Moog Music Staying in Asheville
Moog Music today responded to recent speculation about the future of the company, and stated that they plan to keep their headquarters in Asheville, NC.
Speculation has been running wild since the company was acquired by inMusic in June, and followed that up with layoffs last Friday, with some saying that they’d closed completely, some saying that they’d laid off all of their staff and some saying that this signaled the end of quality synths from Moog.
Moog plans to outsource the manufacturing of some instruments, because it’s “necessary for the future of Moog”. But they will also continue to design, engineer, service, and manufacture instruments in Asheville.
Here’s the text of their announcement:
“Last Friday, we parted ways with a number of our skilled production team members. For those of us still with Moog, these employees represent friends, siblings, spouses. This hasn’t been easy for anyone. Please know that these folks were provided continued compensation and benefits as they plan their next career steps.
It has always been our mission to manufacture Moog instruments in our local community.
Moog Music headquarters will remain in Asheville, NC. We will continue to design, engineer, service, and manufacture instruments here. We will also manufacture a selection of our instruments with trusted partners who are dedicated to maintaining the quality and sound of Moog products. Some of these partners have already been helping us for years to create instruments you know and love.
These changes are necessary for the future of Moog as we continue to face the ongoing challenges of manufacturing electronic instruments in America.
We have a talented group of employees in Asheville who are committed to bringing you the best-sounding electronic instruments in the world. We’re here because we love these instruments, and we will continue to stay focused on developing inspiring musical tools for our creative community.
We’re grateful for the passion and care you have shown us. We ask that you please continue to show consideration to our employees and keep an open mind as we put the finishing touches on some of our most innovative instruments yet.”
This aligns with what the company stated when they were acquired back in June:
“We are proud to keep engineering, designing, and building instruments here at the Moog factory in our hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, USA.”
The company has unique institutional expertise when it comes to manufacturing their high-end reissues. The modulars and Minimoog Model D reissues take an obsessive-compulsive approach to recreating 50+ year-old designs, recreating the original circuit boards faithfully, using old-school build techniques and new old school parts. While the company hasn’t officially announced it, we’re anticipating that these synths will continue to be manufactured in the US.
Moog’s modern synth designs, though, generally use standard production techniques and parts. We’re anticipating that production of the company’s mass-market designs, like the Mother-32 & DFAM, will be handled by overseas partners.
What do you think of Moog’s announcement – and the future prospects of the company? Share your thoughts in the comments!
