Selling an R.A. Moog Melodia Theremin

Hey theremin world!

 A friend of mine recently picked up several items from his late uncles estate,  and he has asked me to help him sell some of the items online.  One of the items is an R.A.Moog melodia theremin  with instructions and manuals. The manual looks like  The manual looks like it is signed by Bob mood it is signed by bob moog, and the theremin appears to be in good condition. 

 I did have a few questions for you all, as I'm not super familiar with theremins and what to look for.  It appears that this theremin has a slot for a 6 V battery, and also has wires for external power inside.  I also believe that the antenna with this is original, though I'm not sure if this was built from a kit, or if this was built by moog.  I'm assuming the former, as it has instructions included. 

 I guess my questions are, how can I test this to make sure that it's fully functional?   I'm a guitarist and have plenty of amplifiers, I'm just not sure if I need to attach to an external power supply, or if I need to get a 6 V battery for this.  Second, does the signed instruction manual add any value, or was this something that all melodias had? 

Hey theremin world!

 A friend of mine recently picked up several items from his late uncles estate,  and he has asked me to help him sell some of the items online.  One of the items is an R.A.Moog melodia theremin  with instructions and manuals. The manual looks like it is signed by bob moog, and the theremin appears to be in good condition. 

 I did have a few questions for you all, as I'm not super familiar with theremins and what to look for.  It appears that this theremin has a slot for a 6 V battery, and also has wires for external power inside.  I also believe that the antenna with this is original, though I'm not sure if this was built from a kit, or if this was built by moog.  I'm assuming the former, as it has instructions included. 

 I guess my questions are, how can I test this to make sure that it's fully functional?   I'm a guitarist and have plenty of amplifiers, I'm just not sure if I need to attach to an external power supply, or if I need to get a 6 V battery for this.  Second, does the signed instruction manual add any value, or was this something that all melodias had? 

 sorry for the typos, I dictate to Siri and shes temperamental.

Hi Lukerawks:

The Melodia is designed to use a 6 volt battery and there is no provision for an outside power source.   Originally the Melodia used an unusual 6V battery that I believe is not available these days.  Most folks put in a holder for 4 AA batteries.  I have seen them mounted underneath the case; I put mine inside the case and it looks just right there.  Digikey part number 182K-ND is the type of holder I used and you can see a picture of it in my Melodia gallery.  Be sure to get the polarity right - positive goes to the ground; negative goes to the switch.  (BTW, 4 AA batteries will last months if you remember to turn it off when not playing)

The previous owner of my Melodia used a 9 volt battery with no apparent problems, but since it was designed for 6V that is what you should use.  Guitar amps work fine, but you need a special cord with 1/4" mono plug on one end and RCA plug on the other. There is a certain amount of adjustment required when starting up for the first time, so be prepared to fiddle with the knobs a bit.

I have a favor to ask of you. The construction manual has 15 pages, but mine starts at page 3; the first pages hve been lost.  Is there any way you could scan the pages from the cover to page 3 and email them to me?  That would be great and then my documentation would be complete (even though not totally original.)  Thanks!

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I will check the manual today to see if I have those pages. If I have them, I'll be happy to send along.

also, thanks for the part number for the battery, that's a huge help! i want to test this one before trying to sell it, but I'm unsure of a good price range...looks like data is all over the place on these. Do you know what the market typically looks like for these? Also, is your manual signed? I'm not sure if that's a point of interest or something that was standard for these late 50s/early 60s theremin.

There is no signature on my manual, but it is missing the first few pages.  But possibly it was signed on the front cover or first page? Check the construction manual for the polarity of the battery.  The magazine article shows negative ground, but my manual shows positive ground, which was not unusual back in the '60s.  Go by what the manual says. 

As far as what the price should be-who knows? I traded a bottle of whisky for mine, but that was from a friend.  I have seen them on ebay go for $400 not working and missing a knob. It all depends on the demand at the time you want to sell it.  A video of it working should help get a higher price.  But then, once you have it working, it will cast a spell on you and you'll hang up your guitars and focus on nothing but the theremin!