Imagine holding in your hands the absolute ancestor of the keytar. Before Jan Hammer, before the 80s, there was the Tubon: a tubular electronic instrument designed in 1966 by Joh Mustad AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, made to be played standing, slung around the neck guitar-style. It is quite simply one of the rarest electronic keyboards in the world — produced in tiny numbers, with only a handful of working examples surviving today.

Its pedigree is extraordinary. Kraftwerk used one in their early days — visible at their legendary 1970 concert in Soest. Paul McCartney owned one, and legend has it that it was considered for the intro of "Strawberry Fields Forever." Countless Scandinavian pop and folk bands adopted it. To own a Tubon is to own a fragment of electronic music history.

Tube-shaped, it houses a 2.5-octave keyboard at one end and the voice controls at the other. It is first and foremost a monophonic bass instrument with inimitable sixties sounds: contrabass, tuba, saxophone, electric bass, woodwind. A powerful vibrato and volume control set in the handgrip area allow expressive real-time playing. Battery powered, with audio output via Jack socket.

Far from a mere display piece, this is a genuinely playable instrument, with a round, warm, organic bass — an absolutely unique sound source for modern production, synthwave, krautrock, or any project seeking a character found nowhere else.

FULL RESTORATION BY A PROFESSIONAL — perfect working order:

• Complete disassembly and thorough inspection of all electronics
• Recap: aging electrolytic capacitors replaced (dried out after nearly 60 years)
• Tired solder joints and cold joints reflowed
• Complete cleaning of keyboard contacts (each key checked and adjusted)
• Voice selectors cleaned and restored
• Volume and vibrato potentiometers cleaned and verified
• Battery contacts cleaned/restored (corrosion removed)
• Oscillator and voicing circuits checked, tuning verified
• Vibrato circuit tested and adjusted
• Jack output and wiring verified
• Each preset voice tested individually
• Fully tested and validated — 100% functional, ready to play

SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: Monophonic electronic keyboard instrument (keytar ancestor)
• Manufacturer: Joh Mustad AB (Gothenburg, Sweden)
• Year: 1966 (also distributed under license as "Livingston" in the UK)
• Shape: Tubular, played standing with strap
• Keyboard: 2.5 octaves
• Preset voices: Contrabass, Tuba, Saxophone, Electric Bass, Woodwind
• Effects: Vibrato, volume control (in handgrip area)
• Polyphony: Monophonic
• Power: Batteries
• Output: Jack socket
• Condition: Full restoration by a professional, perfect working order
• Cosmetic condition strictly as shown in photos, please refer to listing photos!