Mellotronists

jamierob54 wrote:

> As the apparent "sucker" that paid $2900 (no postage - it's a pickup)
> for the M400 on eBay, I thought I should make some attempt at
> defending my action, if only to make myself feel better.

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Hello Jamie and Welcome to the Tron List,

Congrats on acquiring the M400 from Hoboken,NJ that sold on eBay.
There's probably lots more out there,just waiting for a new home.

The NYC Tri-State area is a great place to locate Trons,as is the
West Coast. Sometimes,one can be found for a bargain. I gathered
that the seller was satisfied with his opening bid of $1100.00 ,
otherwise he would(should?) have set a reserve. eBay is NOT the
place for bargain-hunters. The eBay community set the final price
on the unit,the "gotta have it factor" weighed heavily .

That said, I wish you many years of enjoyment and a love/hate
relationship that will appreciate with time. The days when Pierre
Veilleux in Montreal would find them for $150/each in 1981
are sadly long-gone.  And even the one I found in NJ for $650
in 1997, ditto.
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> I'm assuming that most of you here already own a Mellotron, and
> therefore may not be aware of just how difficult it is to find one,
> let alone a deal.  I'm sure that if I had more patience, I could have
> located the perfect situation - the odd forgotten keyboard in the
> basement, the unsuspecting seller...  But I'm not getting any
> younger, and it's been a long-standing desire to find and restore one
> of these instruments from my childhood that was so influencial to me.

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I owned my first one brand-new exactly 30 years ago . At the age
of 19 then ,the love-affair has only deepened thru the decades .
Who's to deny you your desire in life? Some middle-age men save
years and years to buy a red Corvette . To achieve your heart's desire,
there's really no set price-tag on that. .....So enjoy, Jamie !
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> In any event, now that I in fact own one, I'll no doubt be looking
> for advice and help with parts and restoration work, so I hope you
> will all forgive my exuberence and welcome me into the club.
>
> Sincerely,  Jamie Robertson  ,  M400 #380 (I think)
> www.robertsonics.com

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You've come to THE right place for tech-tips, support, advice,
and even some cheerful  grief.  There are people here who are
experts on painting/refinishing, mechanical stuff (motors,rollers,pads)
audio (headblock,preamps) and electrical (power-supply,etc).
Then of course,fine-tuning,prev-maint,and playing techniques.

The seller indicated occasional noise from 1/4" phone jack.
Dirt,loose cable,age,cracked housing, or any/all the mentioned.
Make a list of things you find. Go thru the machine systematically,
and ask the list or individual members that have expertise in
certain areas.  Help is out-there for you.

The Ser.No. can be found in myriad of places, e.g: alum. frame,
inside-cabinet,etc.  That will help to determine date of manufacture.

Good luck with your M400 Jamie,and welcome to the List.
Cheers, Jerry Korb in icy-cold New England (-4 F/-20C high today!)

MK1/124,    M300/037,    M400/681 ,   JKMK6/001