On Wed, 23 Mar 2005, mellotrongirl wrote:
> Do the keys lay flat and level like a row of straight teeth?
<stupid cheap shot>
wait a minute... they were made in england...
</stupid cheap shot>
> Look for major dents in the corners that might imply a dropped
> unit/tweaked -unsquare cabinet. Ask the seller why it's for sale. That
> question almost sounds personal, but this is a major purchase...and
> the answer may say a lot. I can't conceive selling a 'tron unless I'm
> in total dire financial straits. Ask about the history of the machine
> and how often it is/was used. Has the seller ever had to buy/replace
> parts? Where did the extra racks come from?
yeah - ask a lot of questions.
> Then of course turn on the machine and check the sound of the
> mechanics, and run through all three racks note by note, all three
> selections to the full eight seconds, and with the top off, note how
> they retract and the fidelity of each sound is. The motor/flywheel
> should make the light whirring sound of a well-oiled machine. Ask if
> the seller ever demagnetised the heads/gave the unit regular
> maintenance. Do the pots sound scratchy? There's so much to say here
> without being there with you when you make the purchase, but a lot of
> the little things that typically go wrong are usually easy to fix and
> adjust. If the sounds through the seller's amplifier/speaker system
> sound good and steady to you...that's the happiness factor right there.
chances are that it will have some "issues"
[don't we all?]
be wary of expectations.
try and determine what is causing any detected problems.
IE: a beat set of tapes can make an otherwise fine unit sound like crap.
a machine way out of adjustment can make a fine set of tapes sound like
crap. use your common sense - your eyes - your ears - and worse case
scenario, your nose ;0)
bring either an expert or at lest somebody with some basic knowledge
if you can. they will know what questions to ask and what the "good"
answers are, what can be fixed, what will cost you more than you might
think you want to get into...
...and be sure to check which motor card it has, and check for the serial
number on every possible part to make sure they match each other.
and lastly, be sure to report back here with your findings and any
questions you may have. this is the best resource available [short
of having streetly or mellotron archives accompany you personally].
> If this is the craigslist unit offered w/the muff and racks in the Bay
> Area, I'd say that sounds like an okay deal to me if all is in working
> order. From just the vibe I get about the way the unit is presented
> (the muff case is a good sign that the owner is conscious about
> protecting the unit), methinks you'll be our newest happy 'tron owner.
best of luck!
jeff