In 1981 I experienced my first Genesis concert at the NEC in Birmingham, it was also my first experience of the Moog Taurus bass pedals! I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ve probably experienced that same earthquake inducing rumble; felt as much as heard!
Fast forward to the early 90s and I picked up my first set of the MK1 pedals – they were still reasonably easy to find at the time.
I eventually sold these (instant regret!) and picked up a set of the MK3 Taurus pedals. These were great, much more reliable but maybe lacking the soul of the MK1s. I also eventually sold these (instant regret.. again!) and started using the Moog Minitaur connected to a set of Roland PK-5 pedals. This setup worked well although the Minitaur could be a little bit temperamental when not attached to the computer. Sold the Minitaur, not too much regret!
October 2022, and after months of scouring Ebay, Reverb and various classifieds, I picked up a set of 1979 MK1s, working but in need of some TLC. The thing I liked about this set, was, aside from a missing inspection window, the pedals were not modified in any way – and that seems to be quite a rare thing.
From October to the end of November I set about restoring the pedals, fortunately this was largely a cosmetic exercise, but still quite a lot of work. I’d like to give a shoutout to Joe @ stagecue.com (Canada) who’s own Moog projects proved invaluable in helping me restore mine. You can check out Joe’s Moog projects @ www.stagecue.com/t1.html
For anyone thinking of restoring a set of the MK1s, I’ve included in the text the links for the various items I purchased, mainly UK suppliers with the exception of 2 replacement control knobs which were imported from the US.
The arrival
Ideally, I would have preferred to collect the pedals in person but they were located at the other end of the country – so, I put my faith in Parcel Force and I’m pleased to say they arrived unscathed.
The pedals were originally built in 1979.
The condition
The pedals were showing their age a little and looked slightly battle scarred. The metal chassis was heavily scratched with some deep scores.
The front of the pedals were in need of a complete overhaul and deep clean. The rubber tops of the foot sliders were worn and the vinyl covering heavily marked.
The switch panel was exhibiting the effects of the old glue slowly oozing out from the edges of the switch overlay – a known issue with old Taurus pedals.
The good news was, the pedal caps were all intact and free of cracks but in need of restoration. These are very tricky to source, so something to consider if you’re buying a set to restore.
Almost inevitably, the inspection window was missing, as were the magnets which hold the window shut, but thankfully the window frame was still there and not cracked.
The sticker on the rear of the Moog was past it’s prime, and the recessed area which houses the power switch and output was in need of a good clean.
The Stripdown
The first step was to seperate the top of the pedals from the chassis giving full access to the pedals for cleaning.
Pedals and pedal caps
The pedal arms were quite corroded, so I decided to completely disassemble the pedal base and remove the pedal arms. The pedals were sanded down with wet and dry sandpaper and resprayed using Auto Extreme Automotive Spray (Black, Matt). If you’re considering doing this, it’s a good idea to photograph the location of the various nuts, bolts, washers and springs to simply the rebuild.
The bakelite pedal caps were in reasonably good shape but in need of cleaning and polishing.
I used Art Deco Emporium Hard Plastic and Vintage Bakelite Renovation Polishing Paste No. 5 which apparently was used for cleaning old bakelite telephones!
Cleaning the upper body
The PCB was removed from the Taurus shell to give better access to the switch holes for cleaning. The old glue was removed using a combination of Goo Gone adhesive remover and a flat head screwdriver to scrape the more hardened glue residue off. The glue is incredibly stubborn but does come away eventually. I didn’t want to risk using more powerful solvents for fear of discolouring the overlay.
Here’s the before and after cleaning pics.
Foot slider dust guards
Removing the upper case also made it possible to replace the Volume and Filter slider dust guards which had simply dissolved with age – another well known issue with old Taurus pedals.
I’ve seen various solutions used to replace the original dust guards, ranging from velcro strips to fabric. I decided to try my own solution using a door draught excluder cut to size using a small hacksaw and then glued in place either side of the slider slot.
Footswitch rubber tops
The original footswitch slider rubber surfaces had become worn and dirty . I found some identical replacement (3mm Grooved Anti Slip Rubber Matting Fine Ribbed) on Ebay which was easily cut to size and glued in place.
Moog logo sticker
The Moog sticker on the back of the pedals was beyond saving. I tried sourcing a sticker, including calling Moog, but whilst it was possible to find a similar sticker, it was not possible to find an exact replica. It’s clear from studying the logo on various synths that the logo has evolved over the years. I decided therefore to recreate the original logo in Photoshop which was a fun challenge. Here’s a shot of the original sticker on the left and the recreated sticker on the right.
The new design was printed onto to a sheet of A4 Glossy White Sticker Vinyl.
Inspection window and frame
One of the biggest challenges was replacing the missing variables inspection window. They are virtually impossible to find and so the only option was to make a new one. I have to say a big thanks to Joe @ stagecue.com again who’s own restoration project blog provided some invaluable guidance on recreating the window and frame.
This was probably the trickiest part of the restoration. After many hours scouring the internet I eventually sourced some aluminium channel from Aluminium Online, close enough to the orginal specification. The aluminium was cut to length and mitered.
The replacement window was made from light tinted 3mm thick acrylic glass which was cut-to-order from Acrylic Sheet Cut To Size quite cheaply. The dimenisons I used were Length 210mm x Width 87mm – this allows the glass to not extend too far into the top of the frame, allowing space for the hinge which is explained next.
The window needs to be hinged at the top edge of the frame with pins extending into holes either side of the recessed window frame holder. To acheive this, when inserting the acrylic glass into the aluminium channel, a gap of just over 3mm was left, essentially leaving a tunnel in the top of the frame through which 2 x 3mm steel rods could be inserted with a compression spring between them. A 3mm hole was drilled into the top of the frame sides.
The steel rods and spring on the outside of the frame to show how it works.
To allow the window frame to open in the recessed frame holder, the edges of the top piece of aluminum frame needed to be filed down and rounded to prevent it catching on the frame holder. This is the work-in-progress. The final version was smoothed off with wet and dry sandpaper.
The finished frame in the recessed frame holder.
Control knobs
When trying to reinstall the window and frame back into the Taurus body I discovered a new issue – the two control knobs for Tune and Beat were actually slightly different sizes. It seems someone replaced a knob in the past with the closest version they could find – but the replacement was too tall and prevented the window from fully closing.
I was keen to restore the pedals to as near to the originals as possible, so I set about trying to track down the orginal knobs. That turned out to be a bit of an adventure. I could not source these anywhere. Again, I scoured Ebay and the classifieds but just could not find anything. I eventually found the manufacturer (EHC) in the USA but they could only supply wholesale orders in large quantities. I eventually found a company in the UK (Farnell) who could import in small quantities and obtained 2 new knobs. For anyone interested, the part number is EH71-1C2S Round Knob with line indicator, 6.35mm. If you’re ordering from the UK – be warned – the postage from the US will make your eyes water!
Taurus rear controls
The rusted chrome washer on the output jack was replaced, the power cable checked and everything cleaned. The ‘checked’ sticker was removed.
Restoring the vinyl covering
The vinyl covering was in quite bad shape with several deep scratches and generally in need of some cleaning and rejuvenating. I used a black vinyl repair gel to fill in the deeper scratches and Autoglym VRC500US Vinyl & Rubber Care on the rest of the vinyl and foot slider surrounds.
Finishing touches
Some small details were added. The Variables label on the window was recreated in Photoshop and printed on transparent vinyl by Blooms Print (via ETSY) The original rubber feet under the chassis were missing,so were replaced with self-adhesive 21mm square rubber feet.
Electronics
Whilst the pedals were fully working, I decided it was a good idea to have the electroinics checked and serviced. Very fortunately for me, Kent Spong, renowned synth restoration expert with years of expereincing restoring and serving Moogs ynths lived not too far away, and so the pedals were duly despatched to him to carry out the work. Kent re-capped the PSU and carried out a full recalibration.
Finished pedals
