MFB Dominion 1

[Sacred Synthesis]

A month ago, as part of my ongoing search for an exceptional analog monophonic synthesizer, I contacted MFB about their Dominion 1, asking how I might obtain one in the United States.  For those interested, this is the answer I just received:

"You can order the Dominion from German shops like Thomann.  At the moment, we don't sell to US shops, but we plan something like this."

[Paul Dither]

A month ago, as part of my search for an exceptional analog monophonic synthesizer, I contacted MFB about their Dominion 1, asking how I might obtain one in the United States.  For those interested, this is the answer I just received:

"You can order the Dominion from German shops like Thomann.  At the moment, we don't sell to US shops, but we plan something like this."

Thanks. I will forward that information to the guys I know, who are interested as well.

So I just double-checked and it would be $1.322.04 plus $34,20 shipping that's going to take 6-9 business days. Still not too bad, although you might have to add customs duties, but I can't imagine that it'll get more expensive than a Sub 37 in the end, which I guess is a good thing.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Thanks for those numbers, Paul.  One issue would be, if the instrument needed to be serviced or repaired, what then?  I've been careful not to buy anything that couldn't easily and reasonably be serviced, which is to say, I've bought only new DSI, Moog, Roland, and Hammond instruments.

[Paul Dither]

Thanks for those numbers, Paul.  One issue would be, if the instrument needed to be serviced or repaired, what then?  I've been careful not to buy anything that couldn't easily and reasonably be serviced, which is to say, I've bought only new DSI, Moog, Roland, and Hammond instruments.

The only thing I know is that Thomann includes a 3-year warranty on any purchase and that MFB usually respond in a timely manner if you experience any issues.

I should have included a link btw: http://www.thomann.de/intl/mfb_dominion_1.htm?ref=search_rslt_dominion_331802_0

[Sacred Synthesis]

Alright.  Thanks, again.   I'll keep this in the back of my mind for now, but this is useful information for all of us. 

By the way, I thought this was an exceptional introduction to the Dominion 1:

[Paul Dither]

By the way, I thought this was an exceptional introduction to the Dominion 1:

Yeah, this is amongst my faves as well. I think this video started it all, i.e. Nick adding his noodlings at the end of each review. They're always good.

[Sacred Synthesis]

What I like about Nick is that he gives it to you straight.  If the instrument is good, you'll easily sense it in his enthusiasm.  But even if he likes it, he'll still be honest about the shortcomings he's found.  That's what puts him above some others, who can hardly bring themselves to admit even one flaw in an instrument they're promoting.  We need to know about the flaws so that we can make informed decisions.

And I agree, some of Nick's little musical snippets can be worthy pieces unto themselves.

[Paul Dither]

What I like about Nick is that he gives it to you straight.  If the instrument is good, you'll easily sense it in his enthusiasm.  But even if he likes it, he'll still be honest about the shortcomings he's found.  That's what puts him above some others, who can hardly bring themselves to admit even one flaw in an instrument they're promoting.  We need to know about the flaws so that we can make informed decisions.

Indeed. He's the guy whose reviews I tend to trust the most.

And I agree, some of Nick's little musical snippets can be worthy pieces unto themselves.

In fact, I purchased that Dominion jam off his Bandcamp site. 

[Ruediger]

Thanks for those numbers, Paul.  One issue would be, if the instrument needed to be serviced or repaired, what then?  I've been careful not to buy anything that couldn't easily and reasonably be serviced, which is to say, I've bought only new DSI, Moog, Roland, and Hammond instruments.

The only thing I know is that Thomann includes a 3-year warranty on any purchase and that MFB usually respond in a timely manner if you experience any issues.

I should have included a link btw: http://www.thomann.de/intl/mfb_dominion_1.htm?ref=search_rslt_dominion_331802_0

You also can send it to MFB directly.  I made excellent experiences with the service of MFB.  As I know the company consists only of Manfred Fricke and the developer of the synth. They repaired my second hand tanzbaer for free.

Also I had the dominion 1 and the sub 37.  For my taste the Dom is much better than the sub37.  The Dom sounds much more interesting and has a very great vintage vibe. I had to sell it cause I bought an OB-6.  Two things I have to criticise:  1. The tuning stability could be better.  For life purposes it is too critical because of different environments. 2.  The knobs are very hard to move.   It's really a custom-made synth  and no mass production like moog. But all in all you get very much for the buck.  The price is very okay.

[chysn]

Love the Dominion 1's sound. Things like this (MFB, Vermona, etc.) always make me feel like I'm living in an isolated analog backwater rather than in the birthplace of techno. On the bright side: if you can find one, now's a great time to take advantage of the relative strength of the dollar against the euro.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Two things I have to criticise:  1. The tuning stability could be better.  For life purposes it is too critical because of different environments. 2.  The knobs are very hard to move.   It's really a custom-made synth  and no mass production like moog. But all in all you get very much for the buck.  The price is very okay.

Thank you very much for this information.  The first criticism is an important issue for me. 

From what I've learned in this quest, the Oberheim SEM Pro seems clearly to have the greatest oscillator stability of the various vintage-style instruments now available, excepting, perhaps, the Sub 37.

[Soundquest]

I was certain I was going to buy an MFB Dominion- 1  about a year ago. Sounds fantastic from what I've heard.  But I couldn't find one here in the States, and couldn't figure out how to buy from overseas and therefore gave up hope.   Oh well, too late now. I already spent too much on synths this year


     

[AdamPloof]

This thing definitely sounds like a beast. Time to start saving