Keith Emerson's Keyboards und Synthesizer

[Member X]

Diesen Thread hab ich schon lange vermisst (und einmal dürft Ihr raten, welchen Thread ich immer noch vermisse ). Jedenfalls angestoßen durch den Verkauf eines angeblich von Keith besessenen Moog #55 Modularsystems bei ebay (Keith distanzierte sich von der genauen Darstellung, aber der Synth war wohl tatsächlich im Umfeld von Keith als Ersatzteilträger im Einsatz), kam ich auf ein Interview mit dem Techniker von Keith. Zum Nachlesen:

On'Board with

Keith Emerson

Keyboard tech Will Alexander reveals the some secrets behind the legendary keyboardist's live rack. interview by Tony Di Lorenzo for EQ magazine

http://www.popeye-x.com/tech/willalexander.htm

Wer schnell ist und sich das Spektakel um den aktuell versteigerten Back-up Moog von Keith nicht entgehen lassen möchte, bitteschön:

http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... agegear.la

Und dann war da noch Miss Peel (sagt mir gar nichts), deren Foto auch in der besagten Auktion verwendet wurde und die dafür Tantiemen einforderte - bei uns kein Problem, weil wir nicht gewerblich unterwegs sind. Also, hier, Frau am Moog:



und der Text von http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co ... -peel.html dazu. Wer weiß was zu Emma, äh sorry Hanna Peel??? (Bitte in gesondertem Thread)

Schließen will ich diesen ersten Beitrag dann aber natürlich mit einer schönen Publikation aus 2003 über Keith mit seinem Moog #55

[BBQ.Master]

Ich dachte immer, dass er bei Konzerten den Moog IIIc einsetzt?

Auch Will Alexander sagt etwas anderes:

"That's the same synth that was on all the early recordings - it's just been expanded upon. It originally started out as a Moog IC console with the one slanted console. Now it's the equivalent of a Moog IIIC with an extra tier at the top with a few extra modules and the preset programmer."

Der IIIc wird in den Liner Notes von "Trilogy" aufgelistet (neben einem MiniMoog Model D).

Das "Polyphonic Ensemble" wird auch erwähnt:

(TD)There was a Moog polyphonic prototype that was used on the "Brain Salad Surgery" album. Did that give birth to the Polymoog that we all know?

Will Alexander : There were two Moog prototypes that were fitted together as one unit on a rolling stand. There was a polyphonic keyboard called the Apollo that was the prototype for the Polymoog and then on top of that was an instrument that was called the Lyra, sort of a miniMoog on steroids,- which we still have. This was a super miniMoog. It had an extensive modulation section and it had pressure sensitivity on the keyboard.

(TD)Sort of a prototype to the MultiMoog?

Will Alexander : Sort of, but it definitely is a miniMoog. It's all hand wired.

(TD)And Keith still has the Lyra?

Will Alexander : Yes, and it still is working perfectly. The Lyra and the Apollo were Moog prototypes - along with Taurus Pedals. Together they all became the Moog Polyphonic Ensemble or Constellation. That's what he used on Cal Jam or if you've seen any of the "Brain Salad" shows. He played "Benny The Bouncer" and "Jerusalem" on it and he also used it in "Third Impression" for the horn lines. So the Polyphonic Ensemble was really three units. The top was the Lyra, the polyphonic Apollo on the bottom, and the Taurus pedals on the floor.""

[Member X]

Ich dachte immer, dass er bei Konzerten den Moog IIIc einsetzt?

Sehe ich auch so. Im Zusammenhang mit der "problematischen" Moog #55 Auktion schreibt der Anbieter (um seine Anpreisung als "Emerson used Moog" zu rechtfertigen) Folgendes:

"There has been much hearsay regarding the provenance of this Moog 55, so we would like to explain in exact detail how we came to acquire this magnificent synth.

In early 2010, I purchased an ARP 2600 on eBay from a seller with the eBay user ID “hitechwaitress.” Since the seller was located in Los Angeles (on the border of Venice and Santa Monica), we both agreed to do the transaction in person. The seller, Will Alexander, was gracious enough to invite me into his home to complete the transaction. Will is undeniably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. His unique charisma comes from a combination of his naturally friendly demeanor and his willingness to share his endless wealth of knowledge regarding all things electronic. All of this mixed with a slight southern accent (originally being from Texas) and his permanent smile, made him an instantly likeable character. (For those of you who live, or have lived, in southern California, you too will admit how rare it is to find a genuinely nice person. Will is a definitely a diamond in the rough.)

Perhaps more pertinent to the story, Will himself had serviced the 2600 beyond perfection. His attention to detail was incredible, and I still own and enjoy the Arp quite frequently. Through the natural course of our conversation, and having inquired about the numerous gold and platinum records alongside his stairway, he was kind enough to share stories from his glamorous and accomplished career. Will’s charm and extreme expertise earned him a career working with some of the greatest bands and musicians of all time, including; the Rolling Stones, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Keith Emerson (solo), Herbie Hancock, and No Doubt, (to name a few).

Will had cut his chops as the head service technician for Oberheim in the late-70s to early-80s, which is absolutely impressive for those familiar with their product line at the time. His stories about helping certified service centers repair an OB-8 over the phone is both comical and remarkable.

After spending over an hour getting to know Will, I couldn’t help but inquire about a beautiful Moog 55 in his living room. In typical Will fashion, he had no reservations about sharing the story. The system 55 was NOT the one being offered in this auction, and belonged to a well-known and highly successful music producer. Will had been restoring this Moog for nearly a year, mostly because his schedule was constantly interrupted by his relentless touring activity. Being an avid and out of control gear enthusiast, and not having the best poker face, Will intuitively recognized my immense interest.

At which point he explained that he had another one. The System 55 he owned had been in storage for decades, and now that he was taking an extended break from his usually endless touring activity, he was finally in a position to fully and completely restore it properly.

I couldn’t find the words to express how interested I was. Nobody knows more about synths than Will, and even though I knew such would probably dictate an appropriate market value asking price, I didn’t care. I loved the Arp 2600, and knew that a Moog 55 fully serviced by a legendary technician, composer, and engineer would be worth owning at almost any price. Having owned some of the best musical equipment of all time, I had never owned such a piece, and I was determined to make it happen.

I left Will’s house (apartment-style condo is more accurate) with a sense of euphoric discovery. I purchased a great synth, met an amazingly competent and skilled tech, and was confronted with an opportunity to buy a Moog 55! In other words, it was my magnificent synth trifecta!

Several months had passed since I first met Will, and I nearly forgot about the Moog 55 all together. Until one fateful day, when my iPhone vibrated in my left back pocket with the screen brightly displaying the name “Will Alexander.” I answered the phone, “Hey Will, how are you?” He replied, “Hey Chris! Do you want to buy that Moog 55 I was talking about?” While I was surprised, flattered, and ecstatic, I also realized the next words out of his mouth would be the price. Keep in mind, Will is a smart man: he is internet-savvy, has lots of experience with Moog modular synths, and is not desperate for cash.

After responding, “Yeah, of course, I’m interested. How much?” he allowed transparency into his though process, and formation of his asking price by saying, “Well, I’ve read about some selling for nearly $50K, but I know that’s too much, and well, there’s one on eBay without a Sequencer or keyboard, that doesn’t appear to work, and they’re asking $35K, so I would expect to sell it for around that much. That seems reasonable. And if you could pay in cash, I would offer a discount.”

I kindly requested time to consider his offer, and told him I would get back to him within 24 hours, so we could discuss the synth in detail.

When I called back the next day, having had plenty of time to recover from the debilitating price, we discussed the unit in great detail.

He told me several important things. Firstly, the unit was not completely done with its service, and after having worked on it for 2 months non-stop, he was approaching the home stretch, and need and additional 3-5 days. Also, the parts and electronic restoration alone cost him over $2,000.00, and that the repair would be valued at approximately $6,500-$7,500 on the cheap side.

Most importantly he discussed the provenance, and said that this unit was used by Keith Emerson as a backup. Possibly not used as an entire backup synth, rather, as a unit which allowed easy access to other modules when one of his would break and needed instant replacement on the road. At which point, Will would remove the module from Keith Emerson’s famous monster Moog, and trade the identical module with the working one from this synth. That explained the necessary restoration and extensive service order. (On a later date, Will pointed out individual modules indicating specific modules he personally pulled from the Emerson’s famous synth.)

Will insisted I come and play the Moog when he was finished. I drove over to his house on a beautiful Sunday morning, and wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. As always, Will, Candy (his youthful wife) and I had a great conversation. The anticipation, however, was eating away at my ability to focus on our conversation about liberal politics, and I interjected with “So, shall we plug in this beast?” Will was way ahead of me. Not only was it plugged in, but there were so many patch cables already attached, that it became difficult to see the controls underneath.

Will proudly took control, flipped a couple switches, adjusted the volume on his home stereo (yes, it was plugged into his home hi-fi rig) and started playing. For those who are not familiar with Will, you would not know that in addition to his list of accomplishments, he is also great musician. Furthermore, he knows how to use a Moog modular like Babe Ruth knows how to use a baseball bat. No exaggeration.

This subtle technique worked on me. I was sold. The synth sounded both bold and beautiful (forgive the poor choice of words and reference to the soap opera, but it’s true.)

I’m sorry if some of this seems predictable, like a historical biopic about a famous person where you already know most of what is going to happen and how the movie ends, but as you may have deduced, we made a deal. I had every intention of keeping the synth in my studio, and using it to make music. It was going to be part of my collection of instruments never offered for sale. If I was going to do otherwise, I would not have paid the exorbitant price I did. The ONLY reason I am selling this synth, is because like everyone else, I have too many bills, and not enough money.

Will also shared some very interesting personal information about his relationship and friendship with Keith Emerson. According the Will, Keith had lived with Will for approximately a year while sorting through some personal issues. Afterward, Keith moved into the apartment complex next door on Marine St. While working with Hans Zimmer, Will was able to introduce the two, which resulted in Zimmer offering Keith a facility to work and create music. Nothing much transpired.

Without divulging additional personal information, I can just simply say that Will and Ketih were close, and that the two know things about each other only privileged through 30 years of friendship.

Several months later I purchased another amazing piece from Will. In total, I was thankful to buy 3 great pieces: all serviced by Will, and all of which are amazing instruments.

Since listing this synth for sale on eBay, we have received incredible interest: both good and bad. Having claimed our auction was a “fraud” on Twitter and Facebook, we requested the Mr. Emerson remove his libelous and defamatory remarks, which he kindly did. Unfortunately, we feel that this publicity stunt on behalf of Mr. Emerson might result in a backlash against our auction. We understand Mr. Emerson is a music icon, and that he is trying to control his reputation. He is welcome to do so, but not at the cost of ours. If you have re-posted Mr. Emerson’s original message, please note it was amended, and that the language of his claims have been altered drastically.

As explained to many serious and interested buyers, I would like to reiterate:

We are selling this synth with the information we received when it was sold to us.

I personally believe that the value of this synth is not enhanced by Keith Emerson having owned it, used it, seen it, touched it, blessed it, you get the picture.

Keep in mind, this is not for a Keith Emerson fan, ELP enthusiast, or prog rock fanatic. This is a serious collector’s instrument with a relatively high value when compared to ALL other instruments. It is not a signed copy of Trilogy to be displayed in your game room, so we don’t care who owned this at what time. In the same breath, I would like to suggest that Emerson’s main 3C+ wall of modules (with which he is pictured endlessly) IS worth more due to his ownership. But this is not that.

This detailed account didn’t seem necessary at first, as we intended on protecting Will’ anonymity, but we feel it is now the best way to shed light on the provenance and story behind the keyboard.

I am also sorry if this created any tension between Keith and Will."

[SOON]

machte es eigentlich, heutzutage, noch Sinn diese großen Moogmodule auf die Bühne zu schleppen?
Kann man mit modernerem Equipment nicht auch die gleichen Soundvariationen erzeugen?

[Member X]

machte es eigentlich, heutzutage, noch Sinn diese großen Moogmodule auf die Bühne zu schleppen?
Kann man mit modernerem Equipment nicht auch die gleichen Soundvariationen erzeugen?

Sinn? Wie ist der definiert?

Ich sag mal so: Von 1000 Zuhörern erkennen vielleicht 2 den Unterschied vom Original zu einer guten Sample-Maschine, und der Rest ist Selbstbefriedigung des Musikers (ich spreche aus Erfahrung ).

Bei Keith gehört eben noch dazu, dass das Moog Modularsystem auch so etwas wie sein Markenzeichen ist, das man seit nunmehr 40 Jahren mit ihm verbindet. Ehrlich gesagt könnte er genau so gut den Moog nur einschalten und die Lämpchen blinken lassen, und den Sound wo anders her holen.

=> Sebstbefriedigung + Markenzeichen = Sinn :ugeek: So gesehen also ja.

[BBQ.Master]

machte es eigentlich, heutzutage, noch Sinn diese großen Moogmodule auf die Bühne zu schleppen?
Kann man mit modernerem Equipment nicht auch die gleichen Soundvariationen erzeugen?

Es ist eine ähnliche Kontroverse wie bei Schallplatten und CDs: Die analoge Klangerzeugung und ihr Sound sind durch digitale Geräte zwar sehr gut zu kopieren, aber gerade ein so komplexes System wie Emersons Moog zeigt dann doch, dass man mit Digitaltechnik an gewisse Grenzen stößt. Mitunter wussten die Techniker von Moog (als Firma) selbst nicht genau, welche Sounds bei einer bestimmten Modulschaltung zu erwarten waren. Je mehr Möglichkeiten bestehen, desto unvorhersehbarer wird das ganze.

Beide Varianten haben ihre Vor- und Nachteile: Analoge Synths leiden nicht unter Clipping, dafür erlauben digitale für analoge unmögliche Kombinationen (z. B. der Filter etc.).

[SOON]

machte es eigentlich, heutzutage, noch Sinn diese großen Moogmodule auf die Bühne zu schleppen?
Kann man mit modernerem Equipment nicht auch die gleichen Soundvariationen erzeugen?

Es ist eine ähnliche Kontroverse wie bei Schallplatten und CDs: Die analoge Klangerzeugung und ihr Sound sind durch digitale Geräte zwar sehr gut zu kopieren, aber gerade ein so komplexes System wie Emersons Moog zeigt dann doch, dass man mit Digitaltechnik an gewisse Grenzen stößt. Mitunter wussten die Techniker von Moog (als Firma) selbst nicht genau, welche Sounds bei einer bestimmten Modulschaltung zu erwarten waren. Je mehr Möglichkeiten bestehen, desto unvorhersehbarer wird das ganze.

Beide Varianten haben ihre Vor- und Nachteile: Analoge Synths leiden nicht unter Clipping, dafür erlauben digitale für analoge unmögliche Kombinationen (z. B. der Filter etc.).

Das mit den "Schallplatten vs CD's" habe ich nach SM's Antwort auch gedacht.
Häufig werde ich gefragt welchen Sinn es heutzutage macht Schallplatten zu kaufen.
Ich kann Emerson gut verstehen.

Als ich ELP 1993 live sah habe ich allerdings tatsächlich gedacht, dass es sich nur um eine Attrappe handelt, das Ding hat so bunt geblinkt.

@SM, weißt du wo der erste Moog in Deutschland stand?
...genau! in München!
Florian Fricke und Eberhard Schönner hatten 1969 jeweils so ein Teil dort zu stehen.

[Member X]

Bin mal wieder zufällig auf interessante youtube-Schnipsel gestoßen und möchte sie Euch nicht vorenthalten:

[youtube]h2NswRIynrI[/youtube]



[youtube]NpgS9prNZT4[/youtube]