Wavefront Classic - Anyone has one? Or Heard one?

I went to their website and a lot of it is still under construction - I took the liberty to email them about their Classic Theremin and kindly asked if it was possible to have one built for a lefty ( ring on right, rod on left )... I'll see what I get for a reply...

I would have loved to "hear" the Classic. Though Am I wrong to assume that most Theremins somewhat sound pretty much the same without any sound mods?

Anyone having info or comments ~ please post away :)

Much <3 y'all :)

I do not believe all theremins sound the same. Genereally speaking they do. But, each make of theremin is unigue according to the waveform and harmonics created by the circuitry. In fact it has been noted that even individual theremins of the same make can differ.

The sound of the theremin itself is only half the story. Much of the sound we love comes from the person playing it. Without the player, the sound of a theremin is rather sterile.

If you haven't heard it, here is a link to an audio clip of a Wavefront theremin. It's called "For an Angel (http://www.theremin.ws/index.php?page=video)"

I'm almost positive Gene makes theremins for lefthanders.

OoOOOoOOooh!!! Thanks Jeff for the link!!!
I cannot wait to be home and listen to it as I am not able to do this from work ( go figure! lol ).

How long have you played the Theremin and which Theremin do you own?

Inquisitive mind needs to know :)

And this chap on youTube has several Wavefront Classic vids.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Thereminstrel

Every theremin has it's own sound. They are within the same ballpark, but there is a greater variation than with acoustic instruments. Also, as Jeff notes and I agree - a great deal of the sound is attributable to the thereminist. A regular enquiry here is "how can I get the Clara Rockmore sound" answer: "by being Clara Rockmore. Sorry."

At a less rarified level - at a recording session with several thereminists present I was larking around making German drinking song style oom-pah-pah sounds and it was decided that we wanted to record just that, but played in tune. So I stepped aside for a melodic player. Despite using the same instrument with the same knob settings and the same amplifier and having seen exactly what I was doing, he was completely unable to satisfactorily reproduce that particular sound.

I have personally played off and on since 2004. For a two year period I tried to practice for at least an hour every day. You will have good days and bad days. My advice to you is...if you are having a bad day on the theremin, just turn it off and come back tomorrow. This will help you from becoming too frustrated, think it's too difficult and possibly lose interest.

I currently own a Kees Enkelaar MK-II (no longer in production), a standard Moog Etherwave, a Wavefront suitcase model, an Moog Etherwave Pro (no longer in production), and a Keppinger tube theremin (no longer in production).

Please do not infer from that I am a world-class player. I can play quite well, but not well enough to justify posting videos or playing in public. It is not from a lack of skill or technique but soley from my impaired sense of hearing and a less than ideal sense of pitch. But, since I'm the only one listening, that doesn't matter so much.

BTW...the particular amp and speaker used with any theremin can also have a significant effect on its tone.

"BTW...the particular amp and speaker used with any theremin can also have a significant effect on its tone."

I have a nice amp (I think lol) - it's Fender Acoustasonic 30. It has nice presets for delays and reverb... I like it very much!

THanks Gorgdon for these links! I appreciate it! I'll have a nice listening session tonight :)

Gordon -
I listened to the link you provided...

First, I am TOTALLY blown away by the sound of the Wavefront!! I sounds almost like a Cello Voice! So warm and beautiful!!!!! Maybe I need to save for one... It is beautiful....

Also, I watched his journey through the first year of his learning curve and wow... He seems to have good finger coordination and floays pretty easily between passages in his songs... I hope I'll be able to reach something like that at the end od my first year.

Speaking of which, Thor is calling, it's sexy time :)

Never trust a guy from which you have only seen the hands and the paunch in his youtube videos... ;-)

Thierry -

je raye ma tête des fois quand je lis tes commentaires... lol