Black Leather Longwave Instruments Theremin

Hi there, I'm looking to sell one of these but have no idea what even a ballpark figure would be. I haven't seen one of these for sale in some time but maybe I haven't been looking in the right places. Any advice or interest on here? Also what would be interesting is if anyone could point me in the direction of any Longwave history. I've seen various models mentioned and have no real idea how to identify mine. It looks like a leather version of the mk II photo on here but if there is any more accurate info it would be good to know.

Thanks,

Jason

I have a vague recollection of Longwave being somehow related to Jake Rothman of http://theremin.co.uk/ and it looks a bit like his Elysian theremin. If you're UK based, asking him about it might be worth a shot.

The other possibility is that it is a variant of the Moog Melodia, which has a side plate for the volume and three control knobs. If moving your hand closer to the volume makes it louder, I would guess it is a forerunner of the Elysian, if one of the knobs is a switch I would guess Melodia.

Black Leather Longwave!  Where was this thing when the pumping / cleavage thread was going strong? :-)

@ Dewster: Bwahaha!!!

Thanks Gordon. Jake very kindly got back to me and yes, he made it in about '97 and sold it through Barry Wooding as Longwave Instruments. I've asked him if there was any specific model or documentation and I'll post that here in case there is any future interest. I found it quite tricky to find anything on the web so we can leave a little trail of crumbs here. 

No switches just pots so likely closer to the Elysium and yes, the nearer the louder on the volume side.

Jason

Cool. 

As for value, I have no idea. These are my thoughts, in case they help.

It may appeal to theremin collectors, which is a small market that mostly focuses on the high end. I have never seen a leather theremin, or a volume+pitch Longwave, so it may have some rarity value.

The majority of thereminists favour a volume control that works the other way around, but Jake targets his theremins at the electronic music market rather than the melodic player (hence the reversed volume - you can safely move to other instruments situated close by) which is a larger market, and the black leather would fit a variety of genres, but it would be competing against budget priced instruments.

Either way, the sound is an important factor. Some prefer to hear a melody, others a steady sweep up and down the range, so one sound clip of each would be best.

Partly to bump this in case there is any interest on here, as I didn't get round to selling it, but also I realised I hadn't thanked you for the advice Gordon. Cheers, I'm sadly not much of a player so a melody may be tricky but I could certainly try and get a file of a sweep if anyone is interested?

Cheers again,

Jason

IMHO

What you have is a theremin that may only be valuable to you. It is important when selling an item like this to indicate what city the item is located. It is better to make a local connection. I would think most people buy an old theremin with the idea it will generate a mystical sound from the past. That is why it is important to provide a sound byte, even if it is sweeping that models range. A theremin that does not work has little value as there may only be two or three people in the world that could fix it, especially if it has vacuum tubes/valves. There is little market for antique theremins today when compared to just five years ago. If you get a buyer take the offer.

So if you really want to sell it give up a location and sound byte and stop fishing. (-'

Christopher

My RS Theremin website is crashed while I change web host, don't know how to re-activate my domain name? These help methods they provide are humorous. I had to reply to one, it you are speaking English this just isn't going to work?

Also, Im gonna put in request for some photos of the inside.  It would help us identify what circuit this is. (It does look like the Elysium)  Is that an XLR jack on the front?

I'll get on recording this tomorrow and see if I can get some more photos up too. It'll be hard to get too much from the interior though, the front panel comes off but that seems to be about it.

Front panel XLR is a 4 pin locking power plug. Audio out is a standard 1/4 inch jack.

It is in London, UK at the minute and comes with a UK 220-240 PSU.

I'll post a couple of sweeps and some pics tomorrow evening.

Ta.