RARE Realton VARIOPHON Spot - Analog Wind Synthesizer - 7 cartridges

WITH ISSUES, PLEASE READ THE FULL DESCRIPTION

REALTON VARIOPHON

Ultra rare, unique vintage boutique Analog Wind Synthesizer made in Germany in 1980.

Check out the wikipedia description as well as "variophon.de" website for basic information if needed.

Beautiful unique thick organic sound, with quasi-acoustic properties unlike any other attempts at electronic wind instruments emulations.

This is the portable "Spot" version that has a separate traditional full size keyboard as opposed to Melodica-like buttons on the wind controller.

Includes 7 "gooped" sound cartridges : "Saxophon" (saxophone), "Trompete" (Trumpet), "Tuba", "Klarinette" (clarinet), "Fagott" (bassoon), "Posaune" (Trombone), "Oboe", Although its connector itself is the correct size, the body of the Oboe cartridge for some reason is offset differently to the others, in a way that makes it physically impossible to insert through the module's panel, So I have no way to test it, it might require either building an adapter or punctually removing the panel. Besides that, the cartridges all work.

Comes with a Din to Jack cable for audio output, and a generic midi cable which works for the wind controller (although it definitely does not carry a MIDI signal in that use case). Besides being activated from a toggle switch on the keyboard, portamento can be controlled via a jack footswitch while playing, not included.

CONDITION :

Very good cosmetic condition overall, crumbling dried up foam in the lids and storage section was removed. Removable plastic mouthpiece on the breath controller has a visible crack but still solid + 2 additional ones (obviously all cleaned up with alcohol prior to listing)

The unit is powering on and working, however it behaves/sounds somewhat erratic and definitely needs a full overhaul, therefore should only be purchased in full awareness.

The critical breath controller outputs signal correctly as can be seen on the corresponding LED meter even when there’s no sound. Three band EQ works as well as most selecting buttons and knobs, except the reference A440 button and the « Hall » control, which hints at the presence of a reverb. However someone checked it years ago and reported that there was no trace of a reverb circuit ever being implemented inside, which is perhaps one sign of the boutique nature of the machine. It terms of outputting sounds, it will warm up a bit random, work for a while, then often sound a bit anemic, fade, tremble, stop after a few minutes and buzz a little. The CV keyboard also will occasionally require pressing two adjacent keys to achieve the desired note, sometimes not.

All points out to the sound issues being mostly within the « cockpit » module, with the proprietary breath controller being responsive and all cartridge behaving the same (seemingly carrying a large portion of the sound generation and filtering). The all analog (pre MIDI/digital) design should not be too discouraging to try and fix the issues, should it be taken on as a project by a qualified technician. However I’m not one myself, so I can’t offer any guarantee beyond this admittedly uneducated description, hence I’m listing it as is, for less than half of what the only other copy I could find on record on Reverb went for, bearing in mind it’s so rare that the cartridges alone or any parts are quite valuable in themselves.

Please no contact for offer below price on this sale, thank you.