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| Make |
JWM |
| Model |
Thunderchild |
| Description |
**NEW LOW PRICE!**
JWM ELECTRONICS THUNDERCHILD SZ3540
One of the handful of legendary Thunderchild synthesisers that was supposedly used on the recording of 'War Of The Worlds' before allegedly being replaced with ARP and Yamaha instruments. One commentator says that Ken Freeman didn't use it at all - he thought it was 'rubbish'. Well, compared to his new CS-80 perhaps?
[VEMIA note: as far as we can tell there is only actually one other example in the world, and that is not working.]
Some brief specs:
Two VCO's with ramp waveforms, a Sub Oscillator with square-wave output, LFO with triangle and square outputs, white/pink noise, two 'Shape' controllers (envelopes) with a variety of modes, a multimode VCF and two VCA's with separate outputs so you can simultaneously route Low Pass to one and High Pass to the other, for example. VCO 2 can also modulate the filter. On the rear panel are two external audio inputs that feed the filter and VCA's, and three DIN sockets marked Trigger, Control and Footswitch, but we have no idea of how these are wired.
Construction is, to be honest, poor with a moulded plastic top that feels flimsy, fake wood sides and imitation chrome trim that never sits straight (even in the original promo photo). The circuitry uses conventional op-amps and CMOS components, so no hard¬to-source parts inside (apart from perhaps the unusual Poly-Planar flat speaker). The cosmetic condition of this one is at best 'Fair', having multiple scrapes and scratches on the top and the fake wood peeling off the sides. BUT...it is fully working, and very interesting sounding too. Despite the lack of any schematics Lucid have managed to get this one into a fully playable state and everything appears to work as it should. Tuning stability can be a little temperature sensitive and a couple of pots are a touch noisy, but it was felt important at this stage to keep all parts original as much as possible. However the winning bidder might want to consider adding a mod to make the intonation adjustable externally rather than having to open the already fragile case. This mod can be done by Lucid at the seller's expense if the buyer asks for it - details provided to the winning bidder for a decision.
Voltage is 240V ac - there is a 110V switch but this is taped over, so we haven't tried it. Serial number is 0000P (P for prototype?).
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| Age |
n/a |
| Weight |
n/a |
| Condition |
Near good |
| Location |
Uk (Item is at Vemia Uk) |
| Vat |
Not from a VAT-registered business. But VAT / duty may be due if importing from outside your trade bloc. |
| Quantity |
1 item is available from the owner |
| Options |
User manual : No |
| |
Service manual : No |
| |
First owner : No |
| |
Original boxes : No |
| Plug type |
United Kingdom standard plug |
| Voltage type |
Internal 220-240V power supply |
| Status |
Item is still available |
| Sale type |
The item is on the auction rooms |
| Ending on |
14/04/2013 |
| Category |
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| Serial number |
0000P |
| Sphere reference |
# 10760 |
| Statistics |
Created on : 01/04/2013 |
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Changed on : 14/04/2013 |
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Published on : (Not published) |
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Displayed : 14739 time(s) by members and guests |
| Safety |
All electrical items sold in VEMIA are deemed to be trade sales. No warranty of electrical safety is given or implied. Many items are vintage and would not pass current electrical safety standards. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that items are safe to use in their future environment - if necessary by using the services of a professional. |
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Prices and conditions  |
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The following section gives you the prices as well as shipment and payment conditions associated with the item. Payment is always requested in GBP. Converted price is shown for information and converted with Sphere standard currency rate.
Shipment and Payment links gives you access to an extended description of our rating :
| Start price |
1230 GBP |
| Converted price (1) |
1230 GBP |
| Shipment |
International or local shipment to pay |
| Packing costs |
0 GBP |
| Payment |
Full pre payment needed |
| Auction bid step |
20 GBP |
| Auction highest bid |
0 GBP |
| Converted highest bid |
0 GBP |
| Leader or winner |
*None |
| (1) Currency conversion |
Note that conversion rates were last adjusted on 10th October 2025 at 14:22 CET. They are there to give you a rough guide to the bid price in your currency. Please check for a more up-to-date conversion at https://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html. The bid price will be the actual price in pounds (GBP) at the moment the auction closes. This will be roughly converted to your currency for your information.
For technical reasons, we are unable to update the conversion from GBP to Euro during the auction, although it may change at any time. If you are in the euro zone please check the current rate at https://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
Payments must always be in GBP. For more info please see the FAQ about exchange rates.https://spheremusic.com/Winfaq.asp?Question=91. |
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