The Story of the Crumar Spirit
In Mark Wilcox's Cherry Audio Spirit User Guide, Andrea Agnoletto, the current owner of Crumar, shares the story of the original Spirit and the "dream team" of legendary individuals involved in its creation. Many of these details were previously undocumented. As part of the release of the Crumar Spirit by Cherry Audio, and in celebration of Bob Moog Appreciation Month, we are very grateful to Andrea for making this information accessible to a wider audience for the first time.
The Story of the Crumar Spirit As Told by Andrea Agnoletto
Andrea Agnoletto is the current owner of Crumar, which he re-formed in 2008. Since then, Crumar has introduced an outstanding line of stage pianos and digital organs, including the popular Mojo tonewheel organ and the Crumar Seven digital piano.
Crumar S.P.A., based in Castelfidardo (AN), Italy, was a sizable enterprise in the ‘70s, much like other companies in the Marche region’s musical instrument sector. At its peak, Crumar employed up to 300 workers and produced home organs, string machines, digital pianos, and multi-sound keyboards, most built around “TOS” (Top Octave Synthesizer) chips. What set Crumar apart from other Italian competitors was its strong international focus, especially on the U.S. market.
A major turning point for Crumar came toward the end of the ’70s, thanks almost entirely to one person: Sante Crucianelli. Sante, the son of the company’s owner, had lived for a time in the U.S., giving him a broader understanding of the market at a time when exposure to international competition came mostly from trade shows like NAMM in Los Angeles and Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany.
Starting in 1977, Sante, then barely in his twenties, became the driving force behind Crumar’s design and strategic direction. He served as both commercial director and designer, bridging the gap between the product development labs and the business side. Once a project was complete, Crumar’s production team handled the schematics, models, and all steps required for manufacturing. After completion, each board underwent testing, with all components made in-house. Over 90% of the work was carried out within the company.
Another key figure during this period was Luciano Jura, a close friend of Sante’s, and a designer, musician, and freshly graduated programmer. Luciano played a critical role in the Spirit’s development and was Crumar’s point of contact with Bob Moog.
By the late ’70s, Crumar had evolved into a youthful, dynamic company with modern vision. A reliable account recalls that Crumar S.P.A.’s lab, unlike those of other companies, became a local reference point, often open 24/7—even to competitors who were invited to try out instruments and prototypes. This culture of sharing was exceptionally rare for that era.
How the Crumar Spirit Was Born
There are no official records of the Spirit’s origin, but two prevailing theories exist:
At the 1980 or 1981 NAMM Show, Sante Crucianelli met Bob Moog, who proposed a collaboration to design a monophonic synthesizer that Crumar would manufacture.
Bob Moog, then working independently, approached Crumar with a partially developed monophonic synthesizer project.
Unfortunately, the exact story is lost to time. Most of the key people involved have long since passed away. Crumar ceased operations in 1986, not suddenly, but through the gradual sale of projects and business units. With that dissolution, all official documentation was lost. Today, only oral histories and the memories of a few former employees remain.
Thankfully, the U.S. side of the Spirit’s development is well documented. The key figures in the project were Jim Scott, Tom Rhea, and Bob Moog. Needless to say, this “dream team” was among the very best in analog synthesizer design and engineering at the time.
For full biographies, see:
The Spirit project, codenamed “Little Synth,” dates back to at least October 1981, as confirmed by a “first class” mail shipment from Jim Scott to Tom Rhea on October 23, 1981. The project’s cover page read: “By: Jim Scott” and “Check: R. Moog.”
It’s reasonable to conclude that the project was in progress earlier, probably by a year or two. As often happens, the design, while innovative, shares many elements with other late ’70s projects by Jim Scott and Bob Moog.
Tom Rhea contributed some of the Spirit’s most defining features: from the keyboard scanning setup to the panel layout, functional architecture, and technical documentation. In a letter dated May 25, 1981, he outlined the core specifications that would define the instrument.
In the end, the Spirit was the product of teamwork between Scott and Rhea. So what was Bob Moog’s role? Though not directly involved in detailed design, Moog was instrumental in overseeing the circuitry and, more importantly, serving as a liaison between the American design team and Crumar’s production crew in Italy. He visited Italy multiple times, not only to introduce the project in its early stages, but also to oversee key decisions during industrialization: component selection, testing, and manufacturing. This process likely stretched from 1982 to 1983, when the Spirit was officially released.
Why the Spirit Wasn’t a Success
The Spirit’s disappointing commercial performance can’t be blamed on any single factor. It arrived late to market (Yamaha’s DX7 launched in 1983) and musical trends and music had taken new directions—ones where monophonic synths were increasingly seen as dinosaurs. On top of this, the ensuing crisis in Italy’s musical instrument industry dealt the final blow to what remains, on paper, one of the most versatile, complete, and forward-looking monophonic synthesizers of the past.
Andrea Agnoletto – August 3, 2025
www.crumarspirit.com
Andrea Agnoletto is the current owner of Crumar, which he re-formed in 2008. Since then, Crumar has introduced an outstanding line of stage pianos and digital organs, including the popular Mojo tonewheel organ and the Crumar Seven digital piano.
In a remarkable turn of events that echoes Crumar's resilient spirit, after the company’s rebirth in the 2000s, it began reconnecting with its legacy, culminating in something truly special in 2023: a small, lovingly crafted reissue of the Crumar Spirit. Limited to just 100 units, this faithful recreation stayed true to the original analog design, while updating a few essentials like MIDI, an improved keyboard, and better tactile response of its faders and knobs. More than just a simple reissue, it was a tribute to a unique and underappreciated instrument.
Even more meaningful, a portion of the proceeds went to support the Museo Del Synth Marchigiano, an institution dedicated to preserving the region’s rich history of Italian synthesizer design. In a time when so much feels disposable or rushed, this story reminds us that great ideas and great instruments can return when guided by people who care deeply. With vision, craft, and reverence for the past, it’s possible to bring something beautiful back to life.