PAiA Theremax

So far, this instrument has proven to be far easier to learn and play than I had been led to believe about theremins in general, and I have been playing tunes on this instrument for only a month. In my case, one of the reasons for its ease of use is in large part due to the fact that rather than using the flimsy, thin stock copper antennae which came with the kit, I'm using a 17" 3/8 solid brass rod for the pitch antenna. It has been the experience of many Theremax builders that using a larger rod (solid or tubing) vastly improves the overall playability of this instrument.
Other builders are also known to have doubled the value of the capacitors next to the oscillators on the circuit board in order to decrease the sensitivity, or add an inductance coil to the pitch antenna in order to improve the pitch linearity (the latter which I may experiment with further on) but so far, I have been very pleased with the playability of this instrument.
If one is considering the Paia Theremax, do replace the pitch antenna with thicker gauge brass or tubing. I obtained my 3/8 brass antenna from a curtain rod seller, who even cut it to size, and I then had a local tech school lathe and thread one end of the rod, allowing me to set the rod into the top of the wood cabinet.

There are various ways in which this instrument may be modified in order to improve it's sound and playability. Some of these mods are discussed at the Theremax builders FAQ at Paia's website. Other mods may be gathered from theremin forums ( www.thereminworld.com ). One of the best websites I've come across on modifying the Theremax is the late Fred Nachbaur's website, which offers detailed articles on improving its tone and articulation, which I incorporated into the circuit board when I built it. Further on, I hope to make use of the Theremax "CV" output, to use as a "gestural controller" for a synth - but until then, I have a bit more to learn about synthesizers. Indeed, the Theremax offers a lot of possibilities for expansion and experimentation.

The timbre control of this instrument, with Fred Nachbaur's simple modifications,is very nice. The timbre range can be adjusted between sine and squarewave, and/or a combination of the two.
As other reviewers have already noted, there is perhaps no instrument more expressive than the theremin, which responds to the slightest motion. Vibrato is very easily achieved with the movement of one's fingers.

So far I've been playing excerpts of classical pieces (1st movement from Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition"; some Borodin, some Carl Reinecke, some Beethoven, to name a few); some songs ("Over the Rainbow"; "Man from Laredo", the "Penny-is-Sad" theme from the old "Lost in Space" show); I've practiced with some of my own pre-recorded guitar compositions; I think the sky's the limit when it comes to musical style.

I need a new keyboard amplifier, but in the meantime, I've got the Theremax hooked up to my home stereo. A new amp should allow further adjustments to the tone of the sound, as well as the addition of effects.

So far the instrument has functioned beautifully. I had to spend some time learning how to tune the oscillators, but now that I understand how to do this, its been fairly easy.
I'm not a public performer (at least at this time), and plan on using this instrument primarily for recording.

I have not had to call the company for any reason, but from what I've gathered from others who have built the Theremax, the folks at Paia have been very helpful.
As far as repairing it goes, I'm very confident (having built the circuit board) that I could repair it myself, even should I have to consult Paia (or other builders) for advice.

If my Theremax was stolen, I would consider buying another kit, or just the circuit board from Paia and picking up the components elsewhere (like Mouser). Heck, I had so much fun building the circuit board, that I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime.

But I'de also be tempted to try out the Moog Etherwave. However, the reason I decided upon the Paia Theremax kit was because the practical hands-on experience it offered in building a Theremin. It was my first electronics kit, and building it proved to be a very satisfying experience. If I may offer some advice to anyone considering constructing a Theremax: download the Theremax manual from Paia's site, and review it several times before picking up the kit. In the process, visit the "Theremin" forums and learn from the experiences of others. Also, if you can't afford a fancy soldering iron station, pick up Radio Shack's dual variable 15watt/30watt soldering iron - the 15 watt setting will serve one well in soldering the components into the board (the copper plating on the board is very delicate, and 30 watts is almost too much). And last but not least - take your time putting this together. Do it in sessions - one evening for the resistors, another for the capacitors, etc.

The better you prepare yourself, the greater the likelihood that you will be rewarded with a fine instrument with which to make beautiful music.
For the patient do-it-your-selfers, I highly recommend the Theremax.
But for those who are uncomfortable with the idea of putting together their own circuit board, they might want to consider the Moog Etherwave. The price difference between the Theremax and the Etherwave is not as great as one may suppose. I could have just as easily purchased the Etherwave for just a few dollars more - but then I would not have had the pleasure and challenge of constructing my own instrument.

It is a kit, but a fairly easy kit to put together. Once it's together and tuned properly it is super easy to play.

This has more feartures than any other Theremin that I have ever seen:
Tone control (Sine wave to Square wave)
Gate sensitivity control
CV outputs (in this day and age!)

It's a Theremin with about a 2 1/2 to 3 octave range. Very expressive.

The only bad thing is (and its really just the nature of the beast I guess) is that sometimes it picks up radio signals like nobody's buisness. Not just a faint noise in the background. I mean it is really just a radio on some days.

Absolutely the best customer support offered by any company that I have ever done buisness with ever.

I have played a number of different kinds of theremins but this is the first one that I have ever owned. I is a top notch piece of equipment from a great company.

The manual, as this is a kit, is quite straightforward. I have had long experience in electronics and the process of assembly was uneventful, but I must add .... quite pleasant. Tuning was a bit tricky, but I've never tuned a theremin before.
Is it easy to use? Is a cello? is a violin, a piano?........!

There are features I have not tried yet. I am just trying to make simple basic sounds from it.
We set the unit in the middle of a music room set up for stereo listening during a family get together/party. We connected it to the stereo and just left it set up and turned on. Whoever happened by could do what they wanted with it.
All of us, about 15 people, tried it. The kids did the best. A drunk didn't do so bad either.

This is a Theremin. No one I know is a Liv Termin, nor a Clara Rockmore, not even a Beach Boy. What a pity.
But none the less, if you can set the thing up to behave the way it is supposed to and expect to be entertained by what you can do and others can do.
In the hands of a child one can expect miracles.

I love the flexibility of this thing, the unpredictability, (humidity will affect the tuning) the fact that you don't have to touch the antennaes to achieve sounds.
A theremin is a box with two antennae sticking out of it. One horizontally, one vertically. You put one hand near one antenna to achieve tone, and the other to achieve volume. There is no tactile feedback, just the auditory. This thing must be in a category all it's own.
For a Theremin, in todays market, I'll bet this is the best deal.

It's PAIA for heaven sakes... everthing they sell is easy to use... not always easy to build, but easy to use. The manual is good, the website is better.

It's a theremin, therefore it's mono. It doesn't come with effects, but I've mod'ed mine with an octave divider, chorus, distortion, compressor/sustainer (I had a bunch of old DOD and BOSS pedals I wasn't using, the theremax inherited 7 of them... thankfully you can order extra knobs from PAIA and they fit BOSS and DOD potentiometers). No midi, but it does have CV so get out the old Korgs and plug 'em in.

I would put the Theremax against ANY theremin. I use it for showing off when playing Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" of Led Zep's Whole Lotta Love... and yes there was a theremin used on Whole Lotta Love, and no there was not a Theremin in Frankenstein.

If you build it correctly you will never have and problems with a PAIA product (and even if you did, you'd know how to fix it).

In 1975 I was in Oklahoma on vacation with my parents and stopped in at PAIA to buy a bunch of 2700 series parts and a GNOME kit. They gave me the grand tour (thanks Mr. Simonton) and I left there knowing more about synthesizers than most professional musicians). I've called them regarding mods to my Theremax and with questions about the Fatman and I have always gotten courteous, intelligent answers and I always learn something new when I call.

If it were stolen I'd cry, then build a new one. Anything I wish it had, I've given it. I built my first Paia in 1975 and my last one (so far) last year and I can truthfully say PAIA RULES!!!!

Easy to built (its a kit).
But theremin are not easy to play.
I use it with a cv/midi converter as a
controller for my synths...
But some errors I couldn't solve, so you can here a
second tone if you controll the volume...strange...
But as controller for other synths or FX ok.

It has CV Outs 0-5V: Cool for controlling analog synths.

The sound is simple. Only one osc.
More for using as effect.

It's a kit, so its as good as the builder.
Needs often tuning, its sensible on temp.

Super. Thanks to PAIA.

I use it as controller. Great show on stage.
I would buy it again, if it were lost.
Is its price worth.

I found the tonal quality to be very rich and full. Knobs are complete and do the job.
However, the sensitivity is such that I found it difficult to use as a tonal instrument.

Beside the pitch out (no MIDI), it has numerous outputs such as CV, gate/trigger, etc. For the price it is an amazing bargain -- if it weren't so ultra sensitive.

It is a very nice sounding theremin. But I found it good mostly for effect with an added echo.

I sold it. Couldn't say.

It's a kit. I put it together and it wouldn't work. I took it to a tech who claimed he couldn't find out the problem. I sent it back and they quickly fixed it. Good people. Good job.

If only the pitch side of this were less sensitive and offered more control! I think it sounds better than the Moog/Big Briar, but not as easy to play. It could sound like God and His angels, but if it can't be played nobody will ever know. It could be that mine wasn't a great one, but those are the breaks.