*Rare Find FS* Moog Realistic Concertmate MG-1 Synth

[IceCoffee]

Mint condition Realistic Concertmate MG-1
This Concertmate MG-1 has been used only a handful of times and then was safely stored in a dry, cool place.
The condition is excellent; it looks just as though it came straight from the Moog factory.
All of the sliders/switches operate freely and are not gummed up.
No scratches, dings, dents, marks, or bent sliders.
All the keys work and there are no dead keys/buttons.
Shipping to USA only or local pickup in San Diego, California.
If you have any questions Email me at [email protected]
Price: $750+shipping

The Realistic Concertmate MG-1 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music in 1981.

The MG-1 includes features such as:

Two oscillators with sync & detune, one producing either a Square or Sawtooth waveform, with the other producing either a Pulse or Sawtooth waveform.
One 24db/oct low pass filter/VCF, that can use the envelope generator, has three-position keyboard tracking, and is capable of self oscillation.
Three-part envelope generator, with separately adjustable Attack and Decay or Release, and selectable Sustain on or off. The Envelope Generator can be triggered by either the keyboard, or the LFO.
Oscillator 2 can be tuned independently or hard-synced to Oscillator 1.
Noise generator. (Digital Pseudo-Random Noise)
Ring modulation (called "Bell Tone" this is Amplitude Modulation of VCO 1 and 2).
Polyphonic oscillator. This is a divide-down square wave generator. It is routed to the VCF and the VCA.
LFO that can modulate the oscillators and the filter using a Triangle, square or random Sample and Hold waveform
Voltage controlled amplifier with Keyed, Hold, and Envelope modes (accessed via 3-way switch, misleadingly only labeled "Tone Sources" but also affects Poly signal)
Portamento (called "Glide")
External Control inputs for pre-MIDI CV/Gate.

-Polyphonic Sound
-Contour Triggering
-Unique Modulation Options

[Elgo]

The MG-1 is not rare, and $750 is a bit exorbitant. Perhaps you will have a better chance of selling it if you lower the price about 300 dollars. Best of luck to you.

[Kenneth]

Check eBay... These things are all over. I'd pay $400 for one.

[thealien666]

First of all, I agree with Kenneth and Elgo, an MG-1 isn't rare. And $750 is overpriced. $500 would be a more realistic starting price point for one in excellent condition, but...

Second, from the photos provided we can clearly see that the dreaded self-destructing foam hasn't been removed yet, and has started to retract and decompose. So right there, that's a big cleaning job ahead.

So, in that case, $200 would be more reasonable.

Clean the foam off, and replace all the sliders and switches that will inevitably be contaminated with that sticky tar, and then you might ask $550 for it. Until then, I sincerely hope that nobody will be foolish enough to pay this much for yours, and realize later what amount of work they've actually bargained for...

[muksys]

Agreed. $750 for a Rogue is too much IMHO. Check completed listings on evilBay. You will see they are going for $400 - $625. For $750 someone could get a Sequential Circuits Prophet 600! But, I guess more power to you if you can find a sucker to pay that much. Doubt they will be from here though.

[thealien666]

Agreed. $750 for a Rogue is too much IMHO...

Actually, The Rogue was produced in less quantity than the Realistic MG-1 (actually the model shown here), and as such is usually getting higher prices. But not $750. Maybe $600 for one in mint condition.

The MG-1 was produced in greater numbers than The Rogue in order to meet the Tandy Corporation contract for mass distribution to their hundreds of Radio Shack stores in North America. While The Rogue was sold exclusively in music stores.
And it was the first, and to my knowledge the only, time that Moog Music (then owned by Norlin Industries) ventured to design and produce a custom-made synthesizer for another company, for mass market outside the traditional music stores circuit.

Unfortunately, the rather high original price tag scared potential buyers away. Moreover, Radio Shack's regular customers didn't know what to make of this "complicated organ". Later, Casio had much more success with its association with Tandy by selling their renamed "preset sounds" keyboards, also much more in the price range of their usual customers.

Fortunately for us connaisseurs, Radio Shack stores eventually liquidated their inventory of MG-1 at below cost. That's how I could get my hands on one, back in 1985 for $120. (more than $500 less than the original price tag of 1982 here in Canada). I sold it many years later for $200, just before the foam would start destroying itself. Right about the same time that my acoustic air suspension speaker foams started doing the same thing.....

[museslave]

The MG-1 is a monoponic/polyphonic synthesizer with two oscillators, a polyphonic section, and a big-ol' bunch of other functionality. It also sounds great.
But it's construction isn't awesome, and if the foam hasn't been removed, it's a worthless liability.
It is worth FAR more than the Rogue, and even the Prodigy, but because it doesn't have the same Moog look, lacks the "Moog" label, and was put out by a non-Moog company, it suffers in popularity. But as far as functionality and sound goes, it blows away the Rogue, and even the Prodigy. It is NOT worth that incredible amount, but neither are the Rogue and Prodigy. Those synths command high prices purely on hype. The MG-1 is a superior synthesizer, primarily due to extensive functionality.
The MG-1 is often cited as the best-selling Moog synthesizer. I don't have any statistics to back this up, as Bob had left the company years before they teamed up with Radio Shack, but someone could only make this claim if the MG-1 sold more than the Minimoog... and if it did, then it blew away both the Rogue AND the Prodigy.

Being as that most professional synths had a price point that exceeded the MG-1, I hardly think that it "scared buyers away." The reason specifically that it sold so well was that it was a consumer-model synth that could be afforded by consumers.

[Elgo]

The MG-1 is a monoponic/polyphonic synthesizer with two oscillators, a polyphonic section, and a big-ol' bunch of other functionality. It also sounds great.
But it's construction isn't awesome, and if the foam hasn't been removed, it's a worthless liability.
It is worth FAR more than the Rogue, and even the Prodigy, but because it doesn't have the same Moog look, lacks the "Moog" label, and was put out by a non-Moog company, it suffers in popularity. But as far as functionality and sound goes, it blows away the Rogue, and even the Prodigy. It is NOT worth that incredible amount, but neither are the Rogue and Prodigy. Those synths command high prices purely on hype. The MG-1 is a superior synthesizer, primarily due to extensive functionality.
The MG-1 is often cited as the best-selling Moog synthesizer. I don't have any statistics to back this up, as Bob had left the company years before they teamed up with Radio Shack, but someone could only make this claim if the MG-1 sold more than the Minimoog... and if it did, then it blew away both the Rogue AND the Prodigy.

Being as that most professional synths had a price point that exceeded the MG-1, I hardly think that it "scared buyers away." The reason specifically that it sold so well was that it was a consumer-model synth that could be afforded by consumers.

I would love to get my hands on an MG-1 - almost traded a TR606 for one recently. It is definitely a good synth with extensive features.

Interestingly, the Moog Archives page lists an "SSK Concertmate" keyboard manufactured by Moog Music for the Tandy corp in the 1980s. Does anyone have any info on that?

[thealien666]

...I hardly think that it "scared buyers away." The reason specifically that it sold so well was that it was a consumer-model synth that could be afforded by consumers.

I said that it scared away "typical Radio Shack type" customers who didn't know what an analog synthesizer was. The high success it has enjoyed over the years, and continue to this day, is almost exclusively on the used market. It was a marketing failure, as far as Tandy was concerned, when it was brand new. But we now know that it was certainly not Moog Music's fault, nor the product itself.

And yes, it is a much better feature-for-money value than The Rogue or the Prodigy.

It could possibly be named the most underrated analog mono/"poly" synth of all times. And just because of the big white Realistic name on the back. A perfect example of how looks can be extremely deceiving...

[CSWyatt]

I have been able to come across an MG-1. Unfortunately, the foam has deteriorated quite a bit. Fortunately, as I acquired it while cleaning out an attic, I am not into it for any money. I have opened it up and cleaned out what I could (just the larger pieces), but am afraid to mess with it in any detail lest I harm the value. At this point, I'm probably better off selling it to someone who knows what they are doing with it, or getting it professionally restored and then selling it. Thing is, I'm new to the whole world of synth and having no clue where to go with it. Any suggestions?

[Voltor07]

I have been able to come across an MG-1. Unfortunately, the foam has deteriorated quite a bit. Fortunately, as I acquired it while cleaning out an attic, I am not into it for any money. I have opened it up and cleaned out what I could (just the larger pieces), but am afraid to mess with it in any detail lest I harm the value. At this point, I'm probably better off selling it to someone who knows what they are doing with it, or getting it professionally restored and then selling it. Thing is, I'm new to the whole world of synth and having no clue where to go with it. Any suggestions?

Depends...how much do ya want for it? I can clean up foam, no problem. Any other repairs should be done by a qualified tech, though. I recommend either Kevin Lightner in California or Deltronics in Chicago for repairs.