Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists

They are toys! They were marketed as such by Mattel! They are cheaply
made, cheap to buy (originally...!), boast an amplification system
akin to your first gen Walkman, and were put together with staples
and Elmer's. The volume pedal is connected to sewing thread, and from
there, springs out of ballpoint pens.

So? Fisher-Price made the PXL-2000 toy camcorder some twelve years
ago that operated on plain ol' cassette tape. It produced grainy lo-
res B&W shadowy pictures, but--like the Optigan, had affordable
unique technology that makes them quite collectable these days.

Strange how other things like AMC Pacers and Crown school buses are
on the verge of being hot collector's items. Pacers just for their
design even though they are junk, and Crowns for their recent
upwelling appreciation for their design and impeccable history and
safety record.

Oh, just wait until Pea Hicks catches wind the assault of the kitsch
and lo-fi toy that is the foundation for his band Optiganally Yours
amongst the sound perfectionists here. You will be at the mercy of a
wordsmith that will be a humbling experience. Indeed, an Optigan
really has to be hotrodded to sound halfway decent when used for
recording/gigging, and has even been drubbed as "the poor man's
Mellotron", but what mechanical/tuned musical instrument ISN'T
affected by temperature, humidity and even voltage fluctuations? Lo
fi or not, mine is my fave toy to bang on and cut loose with. They
are as moody as toddlers but I love 'em just the same.