A new low-cost theremin from Japan

A big thanks to GordonC for posting this in our forums today. I've bubbled it up to the front page to give it a little more visibility. -Jason

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Another low-cost theremin from the people that brought us the Gakken Theremin Mini was released in Japan yesterday.

This is the Gakken Theremin Premium - pitch and volume antennas, built in speaker, audio out (3.5mm mono mini-jack), white plastic enclosure; W220 × H36 × D120mm (8.6" x 1.4" x 4.7") free standing and mic-stand mountable. Takes 4 AA batteries. Single timbre. Output volume control. Gross tuning with externally accessible trim pots, fine tuning with knobs. Not a kit.

Price, 9975 Yen (US$110, £75)

Autotranslated manufacturer's description here. The "Earth Band" is a ready-made version of the grounding mod for the Theremin Mini in the form of a wrist strap, and "adjust the driver" refers to the tool to adjust the trims. Follow the link "Premium for the first time Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey" and two subsequent pages for demonstration and instructional videos, and transcriptions. I note that the suggested method compensates for non-linearity to some extent by moving the hand along an arc.

If the Theremin Mini was fashioned after the RCA Victor, and the Thereminmin after the Moog Etherwave, then the Theremin Premium bears a passing resemblance to the tVox Tour. (Thierry, your wish has come true, albeit in a small way!)

On YouTube: