Hi Martin,
It's one of the new frames with the orange back tape (or is it red?). I think it's about a year old. I've been using the frame for the last week or more and it seems to have just started acting up yesterday, although I don't normally press the keys until the tape runs out, so maybe I just never noticed it.
Cheers,
Bernie
--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, tronbros <tronbros@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Bernie,
>
> Is this old tape or new? If the frame is old and the tapes have been held in position for many years, the memory of the turnbuckle is held in the tape and it tries to regain that shape as soon as it leaves the pinchroller and bunches before it goes into the box.
>
> Best,
>
> M
>
> 1963 to 2013 - 50 years of mellotrons
>
> mellotronics.com on my iPad
>
>
>
>
> On 6 Mar 2013, at 21:43, "tron400" <tron400@...> wrote:
>
> > Hi Martin,
> >
> > It looks to be a little more than 1/16"...maybe 3/32"...hard to measure. Between the pinch roller and the spill box lid on the low G and high F, I can see the tape move up and down as it goes into the spill box. After a couple of seconds, the tape intermittently touches the back edge of the lid and sometimes goes down between the capstan and the felt strip.
> >
> > Bernie
> >
> > --- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, tronbros wrote:
> > >
> > > Bernie,
> > >
> > > Check the distance between the pinchroller when depressed and the tape storage box lid. There should only be a very small clearance.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > >
> > > M
> > >
> > > 1963 to 2013 - 50 years of mellotrons
> > >
> > > mellotronics.com on my iPad
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 6 Mar 2013, at 17:08, lsf5275@ wrote:
> > >
> > > > Buy a Man-D-Mag and a humidifier.
> > > >
> > > > In a message dated 3/6/2013 6:54:32 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, tron400@ writes:
> > > >
> > > > Well, not just M400's.
> > > >
> > > > Yesterday, after turning mine on and letting it warm up, I did the arm across the keyboard trick to the end of the tapes and 3 of them didn't return. I had to remove the keyboard to release them (loosening the pinch roller and pad didn't do it).
> > > >
> > > > I played with one of the keys until the tape wouldn't return, even after removing the keyboard. The tape had bunched up in front of the capstan. When I unbunched it, I found that a small tape loop had gotten in between the capstan and the long felt pad in front of the capstan. The tape decided to take this route instead of going into the spill box. Static? The room is pretty dry with forced air heat.
> > > >
> > > > I haven't ever demagged the heads or capstan. Does that sound like what needs to be done? I have an old fashioned head demagnetizer (this kind: http://www.splicit.com/images/Demagnetizer2.jpg), but I'm not sure it will work on the capstan. Suggestions?
> > > >
> > > > Bernie
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>