Moogerfooger Memorial Thread
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:59 am
It looks like the last of the new Moogerfoogers will likely ship out before the end of the year. The big retailers still have them listed for reserve but the shipping dates keep getting pushed back. I presume Moog will continue making them until they exhaust their current supply of parts.
Unfortunately, I was pretty late to the Moogerfooger game. The announced retirement of the pedals got me off the fence, and I've been trying to round out the collection for the last couple of months. People around here have been super helpful offering their opinions in a couple of different MF related threads I've started. I figured I'd share my thoughts in a consolidated (though lengthy) post.
MF 101 Lowpass Filter: The most utilitarian of the Moog pedals. I got one of these about two weeks ago. At first I was kind of like "Eh, this is a nice sounding filter, and the envelope is cool with an expression pedal, but nothing really special." It wasn't until I started using it in combination with the other Moogerfoogers that I really began to understand its function. I've never used a dedicated lowpass filter on guitar before, and it's really nice to be able to dial back the highs and muddy up modulation. I've slowly found myself tweaking the knobs on this pedal more frequently. It might not do anything that wild, but it's an excellent sound shaper. Trios great with the Phaser and the Ring Mod. A little noisy.
MF 102 Ring Mod: This was my first Moogerfooger. By all accounts, one of the best ring mods ever made. It does everything from metallic shrills to deep church bells to Dalek quacks. On Low with the LFO rate dialed down it makes a lovely tremolo. Very ominous on guitar, especially when paired with fuzz. It does some whacky stuff on its own, but it's a nice way to add a sinister edge to other effects when used more subtly.
MF 103 12-Stage Phaser: Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of phaser on guitar. Of all the stable effects, phase is the one that I've always been the most indifferent towards. While I'd hesitate to call a phaser "beautiful," the MF 103 is a really lush sounding pedal. It can do everything from classic phase to borderline vibe. With the LFO cranked it achieves some really great quasi-ring mod sounds that are easier to dial in and employ than a traditional ring mod because you're adjusting with sweep instead of frequency. Of all the Moogerfoogers, the MF 103 seems to have the best buffer, and it really cuts down on noise if placed at the end of the chain.
MF 104 Delay: For years this has been my "holy grail" pedal. These things have been pricey and tough to come by over the past couple of years, and when Moog announced the discontinuation of the line, the prices skyrocketed. I figured I'd never be able to buy one, but I ended up snagging one of these about a month ago in what was without question the biggest impulse purchase of my gear collecting career. I was looking for MF 101s, when one of these popped up on Reverb for an awesome price. It had been listed for two hours with a dozen watchers and multiple offers, but the shop only had one seller feedback. Without really thinking I just tossed it in the cart and hit purchase. I immediately felt like an idiot, and was sure I was about to get scammed. Instead, the guy turned out to be super cool, the pedal shipped out first thing the next day, and arrived in excellent condition as described. After years of building this thing up in my head, I was totally set to be disappointed, but it's really as deep as the endless hype suggests. Not only do the chips sound absolutely gorgeous, The LFO allows for the most adjustable modulation I've ever encountered in an analog delay. Likewise, the multiple wave forms add a whole new range of experimental possibilities. Already logged dozens of hours on this thing, and I'm still stoked I managed to find one before they creep into Klonlike unobtainability.
*The Minifooger Delay functionally provides 1/4 of the MF 104 (the long delay, drive, feedback and mix). Definitely something to consider if you don't want to shell out big money for the Moogerfooger but want the most traditionally employable quarter of the pedal.
MF 108 Cluster Flux: The true gem of the Moogerfooger line. As phenomenal as the MF 104 is, other available pedals can get you 70-80% of the way there (DMM, Tonal Recall, etc.), but there really isn't anything out there like the Cluster Flux. Though it was marketed as a Chorus/Flanger, it's actually more of a short delay workstation. It definitely nails traditional chorus/flange sounds, but it gets so much crazier with the positive and negative feedback dial and the multiple waveform LFO. By cranking the feedback, you can employ it as a swooping sort of drone without input from guitar. One of the wildest analog pedals I've ever fiddled with. Of all the Moogerfoogers, this is the one that I'm most tempted to buy a backup for.
Stuff I don't have:
I'd definitely like to add a Freqbox, but they're incredibly hard to find right now. The Murf looks very cool, but I've never heard a full-hearted endorsement to warrant the now elevated collector's price.
Finally, what are people's thoughts on the CP-251? How integral is it to the overall Moogerfooger experience? Are you missing out if you don't own one? Would it be a better purchase than a Freqbox?
Feel free to share your Moogerfooger thoughts and memories.
Unfortunately, I was pretty late to the Moogerfooger game. The announced retirement of the pedals got me off the fence, and I've been trying to round out the collection for the last couple of months. People around here have been super helpful offering their opinions in a couple of different MF related threads I've started. I figured I'd share my thoughts in a consolidated (though lengthy) post.
MF 101 Lowpass Filter: The most utilitarian of the Moog pedals. I got one of these about two weeks ago. At first I was kind of like "Eh, this is a nice sounding filter, and the envelope is cool with an expression pedal, but nothing really special." It wasn't until I started using it in combination with the other Moogerfoogers that I really began to understand its function. I've never used a dedicated lowpass filter on guitar before, and it's really nice to be able to dial back the highs and muddy up modulation. I've slowly found myself tweaking the knobs on this pedal more frequently. It might not do anything that wild, but it's an excellent sound shaper. Trios great with the Phaser and the Ring Mod. A little noisy.
MF 102 Ring Mod: This was my first Moogerfooger. By all accounts, one of the best ring mods ever made. It does everything from metallic shrills to deep church bells to Dalek quacks. On Low with the LFO rate dialed down it makes a lovely tremolo. Very ominous on guitar, especially when paired with fuzz. It does some whacky stuff on its own, but it's a nice way to add a sinister edge to other effects when used more subtly.
MF 103 12-Stage Phaser: Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of phaser on guitar. Of all the stable effects, phase is the one that I've always been the most indifferent towards. While I'd hesitate to call a phaser "beautiful," the MF 103 is a really lush sounding pedal. It can do everything from classic phase to borderline vibe. With the LFO cranked it achieves some really great quasi-ring mod sounds that are easier to dial in and employ than a traditional ring mod because you're adjusting with sweep instead of frequency. Of all the Moogerfoogers, the MF 103 seems to have the best buffer, and it really cuts down on noise if placed at the end of the chain.
MF 104 Delay: For years this has been my "holy grail" pedal. These things have been pricey and tough to come by over the past couple of years, and when Moog announced the discontinuation of the line, the prices skyrocketed. I figured I'd never be able to buy one, but I ended up snagging one of these about a month ago in what was without question the biggest impulse purchase of my gear collecting career. I was looking for MF 101s, when one of these popped up on Reverb for an awesome price. It had been listed for two hours with a dozen watchers and multiple offers, but the shop only had one seller feedback. Without really thinking I just tossed it in the cart and hit purchase. I immediately felt like an idiot, and was sure I was about to get scammed. Instead, the guy turned out to be super cool, the pedal shipped out first thing the next day, and arrived in excellent condition as described. After years of building this thing up in my head, I was totally set to be disappointed, but it's really as deep as the endless hype suggests. Not only do the chips sound absolutely gorgeous, The LFO allows for the most adjustable modulation I've ever encountered in an analog delay. Likewise, the multiple wave forms add a whole new range of experimental possibilities. Already logged dozens of hours on this thing, and I'm still stoked I managed to find one before they creep into Klonlike unobtainability.
*The Minifooger Delay functionally provides 1/4 of the MF 104 (the long delay, drive, feedback and mix). Definitely something to consider if you don't want to shell out big money for the Moogerfooger but want the most traditionally employable quarter of the pedal.
MF 108 Cluster Flux: The true gem of the Moogerfooger line. As phenomenal as the MF 104 is, other available pedals can get you 70-80% of the way there (DMM, Tonal Recall, etc.), but there really isn't anything out there like the Cluster Flux. Though it was marketed as a Chorus/Flanger, it's actually more of a short delay workstation. It definitely nails traditional chorus/flange sounds, but it gets so much crazier with the positive and negative feedback dial and the multiple waveform LFO. By cranking the feedback, you can employ it as a swooping sort of drone without input from guitar. One of the wildest analog pedals I've ever fiddled with. Of all the Moogerfoogers, this is the one that I'm most tempted to buy a backup for.
Stuff I don't have:
I'd definitely like to add a Freqbox, but they're incredibly hard to find right now. The Murf looks very cool, but I've never heard a full-hearted endorsement to warrant the now elevated collector's price.
Finally, what are people's thoughts on the CP-251? How integral is it to the overall Moogerfooger experience? Are you missing out if you don't own one? Would it be a better purchase than a Freqbox?
Feel free to share your Moogerfooger thoughts and memories.