The device is a reissue of Dubreq's original pocket synthesizers, which was produced from 1967 to 1975 and made its most prominent pop-cultural appearance in David Bowie's classic "Space Oddity," in 1969. Since then, they've been used on tracks by artists ranging from Kraftwerk to Erasure to Jon Spencer's Blue Explosion to Marilyn Manson; you can also hear them on the new record by They Might be Giants.

Until now, the only way to get your hands on the device was via expensive online auctions or by striking gold at a London-area thrift store. And a the moment, the new version of the Stylophone is available only to gadget fans in the U.K. But importers like Firebox are starting to pick up on the device: Good news for anyone obsessed with vintage synths who doesn't have a lot of cash to burn through.

Re: creation did an admirable job keeping with the vintage theme, both with a casing that matches the original synth and package and a booklet that looks like it fell out of the mid-60s London mod scene.

The synth itself has a metal keyboard with 15 keys that mimics the layout of a standard piano keyboard. Running the attached metal stylus over the keys generates the sound, which can be manipulated with the volume dial, the tuning control on the bottom, a three-octave switch, and optional vibrato, expanding on the sound options available in the original.

The sound is pretty true to that of original analog synths--at least to my untrained ear. With vibrato turned on, it sounds a lot like a theramin. And don't let its compact size fool you. The thing gets loud.

The Stylophone will be available through Firebox starting March 18th, for $29.99.