First, Russian DIYer Dmitry Morozov, better known as vtol, has a website full of his colorful instruments. Nice panel art! He apparently makes limited issues of some of them for sale.
Then, Flickr user “jugger-naut” built a tube synthesizer in plug-in module form.
And Joe Paradiso built a hybrid synthesizer into a CAMAC crate, to be controlled by a PDP-11 minicomputer, in December 1979. Don’t throw it away, Joe, it’s a priceless historical artifact!
Mike Zee is a musician and prolific DIY builder in Poughkeepsie, NY. (That’s like saying Sean Connery is an “actor of some repute in Scotland”, I suppose.)
His main site for custom work is here. His cabinetwork is so beautiful, it will make you cry. Be warned, you will be exploring every link there. He has schematics of almost everything he’s built — clever designs, easy to reproduce.
He has a Soundclick page if you want to hear samples of his music. And he has a YouTube channel.
Seen on Matrix, with no information. It was, as it turns out, based on a Texas Instruments sound-effects IC (probably an SN76477). It appears to be built into an old tube tester cabinet. In case you didn’t know, Raes is a notorious Flemish artist, founder of the Logos Foundation—and dedicated nudist.
Here is a list of Raes’ DIY instruments.
You won’t find more simpler obscure gadgets than the ones sold by Sonodrome. They even have PC software to go with their little bits of hardware. PC boards come in four colors. (And MAKE magazine’s market is selling the amplifier kit, along with the Atari Punk Console.) Enclosures are up to the builder. YouTube videos here.
Using two Wiimotes feeding a Macbook via Bluetooth, to trigger solenoid-played drums.
Jazari’s website, and a post on Engadget. (Yes, cowbell.)
Dave Wright found this at a “junk shop” in Tucson. It uses two CEM 3394 chips, plus a PAIA MIDI-CV and a few assorted circuits. It was very well-made, almost commercial quality. The maker’s identity is a total mystery. 
Video:
mystery homebrew synth
The Misa digital guitar.
Great idea, and the controller is based on Linux, allowing you to mess with its operation. Mentioned on Slashdot.
(Why does it make me think of the Korg Kaoscillator? Isn’t that odd.)
—if not the decade.
Lambdoma Keyboard
Is it still being made? I can’t tell, the order form was on an AOL homepage, which has since been pulled down.
First, did you know that RCA made a vacuum tube that was usable as a phonograph pickup?
Second, Feena Electronics. They introduced an interesting DJ MIDI controller in 2006. Since then, nothing. The last post to their forum was September 21.
Finally, this guy is building a duplicate of the old Metasonix Hellfire Modulator. He’s making a chassis for it out of plain sheet metal, and he apparently mated two toaster ovens together in order to bake powder-coating onto it. DIY FTW!!!
It’s an analogue drone-box with a much vaster range of sound effects than single-box devices can usually do. Simple yet complex.
(It’s strange that this Italian company has no contact info on their site except email.)
(via Matrix)
First, the “Acid Machine”, which generates pitches with a rotating wheel and LDR.
Plus, the Synth-Fan, doing similar business with a small computer fan.
And this, whatever it is.
NYC artist Terry Dame and her “Electric Junkyard Gamelan”. Except for the contact mics, I don’t see anything electric in her shows, but this is a good example of what anyone can do with the most basic (cheap) tools. 
There’s been a big stink about the British-made Eigenharp controller, with mention from Engadget, Synthtopia, the BBC, and bloggers like CDM and Matrix. It requires a Mac, however. Hope they sell some and are encouraged to port the software to Windows. Given its complexity, ~$7000 isn’t a terribly high price.
(Just remember that people nowadays routinely pay $50,000 or more for a grand piano.)
Almost forgotten in all this hype was a different controller, the Madrona Soundplane. Looks as though it’s not finished yet.
The Cool Chromaticover. You can’t really tell from these terrible product pages, but this is a standalone MIDI controller with velocity and several slightly different key arrangements available, that just happens to be made to fit over the keyboard on a Yamaha combo instrument. Unlike the Yamaha (or most other MIDI controllers) the Chromaticover appears to be really well-made, mostly metal with metal buttons.
The only dealer selling it (piens.be) is also the owner of the company making it (cool.be). Also strange is that very few people in the accordion world, or elsewhere, even know this product exists. I’ve found very few Google mentions of it.
(This was discovered by the diykeyboard group, who now have their own wiki.)
The work of mad Swedish artists Erik Nilsson and Peter Kädergård. Video here.
neon lamp osc with doorbell keyboard
goes into a 6au6 via depth/drive knob with a neon as a modulator -
inductor on the plate for tone
goes into a second 6au6 via depth/drive knob and neon as modulator
inductor on the plate for tone
6AL7 magic eye on the outputs
each modulator has rate knob and ‘range’ switch – one setting being
a .015 cap across the neons – the other setting being no cap between the neons
some how this works really nicely
you know i couldn’t do it without barbour’s help!!!
dave wright
www.notbreathing.com
