Moog E1 electric guitar review part two
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Guitar
In part one of this Moog E1 review we looked at how the electric guitar performed as a playable instrument in its own right. Now we’re going to focus in depth on its qualities as a synthesiser worthy of the Moog name.
First of all, the user guide was very definitely necessary when first approaching the guitar. While anyone could arguably get a handle on the fun that’s to be had with the guitar’s piezo blending, getting to grips with the oscillatory side of things is a little more involved.
Effectively, the Moog E1 is running sustainer pickups, which you can kick in as and when you like, but they’re capable of more than the usual effects (more on this later). The core of the tonal trickery revolves around the filter toggle, which either allows you to manipulate your sound via the tone control on the guitar, an attack-sensitive filter (play harder, get more ‘Moog’) or foot pedal control.
The latter is hard to describe – if you keep the pedal still, you get some huge soaring harmonics, if you move it you can ‘wah’ for some whooshing sweeps. It sounds as neat as you’re probably guessing, but it’ll take you a while to learn to use it artfully.
The E1‘s sustainer settings are nifty in themselves, with the option of either a full-on every-string mode, or a controlled setting with only a few vibrating at once (this is helpful if your muting skills are a little muddy, or if you’re trying something complex). The final setting is ‘mute’ which feels immensely weird when you first kick it in. It sucks the sound out of your notes, so you’re playing staccato without actually muting anything yourself. But when you start picking away quickly it sounds fantastic, and you can get some decidedly-eastern sounds out of it too.
From there, either the included foot pedal or onboard controls will be shaping your chunky synth loveliness, whatever the setting. You have the volume, and then a control for strength of effect in the mix, a harmonic control (basically a tone knob), ramping up the power to each pickup and filling your sound with lows or highs depending on its orientation.
There’s a lot to this guitar and it offers far more than the simple novelty sounds some might suspect. The Moog tone is fantastic, especially when you wash in the harmonics (bonus points for doing this mid-note, even more while bending) and the controlled sustain provides power at a point – no use in ingenuity if it’s easy to cock it up, eh?
The guitar plays well, and the pickups are solid when treated as ‘normal’, although this guitar is for the modulators out there with a six-string inclination rather than the guitarists who just want something a bit different. It’s a lot of money, sure, but you’ll be the only one with this bad boy at jam nights, and if you practice with it you’ll sound utterly amazing. Let the analogue aficionado in you have a go with the Moog E1.
Tags: Guitar synth, Moog E1-M, Moog Guitar
Been patiently waiting for my Moog E1 Guitar to arrive. I have a Little Phatty and a Multi Pedal and really love alternating between twisting the dials and doing arpeggios. Wish I had these tools when I was five years old!
Max MacPherson, Jr.
A great purchase – I didn\’t want to give the review model back, frankly – and when you start using the controlled sustain it\’s utterly joyous!
rob sandall