Gabriel era, right? Genesis did use bass pedals back then but they weren’t T1s. Taurus pedals made their first Genesis appearance on Seconds Out live album.
Peter Gabriel did use Taurus pedals during his solo career - you can hear them on “Digging In The Dirt”
Regarding the T3s limited run: Moog made a limited run of 1000 moogerfooger delay pedals. Part of this reason was that the BBD chip had recently been discontinued and they only had a limited supply.
The demand was still there so a few years later they re-issued them and they’re still being made. They re-designed the box using a replacement BBD chip to replace the obsolete part.
The Voyager is a niche market, bass pedals even less. They recently discontinued the OS yet the Voyager is still a strong seller.
Moog has stated that they will replicate the Taurus circuits. This was done in response to customer feedback - they want a faithful reproduction of the sound. Well the filter uses an obsolete CA3080 OTA which is a pretty important component. Maybe they located a limited supply before the CA3080s were discontinued. Maybe they used the 13700 OTA as a replacement. We don’t know. What we do have is a youtube of the prototype complete with filter sweep - and it sounds pretty damn good.
Time will tell how well the T3s sell.
WHat Im really interested to see is the time period when Moog AND the dealers have all sold out and units begin popping up on ebay.
Eric
Maybe they’ll make a KB version of some sort in the future provided the parts are available to do so if the demand gets high enough? They’d have to make it decipherable enough from the LP, but I think it could happen if there were enough features in it that the LP doesn’t have.
the folks at moog are probably reading this thread and laughing out loud. didn’t you hear that they had a T3 dartboard with 500, 1000, 2000 and 10000 target areas? the dart landed on 500.
It’s a pretty legitimate inquiry regardless of how many would be slated, finite is finite.
Hold on there professor…do you mean to tell me that “Fly On A Windshield” did not incorporate bass pedals? I was fortunate to have seen The Lamb performed and took photos. I looked at them again tonight and I can swear that I seed a set at Rutheford’s feet. Was Tony Banks providing those ultra low frequencies? If so, on what? Please tell me how you know that the T1 did not make it’s appearance until later. I just want to be well informed is all. Thanks,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Rutherford
Genesis “classic” recordings often featured simultaneous 12 string guitar and > Dewtron “Mister Bassman” bass pedal synthesiser > playing by Rutherford.
Gabriel left in 1975.
Taurus Is didn’t appear until 1976.
I did know about the Mister Bassman and the reference to Rutuerford and Genesis but thought that the T1 made it’s entrace on The Lamb. Seeing the production dates for the T1 in the Wiki link you provided clinched it for me. I was incorrect all these years. Dang. Thanks for the accurate information. Now the Mister Bassman has really peaked my curiosity. They’ve got a pretty kick ass note to them.
From what it sounds like there will only be 1000 t3’s and that’s it. I doubt they will make anymore than that being that they won’t be that huge of a demand for them. I think they made this one for the hardcore synth heads. Instant classic. 
You bet your money its going to get awards, and the prices on ebay are going to go up once all the dealers run out.
Eric
Can we see a picture now?
If the prices get high enough, Moog will have a good reason to make a new production model…tribute->se1