Let me tell you everything:

A few months ago I was watching some videos on youtube and I found
one that really caught my attention and opened my eyes,
or I should say my ears!
It was about an instrument that many people (including myself,
I have to admit my ignorance about it!)
only know as a noise-making tool, used to create sound effects
for science-fiction films or ghost noises in the Scooby-Doo
animated series!!!!!!
An instrument that was widely mistreated in the seventies but
which can find a surprising and at times moving expressivenes
when played by the right hands.

Before the seventies though, when “His Master’s Voice”
gramophones were still in use and radios were as big as washing
machines,
Lev Termen sought to create a hassle-free instrument, aimed for
people willing to make music.

RCA (the first company to start series production) advertised
the instrument’ s playabiltiy “as easy as whistling.”

Or at least that was the idea, but it actually isn’ t that easy!

It is nevertheless a unique instrument which keeps all of its
charm even after almost a century!

Ok, too long of an introduction!

Here are some HUMANS (yeah, I swear they’ re humans,
and not even using a transporter!)
who can do marvels with this instrument.

There, it all started from here, I got a theremin fever so bad
that I thought about introducing a new version of this instrument
in the Axefactory production!

I’ ve had the privilege and honour of collaborating
with one of the best Italian theremin connoisseurs:
Giorgio Necordi.
He experiments with different models,
solid state and all-valve, and builds superb, all-valve instruments
with the help of Augusto Traiani, based on
(and improving) the RCA model.

Giorgio is currently taking care of the electronics of this model
and is really doing a great job!

I took care of design and playability:

This Theremin is conceived for a live setting so we chose to go
for a solid state version, which is easier to carry around,
but we were careful not to just build a cold metal box like
those you find in music shops.

To keep intact and pay tribute to the charm of the theremin
and the idea of its creator

I chose to fuse electronics and design by leaving in sight
some of its most important components,
just like they used to do back in the day.

The same thing can be said about the materials:
copper, mahogany, brass, ebony, plexiglas… a cross between
classic and modern.

Another important feature is the simmetry of the instrument,
which makes it equally playable with either the right hand
for volume control, staccatos and legatos and the left hand
for the melody or the other way round in a classic fashion.

Traslation by Simone Attivissimo

The bridge is its only weakness or, to put it in other words, its most singular feature: the frame which holds the spring!

So let’ s get rid of the little frame that’s left

let’ s build a new, sturdier one made of brass

and let’ s bolt it to the bridge

et voila’ !

oops !

… sometimes we also need to rebuild the tremolo cavity!

If you’ re in trouble with your steinberger bridge just call us, we fix loads of ‘em…

Nevertheless:

the minimum height of the bridge didn’ t make for an easy installation of the piezo transducer simply by downsizing the bone part of the bridge because this was already reduced…to the bone in order to obtain a decent action;

the hole on the bridge wasn’ t deep enough to allow the insertion of the piezo;

no further milling on the bridge was possible;

a bone part with integrated piezo doesn’ t match nicely with this type of bridge;

and last but not least, a thin-like-paper piezo still has to be invented!!!

What do we do then?? …

The Mitutoyo says : the transducer is 2.75 mm thick, while the Gibson saddle a whopping 6.40 mm !!!

All we could do was drill a new hole inside the bone part of the bridge, wide enough to accommodate the transducer and give it enough room to allow a good transmission of vibrations.

Et voilà !!!!

I was asked to prepare a custom pickguard and to replace the two pickups.

req

Phase 1 : I scanned the original pickguard, vectorialized it, and used cad to project the modified pickguard

Phase 2 : I cut the new pickguard with the cnc pantograph

sra axefactory cnc

Phase 3 : I milled the new pickup holes

Phase 4 : assembly

Et voilà !

Next please …

OK! Let’s get to work !!!!

First step: we cut a new pickguard

then we engrave the body…

… and drill a new hole to accommodate the toggle switch cables

after wiring the toggle switch …

… we' re good to go and ready to check the sound !!!