Model D Service

[shipatsea]

I just finalized a deal on a Model D. I will have it Wednesday night. It's an early one with the early oscillator board. Osc 2 is out , it needs a new main output switch and it's missing the pointer knob for waveform selection on osc 3.

I found the synthfool website and looks like I can get the knob there but I still need to find that switch. Anybody know of a source for that little blue thing?

As far as the 2nd oscillator being out I think I am going to send it to synthfool for the $400 rebuild and recap of all cards. Have any of you did this? What kind of turn around time should I expect?

Thanks guys.

[MC]

Kevin is ill and is not taking any new work. His website still has this note posted.

Those rocker switches are the hardest minimoog components to find, next to the ua726 used on later oscillator cards. I've been surfing the net for ten years and I cannot remember them coming up for sale anywhere. Since the minimoog was the only moog product they were used on, good luck finding one to scavenge parts from.

What's the serial # of yours? I have #1053

[Electrong]

Is there a way to figure out the serial? I have the "old" oscillator but each board has a different number on it, and the serial outside is gone.. I suspect it's around 1300 or 1313 or something like that. It's a Musonics Minimoog, with clear wheels and metal front panel.

[MC]

There's two ways if you pop the hood.

There may be a yellow inspection sticker, that will have the serial on it.

On the old units they wrote the serial on the PC boards with permanent marker, I don't know how long that practice was done

[Electrong]

They do have serials on the boards, but they're different: osc board has 1313 on it whilst the filter board is 12xx and none of the inspection tags--although they're initialed and dated--have a basic serial number on it. My guess is the inspectors didn't know what the serial number would be yet? Or maybe it never had a serial. Apparently this unit was originally at the Village recorder in LA.. Was sold as an estate item after its founder Geordie Hormel died several years ago, one of many items that was piled in the studio basement, and this had a broken key (which I repaired).. It has a very dark rich sound. Another concern I've got is my tech summarily replaced the 2 prong brown lamp cord it had originally with a 3 prong power cord. He apparently discarded the original cord.. Hope that doesn't affect value, but it works great with the 3 prong cord.

About Synthfool, I believe he still does work on select items. He may want carte blanche but for a very early Mini he would probably be into doing the repair (you could already be discussing this with him from what I'm reading above).

[shipatsea]

I will be picking up the synth tomorrow after work. I am not sure the serial number on it. It is not the RA Moog or the musonincs but it's early. The guy said it dates to 1972. I'm told the osc board is all discrete with no IC on it. I guess that was a big difference on the early ones. I don't really care. I've heard both the old and the new boards and I like them both.

I did get a response from Ken Lightners wife. They are doing the "all 4 board restore" it's $400 and she said it could be a 3 week or less turn around time. I think that's the route I will go. SInce OSC 2 is out. I asked her if that covered parts and all in the price and she said yes. So assuming it's not something on the chassis I should be square after a rebuild.

I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight . So excited.

[shipatsea]

For some reason on this old Model D, some keys have yellowed and some have not. I have not tried cleaning them yet but it looks odd. Have any of you seen this? I would think they would yellow evenly. Wierd.