Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists

 

Ken Leonard wrote:

Last weekend Ken M. and I got a listen (just overthe phone, unfortunately)
to Julia, Jerry Korb's Mark I, which he is restoring from the ground
up---including the case.

OK, it was over the phone and through the reverb (Jerry has to completethe
wiring to the amps and all that, so he bodged it so we could hear it),but
it sounded solid.  Cycling time---the time to change from stationto
station---is shorter than the time it takes me to punch up a soundon
another bank on a synth.  Yep, Jerry has it to about 7-8
seconds---amazing!  (And it has a beefed-up version of the originalMeccano
chain.  :-) )

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Greetings All, Thanks for the intro KL ! Weatherwise, March arrived
like a lamb(on Broadway?),but"Julia" sprang ("Spring?") into action
on March-1 . Puns intended.....

The telephone "concert"the previous week  was accomplished with
cordless phone inone  hand,and my five thumbs squashing the keys
with the other hand.Performing as a MK1 "skellotron", it wasn't
pretty,but functional.Due to different diameters of Meccano
sprockets and runninggear on MK1's,they will cycle more quickly
than other models.

Special thanks/praiseMUST be given openly to Mr. Louis Boselli of
Cornwall-On-Hudson,NY for his redesigned Meccano chain.
Stronger,thicker,withhigh-tensile steel,the chain was produced for
mechanical engineeringkits sold to various colleges,universities,etc.
Classes in robotics,andmech. design. He had about 600 feet of chain
mfg'd ,and actuallycost LESS than stock(weaker) chain. Hmmmm.

Lou has written anarticle about Mellotron's use of Meccano chain
and gears/sprocketsin his company newsletter (USA rep. of Meccano).
If this chain weren'tavailable, both Julia and I would be  "S.O.L. "

Control-panel was cross-connectedto enable use of one audio amp,
bypassing the volumefoot-pedal(also with Meccano parts).
And the reverb driverwas "daisy-chained" together,enabling the
rhythms/fills to echoas well. Some sounded nice,some didn't, w.delay.
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This past weekend Jerry was supposed to get the innards back into the
restored case.  How's that going, Jerry?

Interestingly, Jerry has opted for the ∗original∗ Mark I (Mark II?)tape
set from Martin to keep this as authentic as possible.  It'lllargely be a
"working museum piece".  :-)

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The frame was reunitedinto the restored cabinet on 1-March.
All day followingwas spent on reinstalling the misc. assemblies,
speakers into thecabinet. Everything went perfectly !

Orig. MK-II R-F-L soundsare in the unit for as much originality
as possible. Thisyear,Julia turns 40, but she's worn it well.
During restorartion,I found dates of 1963 on SSCU's and elsewhere.
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The amps are a design similar to that in the JKMK6,and the original
speakers are used.  Jerry had a spare Accutronics reverb tankfrom the
JKMK6 experiments, and this replaced the original old reverb in Julia,
which had bitten the dust a while ago (and the reverb really works,
especially when compared to an original Mark II unit---trust me :-)).

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The original reverb(built by the Bradleys from tape return springs,
and 2 BSR phono cartridges)was there,but in no condition for use.
Two Wharfedale speakers(Model RS/12/DD dual-cone) really sound
great when insidethe cabinet. That bass-reflex effect inside enclosure.
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I'm looking forward to seeing Julia in person one of these days. Sounds
like it's just about there, even if over a phone, must be killer inperson!

Any updates, Professor?    ...kl...M400 #805 - Julia'sgrandkid
 

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As soon as I sort-outa minor impedance-mismatch with reverb unit,
Julia will be disassembledto make the task of carrying upstairs easier.
Then she'll take herplace under an enlarged/framed photo of Les
Bradley playing anotherMark-I long ago. Thanks for the inspiration,Les!

To honor(honour) MardiGras, I played a variety of Dixieland
riffs with tromboneand sax ,ending with Fransen's "YEAH!" for  my
colleagues today atwork. Another telephone performance.

Photos were taken throughoutthe process,and I'll have KM insert them
in the "Professor"Webpage,once they're scanned. After almost five
years of work/worry,it's gratifying to see successful completion to my
final Mellotron projectat home. One helluva "Swan-Song."

If JB/MS of Streetlywere able to resurrect the Spring MK-II
from a smelly heap,thenmy task of reviving Julia was yet another
example of perseverance."Genius is one percent inspiration,and
99 percent perspiration."--Thomas Alva Edison,USA, 1879.

Cheers, JK and theMellotron Village......