Taurus 1 needs a little work

Skyflash2 · Post by **Skyflash2** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 1:20 am

hello all!!! nice forum..good to know this is here!!!!

I'm a newbie......

I have a Taurus 1 synth that is still rocking pretty good although now
the occilators drift upward in pitch when a note is released....
I'm sure this is a well known issue with any old moog after a few years
a use. Does anyone know the cause of this and does anyone know
of any qualitfied service shops in the upstate N.Y. area?

I have a full(photocopied)manual with schematics etc....I'd be willing
to drive to a shop if it's within 3-4 hour drive of the Syracuse area.

thanks!!!!

Brian

MC · Post by MC » Sun Mar 27, 2005 10:21 pm

Mike Bucki (modusonics.com) and Fred McNiff (website down) are both former moog music techs who live near Buffalo and are very qualified.

Jeebus · Post by **Jeebus** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 11:22 pm

I tried contacting modusonics several times and never got a response. wtf?

Skyflash2 · Post by **Skyflash2** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:27 am

Right after I posted this message I did find the site and I requested
some info. Hopefully someone will respond. We'll see I guess.

MC · Post by MC » Mon Mar 28, 2005 10:58 am

Don't email Bucki, he's slow on the email. I called him directly and had no trouble reaching him.

Skyflash2 · Post by **Skyflash2** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:44 pm

I got an email back and I'd have to say I'm very disappointed that they don't service anything made before 1986 nor do they offer parts or anything. They offered a list of repair shops all of wich are well out of my traveling distance and would be VERY expensive to ship otherwise. Among the shops listed...one was in Germany, one was in Canada, and the other two were in North Carolina and California. I don't think so.....

I love my Taurus pedals and I will get them fixed one way or another.
but going directly or almost directly to Moog was absolutely B.S. Even if I have to spend an arm and a leg to ship them, they're not going that far
away to have work done on them.

I would like to thank everyone who replied with suggestions though!!!
Thanks a bunch guys and rock on wiht you're Moog's!!!!!

Jeebus · Post by **Jeebus** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:42 am

Skyflash2 wrote:Among the shops listed...one was in Germany, one was in Canada, and the other two were in North Carolina and California.

Which shop did they suggest in Canada?

I still haven't even received a response from them at all.

Kevin Lightner · Post by **Kevin Lightner** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:17 am

Skyflash, I'm probably one of those California names you were provided.

Here's the story on vintage Moog service.

If you take or ship your unit to someone that truly knows what they are doing, you may spend a little more for their services and shippping, but will receive back a reliable unit, sometimes with a warranty.

But if a vintage synth is taken to someplace that doesn't know them well, simply because they're closeby, the odds are greater that it will cost more in the long run.
If the service center doesn't fix them correctly or provide a warranty, you will be out their fees, play time and may have to sell them at a loss or have another pro work on them.
Very frustrating.

Worse, if the second place you take them to finds damage or incorrect/missing parts from their visit to the first service center, the charges will likely be higher than if you sent them to a pro in the first place.

The reason there's not a lot of vintage service centers out there is that there's not a lot of techs who have experience at the units. It's not a matter of being a tech and having the schematics or even the parts, it's almost all experience that's necessary because the problems are usually not component based.
A tech has to know the unit they're working on very well.
Supply and demand often adjust themselves in a market, but in the vintage repair world, there's no way for a tech to just "decide" to be competent at the job.
That is, there's much more demand than decent techs and so there's fewer of them and long waits are expected.

So, you can take your chances with any tech, but you may end up paying more in the long run. Convenience is a luxury in the world of decent vintage repairs.
Sorry, but true.
I'd recommend you try and get them to Mike Bucki or ship them to another tech.
Best of luck however you proceed.

crootnik · Post by **crootnik** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:23 am

ahhh.. Keven Lightner... I was just about to mention you... good to see your still around.

I am still hopeful that Moog will begin production on the Taurus pedals.

Chris Flynn
Lead Singer for Art in America

miket156 · Post by **miket156** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:51 pm

I read somewhere that Moog looked into bringing out Taurus pedals again but ran into a snag with the supplier of the original pedals. Cost at today's prices may have been a factor too.

Mike T.

oldsynthguy · Post by **oldsynthguy** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:53 am

I tried emailing McNiff a few times but never got a reply.
Is he still active?

I understand your reluctance to ship your Taurus. Hopefully you can find someone local to fix it. Good luck.

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