Sonica Synth w/ Serge Oscillator by Frank Evanoff

via this auction

"In 1979, the first Sonicas were produced, a collaboration with Larry Heller. There were 650 built, but very few are seen nowadays. Serge Tcherepnin of Serge synthesizers (producer of high-end modular synths!) did the oscillator design, and the oscillator inside the Sonica is indeed a Serge oscillator. The neck is incredibly comfortable, and easily fits into the hand, facilitating the sliding action used for playing the Sonica. Creator Frank Eventoff's neighbor in Silverlake was a modelmaker and carved the bodies - they produced them in runs of 24 at a time. The body is made from finely hand-carved mahogany. Donna Summer bought one of the runs of 24 and created a Sonica Orchestra.

The sound of the Sonica can best be described as somewhere between a sitar and violin. When run through a simple delay, an amazing array of soundscapes are derived. The front panel features a Key/Pitch Knob, and an On/Off Volume Knob. It also features three buttons. "Slider," which is a tremolo type effect, "Tone," which is actually a tonal boost, and "Half-Step," which raises the note an octave. It features a built-in speaker, with an 1/8 inch output to connect to an amplifier or recording device. It runs on one 9-volt battery which is installed by accessing a plate on the backside of the device. The Sonica really shines when sent through a tube amplifier, producing a crystalline sound unlike anything I've heard before."