Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists

Hi all!
We (Mellotron Archives) started making frames in 1992 and had made over 100
new tape frames for the 400 before we started making the MkVI in 1999. So
the "MkVI frames" were designed for the 400, and the basic design hasn't
been changed. In some rare instances one of the separator pins touches one
of the feet nuts in the bottom of the M400 cabinet, but this can easily be
fiexed by bending the separator pin by a few mm (less than 1/4"). That was
such a minor problem that it took years for anybody to even report this to
us.

The reason why we did the frames longer and with straight springs is to
allow longer playing time, protect the springs (the new frames do not have
exposed springs in the lower end), and make the frames lighter and easier to
manufacture, therefore giving more enthusiasts the chance to buy them.
Remember that we charge practically the same in $ for the frames as the 1973
Mellotron price list.
It is only in later years that there have been so many aggressive reports
about "the new frames don't fit in the old machines". As many of the people
on the list (like Mattias and Anekdoten) can confirm the Mellotron Archives
frames work perfectly in old machines. Many of the people reporting on the
list have never tried one of the new frames.

Concerning the threads: 4BA screws will fit in M5 holes/nuts. M5 won’t fit
in 4BA holes/nuts (but it’s close). New frames sold by MA to customers with
M400’s will get frames with 4BA screws. On the rare occation that someone
wants to use a MA frame with metric screws (bought with a MkVI) in a 400
there’s always the quick fix to swap the screws from an older frame (there’s
always an old frame around with an M400). The screws can be sent to me and
swapped free of charge against BA screws.

Concerning the tape widths: Somebody posted that MA’s tapes were slightly
wider than standard in Gordon’s test. That is not correct. MA has been
supplying 100’s of M400 tape sets that we have cut ourselves since the early
90’s, so naturally we know what width will fit the 400. The MkVI has very
exactly cut guides, so naturally it needs tapes that are precision-cut to
3/8 inch.

MA can supply tapes with studio standard azimuth (as for the MkVI) and old
Mellotron azimuth standard. We can also azimuth adjust old headblocks for
either studio standard azimuth or old Mellotron standard azimuth (the
azimuths on the old headblocks are all over the place most of the time).

Best
Markus