Who gigs with their MEMORYMOOG

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 12:57 pm

Anyone actually do this on a regular basis? Im considering it as mine is so stable. ITs a plus version and is rock solid. Dont know what it would be like if moved. Its my all time favourite synth-nothing beats it.

Boeing 737-400 · Post by **Boeing 737-400** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:01 pm

Just be very, very careful with it and don't let it out of your sight for a moment.

If the Memorymoog is anything like the Polymoog internally, then avoid moving it at all costs!

goldphinga · Post by **goldphinga** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:13 pm

Thats a no then!

MC · Post by MC » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:44 pm

Memorymoogs are very temperamental. I gigged with mine from '86 to '96 before it was having problems staying in tune. I did some major hot rodding to improve the reliability, and it's been running like a top since. I still gig with it. FWIW, it's been to AHMW on three occasions with zero problems.

The Achille's Heel of the Memorymoog (and most vintage polysynths) are its connectors, they will oxidize and throw it out of whack. I replaced the tin plated pins on the PC boards with gold plated ones, they last a lot longer and they do not oxidize.

endocrine · Post by **endocrine** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:33 pm

I once saw the guitarist from the Darling Hearts bring his to show, but he only used it once or twice and it sounded really out of tune. His looked pretty beat up. I've seen the Darling Hearts about 3 times and I've seen that guitarist in other bands. That is the only time I've seen his moog.
-Tyler2000-

nicholas d. kent · Post by **nicholas d. kent** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:32 am

Boeing 737-400 wrote:Just be very, very careful with it and don't let it out of your sight for a moment.

Well it is rather large. But I guess anything unwatched could disappear or get knocked over.

Boeing 737-400 wrote:If the Memorymoog is anything like the Polymoog internally, then avoid moving it at all costs!

Not that much is similar inside, but still it's an expensive and old instrument a lot can go wrong on, so I'd agree it would really be kind of dumb to take one out unless the gig was really safe and special. Tempermental and full of not very rugged old technology. Then again there are probably a couple even more asking for trouble synths. (Yamaha GX-1 or CS-80 anyone?)

That said, I was at the first Moogfest in 2004. Now that was a show that really deserved a Memorymoog on stage. But no, just about everyone who played any chords played them on some bland ROMpler workstation. At least Emerson had his big modular and some sort of Hammond substitute.

nick,
who's played esoteric old gear live -
http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2006/02/ ... ition.html

Boeing 737-400 · Post by **Boeing 737-400** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:52 am

I know loads of musicians who've had equipment nicked from stage or from their vans. That's why I made that comment, some thieves are very good indeed.

Rabid · Post by **Rabid** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:06 am

I did back in the 80's. Mine was one of the early SN's. Every Sunday I spent a few hours sitting in the floor with the lid up tuning 18 osc's.

Robert