Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: The Mellotron Group

----- Original Message -----

From: lsf5275@aol. com

To:  newmellotrongroup@ yahoogroups. com

Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 4:57 PM

Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] new mellotron book

In a message dated 7/31/2008 3:26:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, chris.dale@primus. ca writes:

This would be the kind of book that would most interest me. I could care less how many suspended notes someone uses in there technique. I would like to know exactly the process that Harry Chamberlin went through to make his first working anything. Then I would like to know How each successive machine was created and what thought processes went into their creation.

 

 

Well, Harry already had an engineering history working on B29 airplanes for the government, and rebuilt a couple of rusted Hupmobiles. He also was a raceboat driver and in the 1940's would win races against the Mafia using  a souped up engine. I think it was his determination to make something work regardless of the obstacles, that kept him going. He made a 'special room' out of a large walk in closet where he would acoustically test things. He would stay in there from 6 in the morning until 10 at night working away. In 1948 he also invented the intermittent "windshield squeegee" which helped him in his designs. 

 

 Same thing for the Mellotron and Streetly. What was it like back in the day in the "factory" when they were perfecting the Mark I, Mark II and the M300-400?

 

I've heard some "private" recordings of Les talking about this, and there were some real financial struggles unbeknownst to most. If a mutual working partnership between Les and Harry could have developed, it might have made things easier for both of them throughout the period. But the way it happened with Bill Fransen prevented it. Harry had a great deal of animosity towards Bill Fransen. Maybe if Fransen had separated from the Bradleys' earlier, a partnership might have been possible. Also technically - you probably would have had more crossover between the two instruments as far as parts and design go.

 

I'd like to know what occurred with Dave Biro and Wakeman...What went into making the Birotron, the Optigan, the Orchestron?

 

 

In researching the history and damage to the Wakeman Double-Tron, the Birotron story becomes interspersed along the way, as both instruments were worked on and modified at the same location.

 

The Birotron story interesting because it was never Dave Biro's intention to produce that instrument. He only ever built the prototype because he couldn't afford a Mellotron at the time, and was disappointed in it when he saw one in a music store. Probably poorly adjusted.

 

It was Wakemans' idea to go into business with it, and at the time the 8 track loop method had appeal because there was no limits on the playing time, and no fussing with adjusting pressure pads. Roger Whittaker, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Tangerine Dream etc. all placed orders. Demo model prototypes were sent to Captain and Tennille and Tangerine Dream. These were the B90 models - not perfected but good enough to betatest. 

 

The decision to stand the 8 tracks on their sides, arrival of the digital chip, and some personal and professional problems in Wakeman's life and outside his control, conspired to sink the project. In the aftermath, Dave Biro had designed an alternate model that corrected the problems in the B90. A prototype was made and funding secured from a different company, but the recession of the 80's ruined it.        

 

The Optigan came from the Chatty Cathy toy, where a disc was played to hear the doll talking. A Mattel executive thought the market was ripe for an organ that could do this and the original idea was to have an Optigan that had discs played with a needle just like a regular record. A model was done that showed this wouldn't work and they went to the light sensing disc reader. In a sense the Optigan is the first "CD player" but it borrows from technology used in the Kimball Organ earlier in the century. Mattel, nevertheless, had to buy out several patents owned by Harry Chamberlin and even used many Chamberlin recordings on the discs. Harry and Richard warned Mattel to stay away from certain ideas in the patents but Mattel didn't listen.  

 

Despite Mattel leaving their name off the product (so they could charge more)the Optigan was a toy organ aimed at families that would stand around and sing songs after supper, but that era had passed. Mattel soon realized this and sold the Optigan to a susidiary called Opsonar. Their new market would be to teach kids music, but Opsonar was legally entrapped in the problems of the Magnus Organ company and this brought and end to them.

 

The Optigan almost re-emerged as the "Chilton Talentmaker" when Roy Chilton (ex-Optigan) tried to market it. Several were made, but pending lawsuit threats put an end to them as well.

 

David VanKoevering (of Moog Music) started Vako and they re-released the Optigan as the Orchestron, doing away with the rhythm sections of the Optigan and Talentmaker. The Orchestron was obviously meant to take a share of the Mellotron market, but was offerred as a premium instrument at premium prices, and positioned outside of the market.  The Optical technology was later sold to NASA for use in their space program. It also was used in recordings made for German touring buses.  

 

 

That's the kind of book that would most appeal to me.

 

 

Sorry to ruin your fun Frank, I think I just wrote it! :)

 

 

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