Etherwave Pro Nolonger Available At Moog Music

[i] One wouldn't want to render dealers' stock unsalable by announcing a new and improved model for the same price while there was still a significant stock out there;
[/i]

This is formally known as the [b]Osborne Effect[/b] ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Osborne)

(* jcl *)

>>"was still a significant stock out there"
Oh you *are* being optimistic.

Honestly I suspect there's not much stock left, from what they show on their sites or have told me directly, only two of all the official Moog seem to have any (one!) left.

If you've found a stock pile somewhere please let us know.
I love this instrument and wish everyone who wanted one could have one of their very own.

good luck shoppers!

It just occurred to me that, the next step for Moog Music theremins ought to be a model with the same basic insides (perhaps with limited compromises) and exterior as the Etherwave Pro, but simpler to manufacture, less fancy looking, and lower in price. As an example, why not a molded plastic case?

Knowing Moog's history of including real wood in products, I'd have to guess that at the very least, if they were to used a molded plastic front, the sides would still be wood. Cool idea.

With the Pro's future uncertain, I decided to add one more theremin to my collection, and ordered a travel case theremin from Wavefront. It doesen't have all the bells, and whistles of the pro, but it should at the very least be a good backup for my Pro in some respects.

Moog should produce another high end theremin more like the Ethervox, only without the midi, As nice as it is playing with the Pro, I'm still not a fan of its look. I prefer the traditional look. I don't even like the extended shoe box look of the standard.
My Pro and Wavefront are both very playable and sound great, I never tried the suitcase model, but the classic does have the larger air coils which really helps with playing. The thing is, the Classic looks like a theremin should.
All my other equipment is kept in the music room except for my ancient Fender Jazz Bass (20th oldest left-handed model ever made) and my classic. Those stay in the living room not as just instruments but as works of art.

Andy

"Moog should produce another high end theremin more like the Ethervox, only without the midi,"

Why? The Ethervox was a flop.

"As nice as it is playing with the Pro, I'm still not a fan of its look."

I happen to think the Etherwave Pro is beautiful and the Ethervox is ugly.

"I prefer the traditional look."

I don't. I think the old style cabinets are ugly. Also, they're a pain in the ass to transport. I did like the Moog 91c though, because it broke the mould.

"I don't even like the extended shoe box look of the standard."

Are you kidding? That was a major deciding factor for me to buy the Etherwave over the Theremax. I looked at it and thought "Oh my god, it's a black slab with two antennas sticking out of it. I must have it." It's modernist simplicity taken to a sort of extreme.

"The thing is, the Classic looks like a theremin should."

The wavefront classic looks like an undersized rolltop desk to me.

The Ethervox was a flop because of its 5,000 price tag. A good portion of that was the midi capabilities. The Pro cost went in to the design. Put the Pro works into a Ethervox cab and sell it for 900 bucks.
I don't dislike the Pro look, I use it for most of my gigs I just like the roll away desk look more. And your right, it is a pain to move around

Andy

I hope you don't think the large, floor-model type cabinet of an Ethervox is *cheaper* than the Etherwave Pro's cabinet.

Also, consider for a minute who Moog says they're trying to sell to: professional, gigging musicians. I think 100% of the Ethervox owners I've heard from on the subject said that they prefer to take their Etherwave Pro to gigs because it is more portable, even though they prefer actually playing the Ethervox.

So, if Moog took the Etherwave Pro off the market because it was too expensive and consequently not selling well enough (that's a guess but I doubt they'd take it off the market if it was doing great and we know almost everyone [i]wanted[/i] one), the last thing they'd want to do is put out a new model for which the advertisements could practically read "buy this, it costs even more than the one you couldn't afford before and now it's hard to take to gigs too!"

Your right, As much as i like the classic, I always use the Pro for gigs
I'm just a fan of big clunky hard to move things, like me.

Andy

Tom: "Oh my god, it's a black slab with two antennas sticking out of it. I must have it." It's modernist simplicity taken to a sort of extreme.

You could make it even more extreme by building a rectangular black box, open at the top, the same width and length as the etherwave, and high enough to replace the mic stand. The proportions would not be quite right - the box is a bit too wide - or not long enough - and it would need a shorter player than me to be the right height, but not that far off 1:4:9 - the proportions of The Monolith from 2001.

You could move the power and audio sockets to the underside of the theremin and make the box open at the player-side with shelves to put transformers and effects and stuff on, so all the audience see is The Monolith with two antennas and a couple of wires coming out of it at floor level.