197x Minimoog Serial 5128

[compago]

I have a 197x Minimoog serial 5128 mostly working for sale. (As well as the '67 R.A. Moog Modular 1019).

197x Minimoog in mostly working condition. (We do not know what year it was manufactured) New Osc Board #10175 appears on a white sticker (see photo) Plays but some keys randomly trigger either Glide or go out of tune. Needs servicing. Wood case has some wear, chips, rubs, bump marks. Bubbling appears on the right side of the faceplate. Located in Sacramento, Ca.

Not sure how the 5xxx series labeling worked i.e. what year, how many were produced etc? Thanks for looking.

http://www.compago.net/music/minimoog/mm5128.html

[thealien666]

Simply remove the back cover (18 screws) and the date is most certainly written inside. There should even be a yellow sticker hanging from the back panel underneath with a stamped date on it.
As for the serial, they start with the very first Mini with serial number 1001. So yours would have been produced in Williamsville, New York, probably in 1974-75 since Moog stopped at serial 6920 to move to Cheektowaga and restart the production there at serial 6921.

However, it looks "customized" and has suffered from poor storage conditions (high humidity levels, judging by the front panel condition). The keyboard contacts and buss bars are probably corroded or oxidized beyond repair.

[compago]

Okay great, thanks.

[Rob Smith]

I had Minimoog ser#4759 that was built late March of 1974 and now own Minimoog ser #6475 that was built December of 1974. I hope that helps.

[thealien666]

Mine is serial 69XX and was built in 1975.

[compago]

Thanks, I can't seem to find much detailed history on the 4xxx, 5xxx and 6xxx series online. Who has a comprehensive article on them please? Thx

[slirak]

Mine is 72xx and there are no markings anywhere inside it with regards to production date (a few signatures though). I guess the yellow sticker has fallen off. So apparently, not all minis have (surviving) date markings.

There are some info here, but I've read somewhere that it's not entirely correct.

[thealien666]

It's entirely possible that the common practice of writing the production date inside had ceased after the sale of Moog Music Inc to Norlin Industries and the move of the company to Cheektowaga. That would mean that serial 6921 and over would probably not have any dates, but only the signatures of the people responsible for assembly and Q.A.
We've seen that many times before when a company acquires the assets of another, they often impose their production methods and practices.

But I'm 100% convinced that compago's Minimoog, with its mid production serial number, would have such production dates inside having been built in Williamsville under the old Moog Music Inc ownership.

And as for the "Lords of the Mini" web site, it hasn't been updated in many years, and some info on there pertains more to speculation than actual facts IMHO.

[MC]

Kevin wasn't fond of that LordsOfTheMini website either.

[torinkrell]

My Minimoog had the small yellow date tag inside the mod wheel assembly. . Perhaps your tag might be found there as well. Its sn is 22xx and it was manufactured in early 1973.

[slirak]

It's entirely possible that the common practice of writing the production date inside had ceased after the sale of Moog Music Inc to Norlin Industries and the move of the company to Cheektowaga. That would mean that serial 6921 and over would probably not have any dates, but only the signatures of the people responsible for assembly and Q.A.

Or maybe Norlin just used cheaper pens. Actually, the signatures are very weak and hard to see, so possibly, there used to be a date marking too, that got smudged by someone poking around in the synth at some point. I've seen people with higher serials that quote exact production dates, so some Norlin minis seems to have date markings of some sort. Maybe just the yellow sticker though.

BTW, there's a vid on Youtube with a mini supposedly manufactured 23 november 1976. But I've read elsewhere that no minis were produced 1976 and that the Cheektowaga plant resumed production in 1977. Is it possible that it was actually late 1976?

Would be interesting to hear if someone with a 6921 - 72xx s/n mini have found a production date.

[sunny pedaal]

i wonder if those airbubbles on the front can only be caused by wet condition storage. some of the mini's i've seen and touched had it, others not, but can't really relate it to storageconditions
i once had a 2000 serial with elaborate signs of wet storage and no bubbles, while others who were storaged normally ( 3000 serial ) had it ....

[CZ Rider]

Out of curiosity, took a peek inside my 104XX. I'm the second owner and have had this since 1982. The tag date almost looks like it reads 7/6/76 but it is just a carelessly written 78. Can't find any other date anywhere inside this Buffalo, NY made Mini. Unless there is a secret place I'm not looking at? I disassembled an old R.A.Moog 950 once to find a 1967 date burried under the keyboard action. .
Tag:


And the inside behind left side front panel where the initials and date was on my 1973 Mini.


Possible that 1976 date is real or could be human error in reading. Any number of possibilities as Moog was still servicing the Mini and it could be a refurbished one. Even today's Moog Music stopped production of the Voyager Old School, to only again quietly pick up production for a short time.
I have played and owned a Mini since 1974 and clearly remember the authorized Moog dealer telling me they were not producing Minimoogs anymore sometime around 1976. There were still new Minimoogs to be found at music shops, but you could no longer order a new one.
Wasn't untill around spring of 1978 when I stopped in a music store in Happy Valley Pa. (Penn State) The shop had all the new orange and black ARP's. They had an Odyssey with the sequencer along with the Omni or Omni II. First time I ever played with that PPC bender on the Odyssey. The salesman told us he had something we would be interested in. Took us to another room and showed us the new re-introduced Minimoog. First impressions were that it looked different. The wood was thicker and had those serrated wheels. The sound was a little brighter/buzzier too. Had nothing to do with aged parts as my '73 Mini I played every day was only a few years older then this new one. Thought it was very cool though that Moog had begun making Mini's again. There was a gap where they just stopped making them, not sure how long or exactly when it was though. I was really surprised that they actually made this Minimoog II though.

[thealien666]

If that can help, here's the insides of my Mini (next to the glide pot):

[fregot]

Serial 8222 Manufactured Nov. 29th 1976