SV: .. [Mellotronists] mellotron production..
2002-01-17 by Markus Resch
Hi David!
Dave and I have been delivering the MKVI since early 1999. But our
commitment to the Mellotron is far older than that (no thanks mr Korb for
omitting this piece of information). In the early nineties David Kean
managed to buy (and rescue) both the American and the English parts of the
Mellotron Tape library and spare parts stock. At that time hardly anybody
was interested in Mellotrons, many calling Dave "a nut" when he bought all
this stuff. His main reason for this was to save this important piece of
music history (as he has also done in later years by founding the Audities
foundation (see audities.org)), before it was lost. This was an obvious
danger especially with the American part of the Mellotron stuff, since this
had been sold in a liquidation to some people who weren't interested at all
in the "old junk" and were about to scrap it.
When David subsequently contacted Leslie Bradley, who still had what was
left of Streetly Electronics, he had the following to say when David
contacted him and told him that he (Dave) was setting up Mellotron Archives:
"The news was very exciting. Having put our own company (Streetly) into
liquidation some years ago, I really believed that the Mellotron was more or
less passe. The news hit me like a triple scotch, WOW, twenty three years of
my life revived!" (from one of the first Mellotron Archives news letters in
'91)
Since the early nineties we have been making tapes, repairing Mellotrons and
supplying spare parts. I have been manufacturing SMS motor control boards,
tape frames, tape frame boxes etc while David has been handling the sales
and made the tapes. For a long time we were the only ones making tapes and
Mellotron parts worldwide. We also own the trade mark "Mellotron" world
wide. So it's definitely a 'labor of love' from our side, since we have done
it during some of the years when Mellotrons were at the lowest level of
popularity. If I wanted to make money, I certainly wouldn't make and service
Mellotrons - my translation business could easily be expanded.
Our website since the mid 90:s is www.mellotron.com
The fastest way to contact me directly is via markus.resch@...
I hope I have managed to give you an overview of Dave's and my involvment in
the Mellotron.
Best regards
Markus
Dave and I have been delivering the MKVI since early 1999. But our
commitment to the Mellotron is far older than that (no thanks mr Korb for
omitting this piece of information). In the early nineties David Kean
managed to buy (and rescue) both the American and the English parts of the
Mellotron Tape library and spare parts stock. At that time hardly anybody
was interested in Mellotrons, many calling Dave "a nut" when he bought all
this stuff. His main reason for this was to save this important piece of
music history (as he has also done in later years by founding the Audities
foundation (see audities.org)), before it was lost. This was an obvious
danger especially with the American part of the Mellotron stuff, since this
had been sold in a liquidation to some people who weren't interested at all
in the "old junk" and were about to scrap it.
When David subsequently contacted Leslie Bradley, who still had what was
left of Streetly Electronics, he had the following to say when David
contacted him and told him that he (Dave) was setting up Mellotron Archives:
"The news was very exciting. Having put our own company (Streetly) into
liquidation some years ago, I really believed that the Mellotron was more or
less passe. The news hit me like a triple scotch, WOW, twenty three years of
my life revived!" (from one of the first Mellotron Archives news letters in
'91)
Since the early nineties we have been making tapes, repairing Mellotrons and
supplying spare parts. I have been manufacturing SMS motor control boards,
tape frames, tape frame boxes etc while David has been handling the sales
and made the tapes. For a long time we were the only ones making tapes and
Mellotron parts worldwide. We also own the trade mark "Mellotron" world
wide. So it's definitely a 'labor of love' from our side, since we have done
it during some of the years when Mellotrons were at the lowest level of
popularity. If I wanted to make money, I certainly wouldn't make and service
Mellotrons - my translation business could easily be expanded.
Our website since the mid 90:s is www.mellotron.com
The fastest way to contact me directly is via markus.resch@...
I hope I have managed to give you an overview of Dave's and my involvment in
the Mellotron.
Best regards
Markus