R.A. Moog Model 351 Theremin Donated to the Bob Moog Foundation Archives

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"One of the earliest R.A. Moog products, the Model 351 theremin, was recently donated to the Bob Moog Foundation Archives! Bob and his father, George Moog, a woodworker and engineer in his own right, built these theremins in the family's basement workshop in 1954. This is a 72-year-old musical instrument!

By the time Bob Moog was just 20 years old, he had already been experimenting with and creating working electronic instruments for a full decade. Three years after creating the Rensitron, Bob's very first working musical keyboard, his newly minted company, R.A. Moog Co., started selling Model 201 theremins in 1954 to a select few customers. Later that very same year, Bob and George created the Model 305 theremin and its scaled-up alternative, the Model 351.

The vacuum-tube-driven Model 351 theremin has a five-octave range and a mahogany cabinet. For its day, the tonal control was quite extensive, albeit elusive to most theremin neophytes. The comprehensive array of volume-related knobs on the left has no instructional guidance in the accompanying manual, leaving users to their own devices to adjust their settings for optimal performance.

The center switches were more self-explanatory, allowing the user to mix and match the tone quality and pitch octave in a process Bob called 'Synthetic Format.' Synthesis was already being defined and developed, as far back as 1954!"

Supporters Tammy and Phil Neimeyer generously donated this Model 351, appraised at $25,000, to the Bob Moog Foundation Archives. It was purchased around 1955 by Tammy's grandfather, James Gray Everhart, a lover of music, gadgets, and engineering. He was an early believer that R.A. Moog theremins could create beautiful music, which he would routinely demonstrate to friends and family!

To learn more about the Model 351 and see more pictures, check out our blog post on moogfoundation.org!"