This particular blog entry started simply enough.
As you probably already know, Moog is making a limited run of their Modular systems, including the 15, 35, and 55, as well as the Sequencer Complement B.
An incredible feat, and I could scarcely belive my eyes when I saw this announcement (and the entire Analog Resurgence from Sequential Circuits and others) at the NAMM show earlier this year. For a few moments, I worried that I was actually having a stroke, and this was what my sputtering and sparking brain was coming up with to try and entertain me in the interim...("Hey, it's actually 1974, and everything's going to be just fine, so don't freak out, OK??")
I saw a thread on a forum recently where someone was asking why the sequencer was so expensive ($8500). A lot of hoopla erupted after that, with people alternately trying to explain why something like this might cost what it does, and others declaring that this was nothing short of highway robbery, and they'd much rather have their brand (insert name here) sequencer which is just as good, or maybe better, and just who does Moog think they are, anyway?!??!!?
As I continued to read through this thread, I thought that maybe I should profile the 960 sequencer next, and provide some pictures showing the high level of craftsmanship and quality that actually went into creating this excellent and iconic piece of technology, so I removed it from my System 55 and started taking some pictures of it, and that's when things began to get really interesting (more on this in just a bit)...
Now, to put things into perspective, the Sequencer Complement B is actually a collection of two 960 Sequencers, mated with two 962 Sequential Switch modules, a 961 Trigger Interface module, and a 994 Dual Multiples module all contained in a beautiful solid walnut extension cabinet. A serious amount of handbuilt technology for a serious amount of money?
Well, back in 1974, this same setup went for $3,295, and rightfully so. An inflation calculator will show that in today's dollars, this would now cost $15,894!!!
Suddenly, the $8500 price tag begins to look a bit better...
It's certainly not difficult to see why these would cost what they do, given the cost of components these days that would be used, the amount of effort required to locate and procure them, and the sheer amount of hand labor that goes into creating something like the 960 Sequencer. I haven't seen one yet, but Moog claims (and I have absolutely no reason to doubt them) that they will be making these modular systems and assemblies using the same components and manufacturing techniques that they used in 1974. This is almost unheard of in this day and age, and shows their commitment to getting this reissue right...for those that can afford it, of course.
Take a look at the beautiful wiring looms that are required to connect all of the components together. This would be difficult to make if you were already experienced at making these, and did this every day, for years. Now imagine that you have to recreate this starting from scratch, and the task begins to take on some weight...there's a lot of stuff to get right.
Boards will be created from the original artwork and lovingly hand-stuffed just like in the old days, using period correct components, photo etched front panels, etc, etc.
The switches are very difficult to come by these days, and expensive, and the pots...don't even get me started on the pots!!!
Allen Bradley hasn't made these type J series pots in years, but back in the day they were considered the absolute top shelf component, Military Grade, and they were expensive even back then.
It's a testament to their quality and ruggedness that every one of them in my 55 modular is still working 40+ years later. Switches too!
The Canadian company PEC makes what I would consider to be the closest currently available replacement, and even these run around $15-$20 each.
The 960 sequencer uses 25 (!) of these.
Almost all of the circuitry that powers the brain of this system has been out of production for years. The chances of finding replacement chips for these are low, which means that they will cost many times their 1960s-1970s prices (cheap enough back then, not so much now). These are Motorola RTL chips, an early type of digital logic chip.
As you can see, the 960 Sequencer uses a fair number of them, as does the 961 Trigger Interface and the 962 Sequential Switch modules. Major Kudos to the good folks at Moog for marshalling the resources to make these incredible instruments available again. How the heck did they do it?
And now, on to the Hidden History part of today's Feature Presentation, which is already in progress...
Hey! I've owned my System 55 for 30+ years, and gleefully modded various parts of it as well as performed all my own maintenance of it, and I only now realize that I've taken certain parts of it for granted.
Even in this sophisticated system, there were still sections of it that were hand built on perfboard (!) for certain functions. My system 55 is a pretty early one, and it seems that these hand-built boards were created like this before finished printed circuit boards were available.
The CP3A mixers were built this way...
Boards that do Trigger buffering...
...As well as hybrids like the attenuverter for the 904 filter...a circuit board grafted to the board that power is connected to.
I've seen pictures on the web of other modules that were more or less hand made, and after spending time modifying and refurbishing sections of the modular many years ago, I sort of ignored these oddities.
In less than a year, Moog was building the 55 modulars with actual printed circuit boards in these locations. Here you can see these boards in a later model. Notice that the individual hand-matched 100k ohm summing resistors have been replaced with a resistor network package for both the CV summers and the CP3A mixers (those light blue rectangular packages).
As I was taking some close up pictures of the sequencer, this (finally!) caught my eye...
What The What??!!!?!?
I'd always assumed that this was just another factory hand built module, but as I was paying more attention to it while photographing it, I suddenly realized that this board really didn't look like any other Moog handmade boards, and looking carefully at the opamps revealed a datecode from 1976,
after the module was built at Moog, and purchased by the college. |
So now, a new facet of the history of my system had been revealed...it had been modified by someone while it was still at the college!
The board appears to duplicate the circuitry for each of the three analog voltage outputs of the sequencer using 308 opamps (a very good opamp at that time) to replace the discrete component opamps that were being used at that time on the sequencer. This would make the output voltages less sensitive to drift with temperature changes, and make it more stable, especially for live performances where temperature changes are likely more pronounced.
This is what the discrete component opamps would have looked like before all the circuitry was removed and replaced with the current board assembly...
The quality of the work is pretty good, which is probably why it never attracted my attention before. The area where the original circuitry was has been completely depopulated, and the board was nicely cleaned to remove any flux and solder left behind...a very pro job.
It makes me wonder if the work was done locally by a teacher or student, or if it was shipped off somewhere to be professionally modified. There were places in the 70's that specialized in performing modifications to synthesizers, although I can't recall reading about anyone performing this particular mod. I'd love to hear from anyone who might recognize this or have more information about it!
The only things I would have done differently would be to use low drift cermet trimmers like the Bourns 3362 in place of the carbon Piher ones that were used, which would make it even more stable.
Yeah, I know...picky, picky.
Trimmers like these were certainly much more expensive and less available back in the mid 70's, and even Moog used cheaper carbon trimmers in their original discrete component version.
After finding this, I began to wonder if there were other mods that I had glossed over as well, so I began to look at the other modules in my system with a fresh perspective.
I didn't have to look far.
The same discrete opamp circuit was used in the 962 sequential switch, and sure enough, there was the same replacement board installed in its place, a true chip off the ol' block.
This one used a precision multiturn trimmer (a nice touch) and the same board material and datecoded opamp. These were likely modified together, and a very nice job they did of it, too!
Now my curiosity was up. I had another 962 sequential switch that I has gotten quite a while ago from a friend, same circuitry but a different front panel layout. This panel was the same size as the one for the power switch and pilot light in the lower right corner of the main cabinet, so I had moved the power panel to the rear of the unit, and installed the much more useful sequential switch in its place.
Looking at the board for this unit, I found this...
Same idea, but an even more elegant implementation...a handmade etched and drilled printed circuit board, also complete with the 308 opamp. Whoah! It's apparently a thing, I guess.
Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?
Again, some nice low drift cermet trimmers certainly wouldn't be out of place here, but there's not much else to improve this groovy little mod, which apparently, has occurred to more than one set of crafty hands...
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