The legendary synthesizer manufacturer Moog (if you’re not familiar with it, let Mr. Giorgio Moroder explain how it shaped modern music) is making a mere 40 new units of one of its most legendary designs: the Moog Synthesizer IIIp, a machine originally released in 1969 to the joy of musicians like George Harrison.
The IIIp was designed by founder Bob Moog, but the Asheville, North Carolina, company stopped making the model in 1973–perhaps because these machines were a little bit too expensive for most: the list price tag back then was $7,985, which adjusted for inflation is a whopping $50,000. So $35,000 is really a bargain for one of these classic units, which come mounted in solid wood cabinets wrapped in tolex, a type of waterproof vinyl-style material.
According to Moog, each of these new units will be exactly like the one used by the Beatles, handcrafted with the same schematics and components using “all original documentation, art and circuit board files” and featuring “thirty-seven hand-stuffed, hand-soldered discrete modules including ten 901-Series audio oscillators, the 984 Matrix Mixer, and the 905 Spring Reverb.”
If you’re curious about how it sounds, check this video out:
I just want one to decorate one of the walls in my living room, playing Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” on repeat.