Ever since the Moog Guitar Paul Vo Model came out, many people (myself included) have started drooling over videos about it placed all over the internet with its astounding capabilities that make it an instrument totally distinct from it's electrified cousins. As much as you and I have fun manipulating filter sweeps on analog and analog-modeling synths via the famous Moog filter, it's a wonderful concept that has been applied on the guitar as well via the Moogerfooger pedals as well as the Moog Guitar. I mean, who in the right frame of mind wouldn't want to try out anything that has controllable sustainer modes, piezo electronics, and the famous ladder filter in one package. At a cost of almost half the price of the Paul Vo Collection series, the Moog Guitar Model E1 emerges.

While the Paul Vo Collection is the high-end boutique series, the Model E1 is the production model of the Moog Guitar. It sports the same exact electronics and pickups of the Paul Vo Collection plus some other changes. You get to have the five hallmark features of the Moog Guitar in the Model E1 which are the full sustain, controlled sustain, mute mode, harmonic blends and the Moog filter. All of these are controllable via the included foot pedal. Additionally, the Moog filter can be controlled further via the CV input in the foot pedal.

The full sustain mode provides infinite sustain on every string at any fret position in any volume level with impressive power and clarity. Controlled sustain allow infinite sustain on just a particular string you play and removes energy from the others to effectively mute them; this allows fluid lead lines without having to consciously mute strings as well as eliminate crosstalk. Mute mode provides distinct staccato articulations which have a character similar to a shamisen or a plucked piano string in the high register. The harmonic blend allows you to shift power in either sustain or mute modes between the bridge and neck pickups to pull subtle and dramatic harmonics from the strings. Add to that the distinct quality of the Moog filter, which gives you a range of effects from subtle tone color changes to a unique wah, and the piezo saddles which gives you that additional acoustic guitar sound option as well as blend in with the Paul Vo electronics, the Model E1 delivers an amazing array of sounds without the need for external or post-processing effects.

The Moog Guitar Model E1 comes in black, butterscotch, and red finishes, has a solid alder body, ebony fretboard, Moog patented electronics, option for either fixed bridge or tremolo, piezo saddles, Moog foot pedal controller, chrome and dark chrome hardware, and Moog guitar strings. The Moog Guitar Model E1 with tremolo bridge is priced (pricing is from the Moog Music website) at USD 3,649.00 and the Model E1 with the fixed bridge is at USD 3,495.00. Given the amount of money you might spend on a good guitar plus additional stompboxes and other sustainer options that will cost you around the same amount as a Model E1, it's well worth looking into having that Moog Guitar setup instead.