CRUMAR SPIRIT

The Crumar Spirit is the result of a collaboration that began about 40 years ago between Bob Moog and his team-composed of Tom Rhea and Jim Scott-and the historic, now-revived Marche-based company Crumar. For several years now, the new Crumar has been producing musical instruments and keyboards with a particular focus on design and every aspect of sound and manufacturing: a modern company that has revived the values of the past, adapting them to the needs of today's musicians and performers.

The idea of bringing the Crumar Spirit back into production is a project with deep roots. As early as 2010, VMConnection, owner of the Crumar brand, began taking its first steps into the world of musical instrument production and distribution. The first models introduced were the Crumar Bassman and the Crumar Baby Grand, names that evoked famous vintage instruments such as the Brassman, the Pianoman, the Multiman, and the original Baby Grand. This approach highlighted the company's desire to maintain a strong connection to Crumar's glorious past.

In 2021, Crumar took another step in this direction with the release of the Performer software, a virtual replica of a historic "string machine" from the 1970s. While some synthesizers, such as the Crumar DS-2 or the Bit One, might have seemed like ideal candidates for a reissue, it was the Crumar Spirit that emerged as the symbol of the brand and its innovation.

The Spirit is one of the most iconic instruments produced by the historic Crumar company. Designed by a true "dream team" consisting of Bob Moog alongside his collaborators Tom Rhea (an electronic music historian and synthesis expert) and Jim Scott (a former Moog Music engineer), the Spirit stands out for its extraordinary sound, which is on par with the most famous monophonic synthesizers of the late 1970s.

In some ways, the Spirit can be considered the missing link in Bob Moog's body of work, bridging the gap between his departure from Moog Music in the 1970s-when he founded Big Briar-and the creation of the Voyager in 2002. Information on the production of the Crumar Spirit, which was limited to the years 1983-1984, is scarce, but this adds to the instrument's allure and the legend surrounding it. According to reliable accounts, such as those of engineer Luciano Iura, who worked alongside Bob Moog during those years, only 100 units were produced.

A pivotal meeting for the revival of the Spirit took place between the new Crumar and the Museo del Synth Marchigiano, an Italian association dedicated to the research and promotion of historical musical instruments produced in the region that is home to the accordion and many prestigious keyboard instruments. This partnership made it possible to complete an ambitious project, highlighting Italy's cultural heritage linked to electronic music.

The shared vision of Crumar and the Museo del Synth Marchigiano has made it possible to reintroduce instruments from the past, offering contemporary artists the opportunity to rediscover the technologies and sounds of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Thanks to the joint efforts of musicians, collectors, and technicians, a network of enthusiasts has formed, making this project a reality.

Over the years, many enthusiasts have asked Crumar to reissue the Spirit. The response was often evasive, as the undertaking seemed too daunting for a company focused on digital production and with little experience in designing fully analog instruments.

In January 2020, during a meeting with the team from the Museo del Synth Marchigiano, the proposal to relaunch the Spirit resurfaced. This time, however, the circumstances had changed: the company could now rely on the expertise of museum staff specializing in restoration, as well as having access to two original Spirit models-an essential factor given the instrument's rarity.

Despite the difficulties associated with the global COVID-19 crisis, the project began to take shape in 2020.

The collaboration between Crumar and the team at the Museo del Synth Marchigiano led to a "reverse engineering" effort of the original Spirit, while Crumar handled the industrial design. The initial phase, which lasted six months, culminated in September 2020 with the creation of a prototype faithful to the original.

After extensive testing, it was confirmed in 2023 that a new edition of the Spirit could be produced, retaining the original design and circuitry while incorporating technical improvements to bring it up to current standards.

Crumar therefore decided to produce the Spirit with as few compromises as possible. To stay true to the original design, obsolete components-such as potentiometers, transistors, and integrated circuits-were recreated, while some parts were upgraded. The keypad, for example, has been replaced with a modern, Italian-made model based on bubble-contact technology.

The New Spirit is built entirely using THT (Through-Hole Technology), faithful to the original assembly method. Additionally, Crumar has chosen modern connectors to ensure greater reliability compared to the old wire-twist system.

An interesting tidbit concerns the connectivity of the original Crumar Spirit: there was a hole on the back labeled "MIDI," but there was no provision for this technology in 1983. The new edition has been equipped with a MIDI IN connector, thanks to an integrated MIDI/CV kit that utilizes the original hole.

The Spirit is made entirely by hand in Italy, at Crumar's facilities in the province of Treviso. This instrument is a collector's item, a tribute to an era of innovation and ingenuity; all units are numbered and certified, and are destined to gain further value over time.