RCA cabinet dimensions

The RCA Victor Theremin cabinet dimensions as measured by Reid Welch.

At 11:07 PM 7/21/97 -0400, Charlie finished his report with:

…here are the rca dimensions, as measured on dave weiner’s instrument:

>Height from floor to top of cabinet 46.5″
>Height from floor to bottom of cabinet 22″
>Height from bottom of cabinet to top of cabinet 24.5″
>Height of front-face (control panel area) 10″
>Height of music desk 14.5″
>Side-Width at top 3.25″
>Width of cabinet 19″
>Depth of cabinet 12″

n.b. Reid Welch has inspected Clara Rockmore’s theremin and said it is somewhat shorter than the RCA. As is the Big Briar 91-A.

Should’a read the day’s levmail sooner…

I do have an RCA. Also the 1937 custom job that came my way via the goodness of Charlie. The ’37 job is the same height as the RCA, small wonder, because it’s designer owned an RCA.

I _did_ indeed measure and photograph Clara Rockmore’s instrument. It is very different from an RCA. For one thing, the case stands only 42 1/4 inch tall.

Why so short?
-Preeminent pianist, inventor and progressive thinker, Josef Hoffmann witnessed one of Clara’s early performances. She played an RCA. Hoffmann said it was a shame to not see clearly her expressively beautiful hands, obscured by the tall RCA cabinet. He further suggested that the theremin power amplifier be physically separated from the instrument to reduce heat-related tuning drift.

I have tried Mrs. Rockmore’s theremin on several occasions. The reduced height makes it much, much less tiring to play than an RCA.

I stand 5′ 10″ tall, versus Clara’s 5′ 1″. Yet, I find the RCA’s height fatiguing. -And my beautiful hands are sadly obscured. :^)

T’would be a shame to cut original RCA legs.
Too bad for me.
Otherwise mine RCA would be 42 1/4″ tall -like Clara’s instrument.

Now, if I owned an amputated RCA, or a 91A…or- or- or- a 1937 thermin in an already scabby cabinet ( I do ), I might then go in for a short-legged removable stand.
Like Lennington Shewell’s RCA in 1930, as already pointed out today.

BTW: Clara’s theremin stand is separable. It fairly resembles the 91A stand but with glued-on legs.

Reid, don’t
“Whizz on the Theremin”