Mellotronists

On Fri, Jun 04, 2004 at 11:00:01AM -0400, Ken Leonard wrote:
> At 11:22 AM 6/4/2004 +0000, tmoravan wrote:
> >OK - before I replace these worn out tapes, how do I know if I did a
> >thorough job demagnetizing the tape heads?
> 
> Hmmm...First of all, is there any high end to wipe out on one of these 
> things?  ;-)
> 
On the current set of tapes, virtually none.  Although, some of the
less-played notes still have that original bite and grit to them.  

> Note that "screeching cable rot" 
> (http://www.kleonard.com/gear/tronecdo.htm) could certainly cause problems 
> in this regard.  If it has not been done, replace the cable going from the 
> preamp to the head block with new cable---the wire turns to dust after a 
> while and begins to fail intermittently...shudder...
> 

When I was taking out the headblock I noticed that the visible
shielding looked corroded, almost like that ash that forms on
aluminum (or aluminium if you prefer).  Replacing the cable is now
on the task list (since I'm pulling the amp block anyway).


Has someone prepared an "essential maintenance" list for anyone that
picks up a Mellotron?  I've pieced together some stuff to do and to
look for based on scanning message archives, websites, newsgroups, etc
but it wasn't all in one place.