It is easy to sense and to understand the frustration that you are feeling. It is a pretty thankless task to be the keeper of this rare flame, and I'd like to first say how utterly grateful I am for every tidbit of 'tron trivia I have acquired over this last year.
I can speak for myself, that while the two tape offers that have been made since I have been on the list and had a Mellotron have clearly been extraordinary values, I have not been able to participate for two reasons.
This last six months I have spent over $30,000 getting my Starlab planetarium business going, and still have some more purchases to make before I'm comfortable. I make a good living, but this has been a major drain on my disposable income, leaving no room for other indulgences, much to my regret. If you think I don't want one of those "Salley tape sets" you sure don't know me very well!
I am also nowhere near comfortable enough technically to even contemplate re-threading tapes, and even changing a tape frame seems like a pretty daunting task to me at this time. I am here in the middle of Kansas, USA, and I have a Mellotron that works - it is obviously in need of some adjustment and some cleaning and soldering, but nevertheless, it WORKS. I shudder to think how I would castigate myself if I undertook a task that would seem to have a really good possibility of painting myself into an electro-mechanical corner with no easy escape and really nobody around that can give me any hands-on assistance.
Being mechanically and electronically as challenged as I am, the obvious course of action for me is to start saving money again until I can afford that factory refurbished Mark II that I know is waiting for me, and then wrap up my lovely little white baby and send her to visit her birthplace in Great Britain to be lovingly restored to like-new condition by the Gods of Mellotronia.
So, as far as MY Mellotron mania and my helping your own business prosperity goes, just give me some time. I WILL get a Mark II in the next couple of years, I WILL be dropping a fair amount of cash in your register, and I WILL be having #886 returned to perfect condition, and you guys are the ones that I want doing it!
Oh, and by the way, this coming Monday, the 11th, is my first anniversary with my beloved little white box, and yes,
I OWN A MELLOTRON!
...but more importantly, I have the instrument I've dreamed of in my studio and I can go listen to that sound coming from my hands any time I want to, and that is something I have been dreaming of for thirty-five years! I really don't care if anybody knows it, because it is ME that it makes happy!
So, once again, thanks for all of your anecdotes and diagnoses and suggestions and hints and ideas, and I assure you, we've only just begun this journey together.
OK, so lets talk......
Some of you have mellotrons. All of you love them. Those that have them periodically ask for help to make them work better, either privately or on this list. You complain about buzzes, dull notes, instabilities, etc., etc.
We exist to help. We do help as many of people will testify. We offer fixes, self help and sometimes assist above the call of duty....but don't brag about it.
At some stage all of you may need help BUT for us to be here to help means that ocassionally we need to sell some stuff to pay for replacement stocks, new additions, improvements etc etc. So every so often we offer a deal here, a deal there. And most of the time we hear nothing. So,(and I've asked this before) just what do you want and what is this desperately quiet group of people all about?
The tape amnesty was to provide you with ORIGINAL tape that would drive exceptionally well at a very reasonable cost. You could choose the sounds you wanted and you'd end up with a new set, edited, with cut marks, no measuring, etc., etc. at half price. We have hunted high and low for this stock. However this has obviously failed to impress. That's fine but at some point in time you'll ask us to solve your infernal and possibly unique problem. We will almost certainly do just that but to what end?
Perhaps owning a mellotron is just that. You can say in a loud voice, in some restaurant or bar that "I own a Mellotron!". If that is all this about then let's own up, but please say it isn't!
Martin
Streetly Electronics - all things MELLOTRONIC - click this link..........
US East Coast Agent: Jimmy Moore - JMoore6397@...
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