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Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Price of Mellotron in 1972

From: Chris Dale <unobtainiumkeys@gmail.com>
Date: 2010-06-16

Dave - I know what you mean:
 
 
I saw and met Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf and he was doing the same thing.
 
He used one of those strap on 80's style keyboards with inferior / fake organ sounds for Green Eyed Lady. It was disappointing.
 
I tactfully mentioned this to him, and he said he thought it sounded good enough, and that the audience is generally there to drink and have a good time and doesn't care....and that I'd be the only one to observe the sound quality!
 
He also said he can't cart around the B3 and Leslie anymore - too much work for both him (he's getting on) and the roadies.
 
He did tell me he liked the Mellotron but that his only experience was using Chamberlin music box sounds for his song "Music Box". 
 
He's also a stauch believer in UFOS as alien ships and told an intriguing story about driving through the back roads of Mexico while on tour with Sugarloaf.
 
But yes, the music today isn't what it once was.
 
That's why I'd rather give the audience a real show - offer something they sadly might never see anywhere else.
Even if my playing sucks that night, and everything goes wrong, and the Mellotron broke down - at least the audience in some small way still gets some special intangible thing out of it.
 
Young kids certainly seem facinated by Mellotrons.
Raised on a diet of computer games and software, they are completely blown away by the mechanics of these instruments. It's nothing short of witnessing  a miracle for many of them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 10:24 AM, <djacques@csulb.edu> wrote:
 

I guess I am just to cynical regarding the education of the audience. I don't think most of them know the difference. I see it all the time when bands like Three Dog Night perform with crappy sounding B3 clones and rave how great the organ sound was. If it was up to me I would perform with a B3 for every gig, but my XK3c sounds very close (but not totally there). But again they rave about the sound of the organ. I know better, but I am afraid most do not.

Regarding education I always show off my mellotron when I have people over to the house. Its a curiosity to them.

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From: Chris Dale <unobtainiumkeys@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:03:54 -0400
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Price of Mellotron in 1972

 

Your right Dave, it's easier. I don't fault anyone for using samples live - not everyone can psychologically deal with the real things, and some may not want the headache if they've got other things to worry about.
But I bet the new trons are guaranteed to be trouble free.
 
I still rely on mine live and as long as I'm good to it, it behaves. Same with the Chamberlin. I've also learned some people will go to a performance just to see those instruments so I'm only too happy to let them hear and enjoy the real things. 
And the more you play them, the better they work. 
 
I also like the aromas of  those old machines, enjoy feeling the motors under the keys, and watching the mechanics so it's not just about the sound for me - it's the whole experience. 
 
I would only ever use the samples as a backup. I feel if I've got the real thing, I should share that (especially with kids - and give them a window into the past that helps them appreciate music, engineering, and history a bit more).
 
 
 
 


 
On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 11:21 PM, <djacques@csulb.edu> wrote:
 

You would have to be very brave to depend on a classic mellotron during a live performance. I own my mellotron as a collectors piece. I still play it in my studio, but perform with a Motif and my tron samples. Not only will it be in tune and mechanically dependable, its also a lot lighter.

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From: Gary Brumm <gabru@comsec.net>
Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:06:25 -0400
Subject: RE: [newmellotrongroup] Price of Mellotron in 1972

 

Come on Chris, you don’t really believe that do you.  Seriously….many the people who made the instrument famous could afford

a boatload of these things IF THEY WANTED THEM…..THEY DON’T!  Tony Banks, Robert Fripp, Rick Wakeman, ect. can afford

any instruments they want….they chose to replace the Mellotrons and never looked back.  Most are on record of “hating those damn things”.

There is still a very limited market of collectors and musicians but you are more likely to see one on stage with a lower budget act “showing it off”

than headlining talent with the budget for several as spares.  They are a fascinating piece of musical history and I loved the sound the first time I heard it so don’t get me wrong….I appreciate it for what it is and was.  Musicians are much more likely to carry around the much heavier Hammond/Leslie combo than a tron and many still do….and the cost of the equipment is about the same or more in some cases.  A B3/Leslie is also standard equipment in many more studios than a tron.  I’m not trying to start a flame war but I’ve been around this stuff since the early 70’s (ok late 60’s J) as I am sure many of you on this list have been so I am speaking only from my experiences and YMMV J…

Cheers!



Studio ownership of Mellotrons also explains why many bands that used the Mellotron back then don't use them now - they never owned them to begin with.




On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 12:47 AM, John Wright <john.wright@consona.com> wrote:

 

 

Wonder how one could afford a Tron then.  Did studios buy them and lease them?

 

John

#911

 

From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of partune
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 10:34 AM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Price of Mellotron in 1972

 

Seeing all the posts about the price of the Tron on eBay, I've a copy of a letter I received in 1972 from DMI quoting a price on a new M400 as $3,500.00.

Regards,
partune