Re: [Mellotronists] Zeppelin tron?
2003-03-31 by ferrograph@aol.com
<<Is that a 'tron mixed in with everything else in the twiddly bits of Zepplin's "Kashmir"?>> I tried to find out a bit about this machine a few years back- the drummer of the band I played bass in was married to jpj's daughter... his huge kit included the gong that's visible on the back of "ummagumma", but he was unable to shed any light on the disposition of the 400 that's in plain view in much of the later footage of zeppelin. I think jpj went off them too... didn't mr page get custody after jpj got his big yamaha? roadies, from what I have gathered over the years, had a good deal less respect for gear back then, and the 400 particularly occupied an unfortunate position in the hierarchy... it was as awkward a lift as anything y'r average roadie would encounter, and yet weighed about the same as an ampeg svt bass amp. the precise alignment of it's internal workings (which, as we all now know, is the very root of it's success or failure) weren't as obviously important as, say, the setup of a guitar, when if they had been, perhaps players like jpj and rick wakeman might not have gone on record badmouthing the thing. so they got knocked about a bit, in a way that the nearest technical equivalent (a 1/4" machine- a revox, say) wouldn't have. dave greenslade's roadies (one of whom works at mtv now) used to take the frames out after every show and would sometimes "forget" to put them back if the machine was misbehaving. has anyone ever attached handles to the ends of a 400, or machined some picky-uppy slots (such as one might find in the back of a wooden chair) into the ends? some decent handles might've been the saving of a few 400's. d/400nr1098- bloodied but unbowed.