Theremin sound problems

Hello!

I've had a Moog Etherwave theremin for a couple of years but was away and never got to full have at it until now... though I'm new to the instrument, I think there might be a problem with it. If I just leave it by itself, the sound is incredibly high pitched and piercing, and adjusting the pitch nob doesn't seem to do much to change it. If I try to play it, it makes sort of high pitched rarr rarr sounds and is completely out of tune... I can't get a single note out of it. If I put my hand closer to the antenna it gets deeper and then high again if I touch the antenna. It seems like it's just all backwards... quite honestly It's been sort of backwards like that since I got it (which is partially what made me put it down and leave it for a while).
Do theremins just go out of tune after a while or is there a more serious problem? (Though quite frankly, if I have to open it up that's terrifying enough hahaha)
Thanks so much

Your Etherwave simply needs to be retuned.

See here in the service manual (http://www.moogmusic.com/manuals/HotRodEtherwav.pdf) starting on page 7.

I think that this is the fifty-ninth time that I have to post this. Why don't people use the search function? *rolleyes*

I was looking at past entries but they didn't sound the same as my specific problem. I work as a computer tech and I know how much specificity counts when it comes to issues with electronics... turns out the Theremin is relatively simple, huh. Anyhow, I just wanted to confirm that it indeed needed to be tuned and not anything else. No need to give your eyes a workout :)

Thierry - As someone who's been here since at least 2003, I can tell you that will never change. All you can do is accept it, or allow other people to answer those questions instead.

There are a couple of common questions that make me want to scream too, but not because they are all too "common". There's really nothing that can be done to change it.

Perhaps this topic should be added to the FAQ Page. Unfortunately, most people are not going to read it. I can't blame them though. It is far more gratifying to get feedback from another person than to read a cold, impersonal webpage. After all...isn't that why we're all here?

I agree. Personal help is what this forum is about. Furthermore, a personal answer is vital for many people and has nothing to do with whether they "search" for the answer or not. Not all theremin owners are technically-minded, nor should they have to be. If they've spent three to four hundred dollars on an instrument, they'll be reluctant to open it and start making internal adjustments no matter what the manual, exisiting forum replies, or an F.A.Q. page says - for fear of making a bad situation worse. They need personal guidance and reassurance. Such questions may be frequent, but not hundreds of times a month. If a detailed reply to a frequently asked question is irksome, then there are two easy alternatives:
1) Give brief reassurance and a link to an existing forum page that deals with the issue, or
2) Keep a standard reply in a document offline, which can be cut/pasted for each new query, with possible minor editing to suit a specific problem.

If I experience problems I ALWAYS search first, but I still appreciate ANY personal advice I get here from those with technical know-how.

I'm non-technical so can't reply to such enquiries myself. However, I'm grateful to those who regularly do so.

OK, please forgive my harsh tone!

It seems to be a question of different attitudes. If I encounter a problem, be it with a theremin or for example a computer or a car, I have first a look in the manual. If I find no answer there, I check the web for a service manual/schematics/repair information. If this is without success, I search in forums. So you'll find rarely me asking technical questions, since admitting that I can't help myself is only the really last resort.

Call me technically autistic on this side, if you want. But on the other side I'm always ready to share my knowledge if someone has real technical problems which exceed simple standard procedures as retuning an Etherwave...

Thierry - Don't fret too much about it. I'm sure we've all been there at one time or another.

People are all different and we all tend approach problems in our own way. Manuals are great, but sometimes it takes another point of view to make sense of things that are not easy to comprehend.

Personally, I've tried the (Google) search feature here, and I do not care for it. I've often found the results to be very unsatisfying.