Yes it is the Moog Guitar! Less than three months after its auspicious debut at Summer NAMM in Nashville, Moog Music has begun shipping The Moog Guitar to enthusiastic recipients on five continents. The guitars began shipping the week of September 8, and with orders in excess of $1.3 million, it will take a while to satisfy the demand, according to Mike Adams, Moog Music President.
“The Moog Guitar is quickly establishing itself as a new class of stringed instrument because it allows the guitarist to directly control the string. So far the reception by cutting edge guitarists has far exceeded our modest expectations,” Adams said.
Early adopters include Lou Reed, Trent Reznor, James Valentine of Maroon 5, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts, Joe Walsh, Hans Zimmer Studios, Chris Stein of Blondie and Fareed Haque of Garaj Mahal.
In a recent interview with Glide.com, Ryan Dembinsky asked Haque, “What’s the verdict (on The Moog Guitar). Is it all it’s cracked up to be?”
Haque’s response: “…YES it is all its cracked up to be…the simple idea of sustain and attack controlled by the guitarist’s hands is revolutionary and has SO many applications that it’ll be years before the implications are realized…I know that I’ll be finding new ways of playing The Moog Guitar and discovering subtle ways to control the instrument for years to come.”
The Moog Guitar currently shipping is the limited Paul Vo Collector Edition. Each $6495 guitar is individually signed by Moog associate and guitar inventor Paul Vo and carries a sealed Certificate of Authenticity identifying it as the first ever Moog Guitar.
The patented Moog Guitar brings five unique innovations to the fingertips of the guitarist: Full Sustain – like no other sustainer; enables infinite sustain on every string, at every fret position and at any volume. Controlled Sustain – plays sustained single or polyphonic lines while intelligently muting un-played strings. Mute Mode – stops the vibrating string, resulting in a variety of staccato articulations. Harmonic Blends – uses the included control pedal to shift energy between the bridge and neck pick-ups to pull both subtle and dramatic harmonics from the strings. Moog Filter – controls the frequency of the built-in, resonant Moog ladder filter using the control pedal or a control voltage input.
The Moog Guitar will be showcased at Moogfest 2008, October 13 at the Hammerstein Grand Ballroom in New York City.