The Bob Moog Tribute Edition Minimoog Model D: Win Serial #001 – Synth Journal
Plus, upgrade your Casio FZ-1 hardware and some final thoughts on Superbooth 26
The Bob Moog Foundation have done it again with another brilliant raffle prize. And if you’re a Casio FZ-1 owner, DeftAudio show us some very cool hardware upgrades for your machine!
Once again, we’re in that post-Superbooth lull. While there will be some great releases coming later this year, the synth community, both manufacturers and users, is resting up after their Berlin excursions and exertions. Well, I am anyway!
However, we have some great news from the Bob Moog Foundation and their latest raffle. The brilliant Andrei Kudryavtsev brings us some hardware updates for the Casio FZ-1, and I take one last look back at my Superbooth 26 experience.
Synth Journal
Win Serial #001 of the Bob Moog Tribute Edition Minimoog Model D
It’s that time of year again for another fantastic raffle from the Bob Moog Foundation, the organisation set up by Bob’s amazing daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa, to preserve and proliferate Bob’s amazing legacy in engineering and synthesis.
Normally, the BMF find a vintage Moog synth and has it professionally restored and signed by a musical luminary. The synth is then put up for raffle, with all proceeds going to the Bob Moog Foundation’s numerous projects, such as Dr Bob’s Soundschool.
The Bob Moog Tribute Edition Minimoog Model D was released by Moog Music back in April this year, with a strictly limited production run of 500 units. You can buy one of these for around $3,999, but you can win the coveted Serial #001 exclusively in this raffle.
It’s amazing that such an old and revered design is still relevant both sonically and culturally today. There is literally nothing quite like the sound and feel of a Model D Minimoog and the BMTE is a true testament to that amazing legacy.
To be in with a chance of winning this very unique example, all you have to do is buy one or more raffle tickets. Tickets are $25 each, $100 for 5, $200 for 12, and $500 for 35. When you click on the link, the site will automatically adjust the prices to your local currency.
The raffle is open now and will remain open until 23:59 EST on Monday, June 8th 2026. The raffle is open internationally, with the Foundation covering shipping costs up to certain values. The synth will be supplied with a semi-rigid carrying case.
So, what are you waiting for? Go buy your tickets!!
DeftAudio Help Keep Your Casio FZ-1 Alive!
Dismissed by some, back in the day, as just cheaper, more toy-like alternatives to ‘proper’ synths, Casio stuck their proverbial two fingers up at the establishment and produced some of the coolest sounding if somewhat clunky looking synths of the 1980s.
Underestimate Casio synths at your peril! They produced some brilliant instruments, including the CZ-101, CZ-5000 and RZ-1, amongst many others. They even jumped on the burgeoning sampling bandwagon with the FZ range.
The FZ-1 gained many admirers for its no-frills approach and a pretty unique-sounding filter, and along with the likes of Ensoniq, opened up the world of sampling to those of us on meagre wages. The FZ range included the FZ-1 keyboard, the FZ-10M module version and the optional hard drive expanded FZ-20M.
Second-hand units often sell for pretty reasonable amounts today, but they are starting to show their age and Casio’s slightly inferior parts catalogue sometimes struggles to live on in the 21st century. And that’s where brilliant people like Andrei Kudryavtsev come to save the day.
People like Andrei do amazing work to replace the failing and ailing instruments of our past with viable and affordable replacement components. Along with the likes of Chris Poacher of CP Magnetic Media, Peter Wielk of Horizontal Productions, JB Emond of MuStudio and Craig Aspin of Sweet Discrete, Andrei is part of a small band of super intelligent and super helpful synth first aiders!
In his video, Andrei walks us through four superb hardware updates that he has either created himself or built upon previous work by other helpful people. These upgrades cover the obvious stuff like replacement screens and replacement floppy drive emulators, but also a new recreation of the original FZ-1 1MB RAM expansion and a new parallel port Data Loader software.
Most of these updates can also be applied to the FZ-10M and FZ-20M, so if you have an ailing Casio FZ-series synth, this is right up your street!
My Final Thoughts on Superbooth 2026
So that’s Superbooth 2026 over and done with, and now the anticipation for Superbooth 2027 starts. Well, it does for me! But if I’m being totally honest, there was a brief period during this year’s event that I actually started questioning whether I wanted to do the whole thing again next year. Let me tell you why.
It was cold. I’d been checking the weather leading up to the event, and to be fair, it hadn’t looked promising, but for a short while, it seemed like we might get close to the amazing weather we have had the last three or four years. However, landing in Berlin in persistent rain was a real downer.
Thursday was, at least, dry, but it was cold! 11ºC cold. And I had only brought two pairs of shorts, some polo shirts and a couple of hoodies. The walk to the S-Bahn and then through the wooded section of FEZ lacked the sunny promise of previous years, and the overall vibe was very subdued.
It set a tone for the day and by the evening, whilst getting ready to meet 40-odd fellow synth nerds for dinner, I began to wonder if this might be the last time I take 5 days out to indulge my Superbooth habit. But, thankfully, the evening cheered me right up. Hanging out with Michelle Moog-Koussa, Dina Pearlman, Bob Coover, Alex Ball, Dr Mike Metlay, Guida Salaya, Antonio from Antonus and many other great people was a real spirit lifter.
What also made for a subdued event, for me anyway, was the lack of any big reveals or announcements. Last year, we had the Moog Messenger, the year before, the PolyBrute 12 and AstroLab but 2026 was a year for the smaller manufacturers and for consolidation, it seemed.
And that’s fine! My favourite thing about Superbooth isn’t the synths, it’s the people. Superbooth is 100% about the community because that’s Herr Schneider’s whole ethos. Inclusive, affordable, welcoming and centred on those of us who buy and use the gear on show.
So roll on 2027. Here are my top 3 and bottom 3 things from Superbooth 2026. See you next year!
Top 3 Things from Superbooth 2026
- The people
- Miltone 4EXP
- Din Sync R101
Worst 3 Things from Superbooth 2026
- The weather
- No new toys from any of the big names
- My friend Oli missing his flight for his own book launch
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