The heat-producing power supply was located in the supporting stand, away from the heat-sensitive upper chassis.Built in speaker with acoustically transparent grill cloth.Physical and Technical Changes compared to original RCA Theremin Evidence suggests a reduced playing height, for improved ergonomics in relation to antenna positions.Detachable matching stand containing power supply, for easier transport.Redesigned pitch antenna socket for convenient installation.Shortened volume loop antenna, repositioned.Dummy speaker grill on opposite panel for visual symmetry.Protective rattan caning over the grill cloth.A hypothetical reconstruction of the suggested improvements, along with technical details are represented in the following lists: Safe storage for the antennas is provided under the lid when the instrument is not in use, a feature sadly lacking in the first and ultimately only production version of the RCA Theremin.Īlthough the details of the survey responses are currently unknown, a thorough study of the physical evidence, as represented by this rare survivor, points to the specific nature of the lost communications. When opened, in addition to providing access to the controls, the lid with its built-in ledge becomes a sheet music rest. The new design reflects what RCA's sales department felt the electronic consumer of the day could relate to with greater ease.Ĭonvenience improvements included moving the control panel from the front of the cabinet, to a face-up postion under a hinged lid. Embodied in this reimagined form, the theremin appears less alien, closely resembling some radios of the era. The resulting suggestions, in combination with efforts made by RCA's marketing department, production, and design engineers, led to the creation of this second-generation prototype. Clark, conducted a survey of five hundred visitors at radios shows where the first-generation theremin was being demonstrated. Glinsky reveals that RCA's show division manager, George H. While its original supporting stand has not surfaced, the all-important primary instrument cabinet, complete with all of its essential internal components, has. It was long thought to have not survived, and has remained in obscurity for most of its existence.
Albert Glinsky's masterful biography, Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage (published in 2000). Lost for the better part of a century, the only tangible evidence that the new model with self-contained speaker ever existed at all was in the form of rare corporate ephemera first reported in Dr. Photo: Will Joines What Do We Know About This Instrument? is proud to unveil this one-of-a-kind, rarest RCA Theremin in the world! 1930 Second-Generation Prototype RCA Victor Theremin