The Bob Moog Foundation has announced its latest fundraising raffle featuring a highly-coveted, fully restored vintage Minimoog synthesizer signed by legendary pioneering synthesist Herb Deutsch. The raffle begins on February 9th, to commemorate Deutsch's 90th birthday, and serves as an homage to his seminal contributions to the Moog legacy. It ends on March 7th, 2022, 11:59pm ET, or when all 4,500 tickets sell out, whichever comes first. Tickets are $20 each, six for $100, 14 for $200, or 40 for $500, and can be purchased here.
Funds raised from the raffle will be used to expand the Foundation's hallmark educational project, Dr. Bob's SoundSchool, which has inspired over 20,000 elementary school students through the science of sound. The raffle will also help support the Moogseum, an immersive, experiential facility located in Asheville, NC, which brings Bob Moog's pioneering legacy and the science of sound and synthesis alive for people of all ages. The Moogseum, which opened in late May of 2019, has welcomed over 14,000 visitors from all over the world, despite significant challenges due to the pandemic.
The Minimoog featured is serial number 11,535, built at Moog Music's Cheektowaga, NY factory during the late 1970s. It has an estimated value of $10,000. Due to the highly coveted nature of this archetypal synthesizer, and the iconic signature from Herb Deutsch, it is likely to increase in value. This Minimoog has been meticulously restored by revered synthesizer technician Wes Taggart of Analogics, who also crafted its new custom walnut cabinet enclosure. It is in excellent technical and physical condition.
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to offer this rare Minimoog synthesizer signed by Herb Deutsch on the occasion of his 90th birthday. We honor Herb for his undeniable place in synthesizer history, as the catalyst who inspired Bob Moog to design the very first Moog synthesizer. Bob could not have achieved his pioneering work without Herb's ongoing careful guidance and insight, starting with their work together in the summer of 1964, and lasting for decades thereafter. We hope the lucky winner of this Minimoog will be deeply inspired by this rare piece of history.
Executive Director, Michelle Moog-Koussa.
The Minimoog Model D is widely regarded as the most iconic analog synthesizer of all time. Its internal wiring configuration and front panel layout have been archetypes for generations of synthesizers. It is renowned for its robust, incomparable bass and lead sounds, which are rooted in its three voltage-controlled oscillators (one of which can be used as a low-frequency oscillator) and its legendary filters. The Minimoog uses a 4-pole (24 dB/octave) low-pass filter with cutoff, resonance, ADS envelope, and keyboard tracking controls. To this day, Moog's filter design is widely regarded as the standard to which all others are compared.