Beautiful RCA Theremin on Ebay

Restored a few years ago by Mr. Floyd Engels.

See below for item description and photos.

Find the auction here.

Very rare RCA Theremin model AR-1264 from 1929. Very unusual electronic musical instrument from 75 years ago. About 500 of these units were produced just before the depression.

This particular instrument had been professionally restored a few years ago by Mr. Floyd Engels. Mr. Engels is well known in the Theremin community. This restoration is remarkable in its attention to detail. Another vintage RCA of museum quality with original finish has been compared to this unit and it is a perfect match.

The electronics are in perfect working order. The small cut out switches to turn off the AC power off when the rear doors are opened have been replaced. They are a duplicate item that have no electrical function. The power supply has the original power transformer. This is very important for the specific sound that is unique to this specific style of Theremin instrument. All other electronic components including the aerials, tubes and control knobs are original. The AC cord and plug are modern reproductions of woven fabric wiring and bakelite plug that are the same as was originally offered.

The patent information tag on the rear door is a duplicate that can be easily removed if so desired. The ‘On / Off’ and ‘Off / Play’ tags for the switches on the front are plastic impressions (duplicate) of the original metal tags that were present at one time. The ‘On / Off’ tag can be easily found but the other one would be hard to duplicate. The small impossible to find ‘Pitch’ and ‘Volume’ tags above the control knobs are original. Serial number 100276 is stamped on the metal chassis.

The pull knobs on the doors were close in style but have been replaced with original. The doors are perfect duplicates made out of the same wood and have the exact angles as original. Because these doors have been reconstructed, the three digit cabinet serial number that usually appears on the underside of one door is absent. The pull knobs on the doors were close to original style but have now been replaced with the correct part.