Choice of Theremin for New Player in the UK

Hi,

Thanks for reading. I'm currently looking to buy a theremin in the UK. I am not looking for toy versions (single antenna ones / maybe the Theremini with too many features)

A bit of background: I have been playing the lap steel (Hawaiian) guitar for longer than a decade (at a semi-professional level), and I can play a bit of the violin and the piano (though not too well). I would principally like to play Lieder (if someone's unfamiliar with the term, here's an example of a Lied: Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt ). Why the theremin? One of my greatest joys is being able to play music that I am pleased to listen to, and I believe this instrument would give the greatest control over Crescendos which I am trying to produce.

What I need: To be precise, I need to produce sounds that are closer to a soprano / mezzo and a tenor / baritone singing voice rather than sci-fi movie effects. A good control / somewhat linear response over 3 octaves would be all I need. I would need to play it silently (late night practice), so probably I'll be using it through an earthed effects unit I use for my lap steels (maybe a Zoom fx one) with headphones.

My budget: I'm a PhD student, so with my limited income (stipends), I would ideally like to spend at most 200 GBP / 270 USD . I would have still gone for an Etherwave, though (around 500 USD, I guess, if that was available): that would have been a good investment, but that's out of stock, it appears.

My choices so far: I understand the Moog Etherwave is currently out of production, and getting an used one might be particularly difficult and risky, so as of now I have listed the following which I could find based on Google and previous posts on this forum:
a) Lost Volts LV-3P: this one's only 95 GBP / 130 USD, and produced in the UK, so might be a good option.
b) Burns B3 Deluxe: this one's 170 GBP / 230 USD and has excellent reviews, but is produced in the US, so there might be issues with power supply, import, and such (might take some time to arrive / set up, but I would like to get started soon).
c) Golem Theremins: they are theremin makers based in Germany, perhaps a little less well known, but they have theremins between 170-240 GBP (230-320 USD)
d) I am a but reluctant to get DIY kits and build good theremins myself: I am not too good at soldering.

Any comments / suggestions / information about other brands within this price range, would be superbly helpful.

Thank you very much!

I think your best option is probably a used Etherwave, why do you think it would be difficult and risky? I see many second-hand ones on sale, but I'm not in the UK so I don't know how's your local market there.
Anyway, buying used is also a good way to try out a new and unconventional instrument without risking to lose too much money...if you don't like it, you can just resell it for more or less the same price. In that respect, the Etherwave is also the best choice because it's the most popular theremin model (that Moog badge helps a lot), so it has higher chances of finding a buyer.

Your budget is tight so you'll be lucky to find a quality instrument, even on the used market, but do look around there for deals.  I know someone that scored an old Big Briar (early Etherwave) in the Moog carry bag and everything for a couple hundred, though this was several years ago.

I don't own one and never played one, but the Open.Theremin is probably your best bet at the moment.  It's not analog but I've heard folks say that it plays better than the Theremini *spit*.  If you can't find a used EW (or Big Briar) try one of those.

Hi Ujan!

Here's the thing about theremin...it really takes a lot of time to get over the FIRST hump of playing. What I mean is that the initial phase of learning is (for most people) the longest and most difficult part to learn. 

For that reason, I don't recommend spending a large amount of money on a first instrument. While there is some truth in the idea that a poor instrument will hold a new player back, I (personally) believe that is less true of theremin than of (for instance) a trombone or a piano. And an unused theremin is VERY likely to become a coat hanger or hat stand, and is harder to turn into a lamp than a trombone!

I would probably recommend an Open Theremin V3 to most people as a good first theremin. It has very good pitch and volume response, and feels much like a classic analog theremin. The assembly (which includes soldering) is pretty straightforward even for a total noob, and even if you don't want to do it, you could probably get a neighbor or colleague to do it for you. 

Having said that, those Golem theremins you posted look really nice, and the videos about them are pretty great. They are showing their Jupiter 4 model for 199 Euros, which is pretty great!

I'm actually a little mad at you for pointing out that manufacturer, because of course now I'm going to have to buy one. 

Once you have started to master the pedagogy of playing the theremin, you may want to find a different instrument that reproduces the tone you want...and when you get there, consider using a guitar pedal or fx unit to get there BEFORE spending 3 months salary on a ***insert theremin of choice here***

I think theremin is perfect for romantic Lieder! Might even be fun to pair it with a vocoder to get formants!

Ujan > I'm currently looking to buy a theremin in the UK. I am not looking for toy versions (single antenna ones / maybe the Theremini with too many features)

Having recently been there/done that, I now have several Theremins and started out “at the low end” - I started with a Burns 3, Theremini, Open Theremin V3, and also have an Open Theremin V4. Avoid the Theremini at all costs (extremely sluggish even when doing everything possible to maximize responsiveness. I would certainly go with the Open Theremin V4.

Without question, the D-Lev is my favorite instrument. My Claravox now works well (after we fixed it). While I haven’t played one, the Subscope appears to be a very fine instrument.

"Without question, the D-Lev is my favorite instrument."  - ContraDude

(Somewhere a very expensive bassoon is crying...)

"Without question, the D-Lev is my favorite instrument."  - dewster

The D-Lev is my favorite THEREMIN! Geeeze! LOL  

"Without question, the D-Lev is my favorite instrument."  - dewster

The D-Lev is my favorite THEREMIN! Geeeze! LOL  

Huh...my issue with the Open Theremin V4 is that the calibration knobs are so close to the antennas that your hand affects everything when you want to adjust or calibrate it!

Until I have the chance to modify it, the V3 will remain my "downstairs theremin." I'm still adapting to the Claravox, so my upstairs theremin is a Paia theremax.

Alas, I don't have a bassoon. But there *is* an english horn kicking around here, somewhere!

"Huh...my issue with the Open Theremin V4 is that the calibration knobs are so close to the antennas that your hand affects everything when you want to adjust or calibrate it!"  - Flounderguts

I hate to be critical of a gift horse, but the Open.Theremin could really benefit from:

1. Some spreading out in space to separate the antennas and get the controls away from them. 
2. A modest antenna voltage boost to embiggen the fields.
3. More computing cycles.

None of the above are huge stumbling blocks, but then I guess it wouldn't be an Open.Theremin anymore.