pduclie wrote:
> hi there everyone
> i found this group after searching the web for anything to do with
> mellotrons and found a link here from ken leonards web site. thanks
> ken. (if youre here)
> my name is pete dulcester and i live in the lake district in the north
> of england.
Welcome on board, Pete.
> im a kind of "jobbing musician", playing in a couple of
> bands here and there and generally making music my hobby for these
> last thirty years or so. my instrument of choice is the hammond c3 (i
> have 2 of them)
Very nice!
> and the fender rhodes of which i have three.
Also very nice!
> the reason ive joined in is because ive suddenly found myself owning a
> pair of quite large mellotrons.
Now it's not just nice...you're a lucky bastard!
> its a really long story how it got to
> this but the short story is that i was given them by a friend whose
> brother had died and whose house was needing cleared of his stuff.
> knowing i play music he handed me over these keyboards without knowing
> what they were. i knew about mellotrons from the old days but never
> expected to see one or play one. now i have 2!
Wow!
> ive looked all over the web for pictures and lt looks like i have a
> 400 and a 5. the 400 is in quite clean nick but wont start up when i
> try it. there is a set of tapes in it and another set in a dirty flat
> black suitcase which i assume was built to carry them. comparing
> pictures and machine it looks like it is missing a drive belt and has
> a foot-shaped hole in the front panelling where it looks like someone
> lost his temper with it!
LOL! That could be one of hundreds of 70s keyboard players -- except
Wakeman. Had it been his it would have gone up in smoke.
> the 5 is in a worse state with the plastic covering peeling away from
> it and the wood from the casing warping. the 400 was stored in a
> cupboard but the 5 was stored in a covered outhouse that got damp.
> there are no tapes in the 5 and the metalwork looks either dirty or
> rusty.
At least they didn't wind up in somebody's chicken shack.
> so i have questions for you all. first how much effort would it be to
> renovate them? im thinking time and expense mainly even just
> approximately. the other question is whether or not they would be
> saleable in this current condition? are there mellotron breakers yards
> anywhere in the uk? (joke)
> thanks for listening to a newcomer
>
> pete
You've come to exactly the right place. You want to talk the the
gents from Streetly, who hang out here. They'll no doubt be chiming
in soon.
--
Cheers,
SDM -- a 21st century schizoid man
Systems Theory internet music project links:
soundclick <www.soundclick.com/systemstheory>
garageband <
http://www.garageband.com/artist/systemstheory>
"Soundtracks For Imaginary Movies" CD released Dec 2004
"Codetalkers" CD coming end of 2005
NP: nothing
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