Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists

previous by date index next by date
previous in topic topic list  

Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Re: Mark II Question

From: Ken Leonard <ken@...>
Date: 2011-01-07

Jerry contributed the following:

http://www.kleonard.com/mellotron/mellotronia/MarkIvsMarkII.htm

In addition to that list, there is at least one ground wire difference
(mentioned on another page on my site).

...kl...

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 8:22 PM, Ken Leonard <ken@...> wrote:
> Hi Bernie!
>
> The Mellotron Professor put together a comprehensive list of Mark I/II
> differences at one point, and I'll ping him to see if he still has it
> available.
>
> ...kl...
>
> On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 3:45 PM, tron400 <kornowicz@...> wrote:
>> Other than the keyboard locking mechanism, what's the difference between a MkI and a MkII?
>>
>> Having played Jerry K's MkI with the MkII conversion, I can testify that the touch is more like a Hammond organ than an M400.
>>
>> Bernie
>>
>> --- In Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com, Ken Leonard <ken@...> wrote:
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM,  <djacques@...> wrote:
>>> > Now that we are on the subject of Mark II's and how many could be out there, I was wondering just how many of us actually has played one. I still need to get down to Frank's to play his.
>>>
>>> Played several, including a restored Mark I.
>>>
>>> http://www.kleonard.com/mellotron - look at the get-togethers and
>>> MONEYPIT reports for what goes into a Mark I/II (including Frank's).
>>>
>>> > Are they a pain in the ass?  I heard that very few people are daring to cycle them anymore.
>>>
>>> "Pain in the ass" for what?
>>>
>>> Playing?  No, they're great.
>>>
>>> Cycling/mechanicals?  A properly restored and adjusted machine will
>>> work just fine, including cycling.  Mellotron Professor Jerry Korb
>>> does keep an eye on his when he cycles it, even though it cycles just
>>> fine.  If the rollers start running up the frame, you have to hit the
>>> power off button immediately, or you're in a world of hurt with
>>> trashed tapes.  That can happen if a tape is jammed, which could
>>> happen if, say, the tape's pinch roller or pressure pad is not
>>> adjusted properly, the tape is not cut correctly, if you had your hand
>>> on the keys when you pressed the cycling button, or if there's some
>>> other problem/fault.
>>>
>>> May a Mark I/II need maintenance and some work?  Yes, from time to
>>> time, everything from the "usual stuff" (fixing wobblies) to
>>> correcting various faults (hopefully rare).  These are fiddly boxes
>>> that are almost 50 years old but can behave well--it's not like they
>>> just fall apart.  If anything does go wrong, you have to know what you
>>> are doing or bring it to someone who does.  You can correct a wobbly
>>> yourself, and some people can probably work on the amps or other
>>> electronic bits.  But anything more than that needs someone who's got
>>> the knowledge, especially for low noise modifications and cycling.
>>>
>>> ...kl...
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>