via
this auction
Update via Georg in the comments: "This is the B30 Microsynth from a company called CLEF PRODUCTS LIMITED from Bramhall, UK. It was sold as a kit as well in 1982.
I first thought the design looks like an BME, but I was wrong...
Georg."
Update via Hodgheg in the comments: "I used to sell these! Clef Products was a seriously weird place to work, I was there in the early 80's & left before they went bust. The Microsynth was the only instrument not designed in house; the designer was Allan Bradford MSc, at the time a lecturer in electronics at B'ham Uni. Good synth for the money, (£129 in kit form, £199 built) amazing variety of sounds but 1/3rd volt per octave meant tuning problems so bad that we used to put silica gel in the demo model to keep the humidity stable! I sold 30 bare pcb's to GCHQ (the listening spies) who wanted them for 30 new apprentices, presumably to teach them about soldering and/or interaction of waveforms. So I imagine somewhere there are a few Microsynths that stay in tune due to using military grade components:-)
If anyone wants to sell me one, contact me at hodgheg hotmail.com"
Update via Richard in the comments: "I worked for Clef (what a weird outfit it was) between 82 & 85. This synth was the only product not designed in house, we licensed the design from Allan Bradford MSc who went on to design for Drawmer, 3G, WEM, Joe Meek, PMI and many others. The B30 was far more versatile than the Roland SH101 (which outsold us about a million to one) but it used only 1/3rd volt per octave control voltage which made tuning stability an issue if the PBC got damp, so we put silica gel in the demo model to keep it in tune! We sold 30 PCB's & cases to the government spies at GCHQ for their apprentices to build, so I always imagine there are 30 very stable B30's somewhere, due to using military grade components. I now have Allan Bradford's own very nicely constructed demo model, and would be very interested to hear from anyone who has a Clef String machine (working or not) which was also published in Practical Electronics but was only available as a kit. Contact me at hodgheg hotmail.com"
