Mellotronists

Mark,
 
I don't recall singling you out, but... Facts are, I have spent a ton of  
money with Streetly and a substantial amount with Marcus (I don't really  
consider Dave as an active part of the production/sales side of MA). Because I  
repair/restore M-400s on occasion, I have reason to do so. I also have a fairly  
decent inventory of spare parts as well as eight tape frames and three other  
tape sets.
 
However, I have spoke or corresponded with Mellotron owners  on  and off the 
list who are just plain reluctant to invest in anything beyond  owning a 
Mellotron for the sake of owning one. Unfortunately for us in the US,  the American 
dollar is performing poorly against other currencies, especially  the British 
Pound Sterling. This has got to make it doubly tough on Streetly's  ability 
to market to the US. 
 
You may want to consider that a lot of Tron owners come to this list after  
acquiring their machines. 
 
Lastly, in support of Streetly, I will tell you that They are building  their 
business without the resources that Dave Kean had. They were/are strictly  a 
self contained enterprise that has continuously reinvested its income into  
developing new sounds and new parts. Soon there will be new machines as well. I  
am sure, as with everything else I have ever seen from them, the quality will 
be  second to none.
 
An, although Markus is a great guy and a terrific craftsman and innovator,  
there have been no new additions to the world library of Mellotron sounds from  
MA. Also, the first Mark IV didn't just show up out of the blue. It took a 
long  time to produce the prototype. Then, once production began, it is well 
known  that the first machines were inundated with problems that seemingly took a 
 couple of years to finally get the bugs worked out.  Perhaps Streetly is  
being a bit more cautious with so much at stake. Finally, Streetly has built its 
 business on the acquisition, restoration and resale of existing machines. 
There  is certainly no one more capable then they to do so.
 
If you purchase new rollers or other parts from MA, solved your problems  and 
are happy, so be it. As for Andy, he is a frequent and positive contributor  
to this list. He is also a musician who uses his Mellotron for its intended  
purpose. He also obviously has other financial responsibilities that limit how  
much he has to invest in his machine,as do most of us.
 
Enjoy your Mellotron. I think you have beat whatever point you are trying  to 
make into the ground.
 
Peace,
 
Frank