Hi Bruce:
I kept the spring connections on it. I didn't modify it because I was told it should remain as original as possible for legally authenticating it for insurance reasons. And authenticating it for insurance was already becoming a big project itself - a bit of a nightmare actually.
It could be made better, but then I would be affecting the historical value - apparently. I think the legalities differ from country to country.
Streetly, Jerry Korb, and myself only ever did the minor necessary fixes to it.
When the electronics were repaired / reworked we used only the original parts that were already present.
It would have been easier and sensible even to replace everything and start anew, but the electronics and parts were already changed to be unique to this machine, so we decided to clean up and repair everything to leave as it was originally modified. That took much longer to do of course. There was also a fear that using regular Mellotron replacement electronics wouldn't work. It was either 'keep it as originally modified' or start over again from scratch.
I remember even scraping rust off all the screws / dipping in rust remover instead of just replacing them - that also was a nightmare. I didn't have proper tools at the time.
I gotta laugh. Even the re-paint had the scrapings of the original paint in it! That was someone else's suggestion but the decision to actually do that was a bit ridiculous maybe.
I guess that's somehow pedantic in keeping with Yes.
The sound is different from the other 400's. In fact, if I put on Topographic Oceans, then play each of the 3 Mellotrons along to certain passages of it - then ask people (not in the know of course) the question : "which Mellotron from this group of 3 machines is being used on this record?" People can guess the double tron most of the time.
Wakeman told me they had the tapes re-equed and the mistakes removed. For instance there is no thud at the end of the cello's highest note. There are other differences too. The low cello is not as boomy for instance. The vibes have no vibrato.
They almost seem to be taken from alternate versions of the tapes. Mellotronics in London did the job.
The two 400 keyboards in a black cabinet is supposedly where the idea for making the MKV originally came from.
Wakeman's high profile (at that time) apparently legitimized the demand for a double machine again.
I have to say that if I didn't have the combined help from Jerry Korb, Martin and John at Streetly, Dave Kean and Markus - then that machine likely never would have been fixed.
Whether it was their time, advice, a mechanical part, a production certificate, a hand-drawn schematic of the electronics etc. - every one of them contributed some resource or element that the other couldn't have or didn't have access to. I can almost say it's the one Mellotron everyone worked together on to help fix!
I'll always be thankful for that.
Each member of Yes (era 1973) has also autographed it under the lid. That was actually a necessary part of authenticating it. Jon Anderson couldn't believe the amount of work that went into restoring it. Roger Dean (with a pained expression) said "Why bother?" Wakeman's mentions the whole process infrequently in online interviews when asked 'what happened to your old Mellotrons?'.
I guess I'll end this long e-mail by saying I have both fond and horrible memories in getting it restored.
On Fri, Jun 22, 2012 at 9:46 AM, Bruce Daily
<pocotron@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hey Chris-
Did you keep the spring connection between the flywheels, or did you have it modified somehow?
-Bruce Daily
Hi Clay / everyone.
Yes (pun intended) its seems to be the Double Tron. There's a part in the audio where Rick says ' and on the other side' - referring to the other left side keyboard.
Also -the sounds are in those configurations on each side of the instrument.
In several conversations and e-mails with Wakeman, he told me he used the configurated Double Tron for everything after 1972.
Supposedly it was where the original idea for the MK V model came.
Six mellotron voices. He is probably playing the wake-o-tron double M400 one capstan thing. Strings/brass/flute - vibes/cello/choir
Chris? What say you?
Clay
--- In
mailto:newmellotrongroup%40yahoogroups.com, Robert <rmrmax@...> wrote:
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> For you Rick Wakeman and / or Oscar Peterson fans, I thought you might enjoy this YouTube - audio only post. Rick does play the Mellotron in it and there is a brief discussion on the various keyboards that he uses. Then, Oscar apparently plays the Mini Moog, etc. as Rick manipulates the controls.
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> Robert
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9z5ouOpvBE>
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