Four super-rare early Minimoog prototypes to go on display at the Moogseum in November

The Bob Moog Foundation has announced it will be showcasing four Minimoog Prototypes at Asheville, NC’s Moogseum, in partnership with the Museum of Music Technology (MMT), in an exhibit which will run between 14 and 16 November.

As part of the cost of entry ($16), visitors will be able to ask MMT staff questions about the iconic analogue synth’s prototypes – Models A, B, C and D – which will be out on display.

According to Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation: “This will mark the first time that all four prototypes are exhibited together at a museum outside of the Museum of Music Technology.

“The exhibit will trace the rich history of this seminal instrument that helped bring synthesis to the gigging musician, and through them to a world of music enthusiasts.”

First released in 1970, the Minimoog has an illustrious past, with some of its earliest adopters including Yes’s Rick Wakeman, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Rush’s Geddy Lee, Paul and Linda McCartney, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, and many others.

The Minimoog first began in 1969, though, with the Minimoog A prototype serving as engineer Bill Hemsath’s demo model for the larger Moog modular synths.

Slightly more compact than the Model A, Model B later came with three identical oscillator sections; noise, filter, and master tuning sections; amplitude and filter contour controls, as well as a front-mounted power switch.

Model C was the first prototype to replace existing circuits from the modulars with new simplified circuit designs. Its panel design saw heavy involvement from Bob Moog, who added rocker switches, and fitted the cabinet with its portability-enhancing fold-down panel.

With mass production in mind, the final Model D came with all new circuit designs, a wood trim and left-hand controller sliders that Bob Moog envisaged would allow for more “human nuance”.

“We are honoured to help preserve and share Bob Moog’s legacy by bringing the Minimoog prototypes into public view,” says Vince Pupillo, Sr, Founder and President of EMEAPP (Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project).​

“We value the important work of the Bob Moog Foundation and are grateful for the chance to share these wonderful artifacts with the Moogseum’s guests.”

To learn more about the Moogseum – and to purchase tickets for the 14-16 November Minimoog Prototype exhibit, visit Eventbrite.