Mellotronists

Hello,

I just joined this list about 2 weeks ago, though I've been a fan of 
the Mellotron for years.  I was first exposed to its subtle, sublime 
yet intoxicating sound when I listened to "In the Court of the 
Crimson King".  I've been hooked ever since, and have become acustom 
to everything from the Moody Blues to Turin Brakes (I'm quite sure 
they use a 'tron in their most recent recording - no?)

I've been watching for a used Mellotron, as I do not (yet) own one.  
I realize that many of you own one (if not more) Mellotrons, so I 
apologize if my questions are too sophomoronic.

- Can Mk II tapes be used in an M400 ?

- What kind of maintanence is involved, do the tape heads need re-
alignment?

- I live in San Francisco.  I would love to put my fingers to the 
real deal.  Is there anyone on this list, living in San Francisco?  
I'd be happy to show my studio, I have the other 'Greats' at my 
place; a Yamaha CP-70b 'Elecric Grand', a coule Fender-Rhodes, a 
Hammond organ + Leslie (waiting for a Bob Schleiker mod), and Hohner 
D6 Clavinet.  Clearly, I'm missing an Arp and a Mellotron!

The posts that I've read in the past 2 weeks have been fantastic.  I 
really dig 'Seventh Sojourn' and have been listening to 'Selling 
England by the Pound' for the past month.  Of course, I'll never 
recend my Debussy, Deep Purple, or Swervedriver - I just wish they'd 
use(d) the Mellotron!!!

Regards,

John Hofmeyer

John Hofmeyer Wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I just joined this list about 2 weeks ago, though I've been a fan of
> the Mellotron for years.
>
> I've been watching for a used Mellotron, as I do not (yet) own one.
> I realize that many of you own one (if not more) Mellotrons, so I
> apologize if my questions are too sophomoronic.
>
> - Can Mk II tapes be used in an M400 ?

_______________________________________________________________

Season's Greetings John,

Welcome to  our group of wild and crazy but loveable
Troniacs .  We all share the same affliction, bitten by
the Mellotron bug long ago, and has developed into
Troniac fever.  Happily so , I might add.....
I'll do my best to answer your questions for you.

MK-II tapes can be used in an M400. But the real catch
is that they must be permanently sacrificed in order to
lace them on an M400 frame. It's difficult and tedious
to locate the start of each tape, then cutting-off the ends.
There are six sets of sounds for each MK-II
tape. But you might lose a portion of the previous and
successive sound when coverting to M400 frame.
This is due to the different lengths of unrecorded tape
on M400 and between stations on MK-II models.
This make any sense?.......I'm starting to ramble.....
______________________________________________________

> - What kind of maintanence is involved, do the tape heads need re-
> alignment?

_____________________________________________________________

The headblocks can be checked for head azimuth upon
instrument restoration. Streetly offers this service for all
models.  This needs to be performed only once.

1)Cleanliness of heads,rollers,tape-path, etc. is paramount.
2)Adjustments of key tension,pads,rollers crucial to playability.
All Tron owners have endured horrible sounds from their
instruments during initial setup of these.
3)Lubrication of motor bushings,belt tension,speed-ctrl.
optimization.

These are the usual P.M. items to attend to when owning a Tron.
More things involved with the cycling machines, but  I won't
list them at this time.

Fellow 'Tronists, in case I forgot something(very possible),
feel free to include the others .
________________________________________________________

>
>
> - I live in San Francisco.  I would love to put my fingers to the
> real deal.  Is there anyone on this list, living in San Francisco?
> I'd be happy to show my studio, I have the other 'Greats' at my
> place; a Yamaha CP-70b 'Elecric Grand', a coule Fender-Rhodes, a
> Hammond organ + Leslie (waiting for a Bob Schleiker mod), and Hohner
> D6 Clavinet.  Clearly, I'm missing an Arp and a Mellotron!

________________________________________________________________

The West Coast has been prime territory for locating and
owning a Tron. Happy Hunting !  Just pass the word......
....Actually, I think you did.
_________________________________________________________

> The posts that I've read in the past 2 weeks have been fantastic.  I
> really dig 'Seventh Sojourn' and have been listening to 'Selling
> England by the Pound' for the past month.  Of course, I'll never
> recend my Debussy, Deep Purple, or Swervedriver - I just wish they'd
> use(d) the Mellotron!!!   Regards,   John Hofmeyer

________________________________________________________________

"Seventh Sojourn"  was mostly recorded using a Chamberlin
M4 . But Mellotron is still in the mix throughout.

One nice thing about our List is that several generations have
come together to pay homage to the Tron and its music
and creators. Loyal fans (as I) who first heard the Tron in
the '60s-'70s, those who took an interest in the late '80s,
and younger members of college-age who are into "classic"
rock .  Guess I'm a "classic" too, heh-heh!

Once more, welcome !

Cheers, Jerry Korb (Tron owner 30+ yrs, and restoration service)
(MK1/124, M300/037, M400/681, JKMK6/001, MK-II/134(visiting))

Welcome from another SoCal Troniac!
 
Like Jerry said we all have similar roots... Mine started on a cold, wet
August night in 1969 when I first saw and heard King Crimson playing
live at the West Palm Beach Festival. 
 
I was looking for a tron for a few years.. searching EBAy, etc... until
out of the blue a seller from Texas contacted me who wanted to sell his
M400 privately! He sent me pictures, confirmed addresses, negotiated a
price, and before long a chicken truck pulled up to my So Cal home with
a crate in the back containing a white Mellotron...
 
Now, if you want a good deal, there is this guy named Jerry in San Diego
who owns a MKII that you could probably talk him out of if you offer
that Clavinet....

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Korb [mailto:jkorb@...] 
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 4:36 AM
To: MELLOTRONISTS-LIST
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] New member : question...


John Hofmeyer Wrote: 

Hello, 

I just joined this list about 2 weeks ago, though I've been a fan of 
the Mellotron for years. 


I've been watching for a used Mellotron, as I do not (yet) own one. 
I realize that many of you own one (if not more) Mellotrons, so I 
apologize if my questions are too sophomoronic. 


- Can Mk II tapes be used in an M400 ?

_______________________________________________________________ 

Season's Greetings John, 


Welcome to  our group of wild and crazy but loveable 
Troniacs .  We all share the same affliction, bitten by 
the Mellotron bug long ago, and has developed into 
Troniac fever.  Happily so , I might add..... 
I'll do my best to answer your questions for you. 


MK-II tapes can be used in an M400. But the real catch 
is that they must be permanently sacrificed in order to 
lace them on an M400 frame. It's difficult and tedious 
to locate the start of each tape, then cutting-off the ends. 
There are six sets of sounds for each MK-II 
tape. But you might lose a portion of the previous and 
successive sound when coverting to M400 frame. 
This is due to the different lengths of unrecorded tape 
on M400 and between stations on MK-II models. 
This make any sense?.......I'm starting to ramble..... 
______________________________________________________ 


- What kind of maintanence is involved, do the tape heads need re- 
alignment?

_____________________________________________________________ 

The headblocks can be checked for head azimuth upon 
instrument restoration. Streetly offers this service for all 
models.  This needs to be performed only once. 


1)Cleanliness of heads,rollers,tape-path, etc. is paramount. 
2)Adjustments of key tension,pads,rollers crucial to playability. 
All Tron owners have endured horrible sounds from their 
instruments during initial setup of these. 
3)Lubrication of motor bushings,belt tension,speed-ctrl. 
optimization. 


These are the usual P.M. items to attend to when owning a Tron. 
More things involved with the cycling machines, but  I won't 
list them at this time. 


Fellow 'Tronists, in case I forgot something(very possible), 
feel free to include the others . 
________________________________________________________ 


  

- I live in San Francisco.  I would love to put my fingers to the 
real deal.  Is there anyone on this list, living in San Francisco? 
I'd be happy to show my studio, I have the other 'Greats' at my 
place; a Yamaha CP-70b 'Elecric Grand', a coule Fender-Rhodes, a 
Hammond organ + Leslie (waiting for a Bob Schleiker mod), and Hohner 
D6 Clavinet.  Clearly, I'm missing an Arp and a Mellotron!

________________________________________________________________ 

The West Coast has been prime territory for locating and 
owning a Tron. Happy Hunting !  Just pass the word...... 
....Actually, I think you did. 
_________________________________________________________ 


The posts that I've read in the past 2 weeks have been fantastic.  I 
really dig 'Seventh Sojourn' and have been listening to 'Selling 
England by the Pound' for the past month.  Of course, I'll never 
recend my Debussy, Deep Purple, or Swervedriver - I just wish they'd 
use(d) the Mellotron!!!   Regards,   John Hofmeyer

________________________________________________________________ 

"Seventh Sojourn"  was mostly recorded using a Chamberlin 
M4 . But Mellotron is still in the mix throughout. 


One nice thing about our List is that several generations have 
come together to pay homage to the Tron and its music 
and creators. Loyal fans (as I) who first heard the Tron in 
the '60s-'70s, those who took an interest in the late '80s, 
and younger members of college-age who are into "classic" 
rock .  Guess I'm a "classic" too, heh-heh! 


Once more, welcome ! 


Cheers, Jerry Korb (Tron owner 30+ yrs, and restoration service) 
(MK1/124, M300/037, M400/681, JKMK6/001, MK-II/134(visiting)) 


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> > - Can Mk II tapes be used in an M400 ?
> 
> MK-II tapes can be used in an M400. But the real catch
> is that they must be permanently sacrificed in order to
> lace them on an M400 frame. It's difficult and tedious
> to locate the start of each tape, then cutting-off the ends.
> There are six sets of sounds for each MK-II
> tape. But you might lose a portion of the previous and
> successive sound when coverting to M400 frame.
> This is due to the different lengths of unrecorded tape
> on M400 and between stations on MK-II models.
> This make any sense?.......I'm starting to ramble.....

The easiest way is to order the MKII tapes from Streetly and let 
Martin and John put them on a brand new frame for you :)

Bernie

Hey John,

Welcome to the list.  I've been around this thing for the last 3-4 years variously in and out of lurk mode.  I live in San Francisco and have not only an M400 (a pretty early one) in great shape, but also an Orchestron, an Orchestron and another Orchestron, which will give you some idea of the type of people who hang out here.  The guy who occupies the office next to mine also has an M400 and we share tape frames.  Feel free to e-mail me at work, and let's see if we can get together maybe after the holidays.  

Stan Cotey
M400/174

-----Original Message-----
From: j_hofmeyer [mailto:j_hofmeyer@...]
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 2:51 AM
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Mellotronists] New member : question...


Hello,

I just joined this list about 2 weeks ago, though I've been a fan of 
the Mellotron for years.  I was first exposed to its subtle, sublime 
yet intoxicating sound when I listened to "In the Court of the 
Crimson King".  I've been hooked ever since, and have become acustom 
to everything from the Moody Blues to Turin Brakes (I'm quite sure 
they use a 'tron in their most recent recording - no?)

I've been watching for a used Mellotron, as I do not (yet) own one.  
I realize that many of you own one (if not more) Mellotrons, so I 
apologize if my questions are too sophomoronic.

- Can Mk II tapes be used in an M400 ?

- What kind of maintanence is involved, do the tape heads need re-
alignment?

- I live in San Francisco.  I would love to put my fingers to the 
real deal.  Is there anyone on this list, living in San Francisco?  
I'd be happy to show my studio, I have the other 'Greats' at my 
place; a Yamaha CP-70b 'Elecric Grand', a coule Fender-Rhodes, a 
Hammond organ + Leslie (waiting for a Bob Schleiker mod), and Hohner 
D6 Clavinet.  Clearly, I'm missing an Arp and a Mellotron!

The posts that I've read in the past 2 weeks have been fantastic.  I 
really dig 'Seventh Sojourn' and have been listening to 'Selling 
England by the Pound' for the past month.  Of course, I'll never 
recend my Debussy, Deep Purple, or Swervedriver - I just wish they'd 
use(d) the Mellotron!!!

Regards,

John Hofmeyer




To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Mellotronists-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

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In a message dated 12/4/2003 7:41:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
Stan_Cotey@... writes:
Welcome to the list.  I've been around this thing for the last 3-4 years 
variously in and out of lurk mode.  I live in San Francisco and have not only an 
M400 (a pretty early one) in great shape, but also an Orchestron, an Orchestron 
and another Orchestron, which will give you some idea of the type of people 
who hang out here.  The guy who occupies the office next to mine also has an 
M400 and we share tape frames.  Feel free to e-mail me at work, and let's see if 
we can get together maybe after the holidays.  
Oh I get it! You invite the new guy and not the rest of us, AND Digi bails on 
SampleCell? See if you get a gift from this Santa this year mister! :>)

Fritz m400 #1697

I am hosting a party at my rehearsal studio, tomorrow
Dec. 6.  Though it will be absent of a Mellotron,
there will be other, vintage, keys - as well as other
musicians.

I realize that I'm new to the list, and a stranger to
the folks here.  Just thought I'd extend the
invitation to anyone living in/around San Francisco.

The party is in celebration of KrampusNacht, which (to
my 'Americanized' understanding) occurs on Dec. 5th or
6th.  My studio, "Workshop Vom Krampus" is the perfect
setting for such an event - which has proven to be a
lot of fun in the past.

If you are interested in attending, please send me an
email and I'll send more specifics (directions).  I'll
have an open bar, pinball, and plenty of
musician/musical entertainment (...party attendees are
encouraged to participate - especially if they can
play!..)

Thanks for the warm welcome to the list!

-John Hofmeyer

Now playing: PFM, "The World became the World"



--- Stan Cotey <Stan_Cotey@...> wrote:
> I know!  I know!  Well, okay then, you're all
> welcome.  Just somebody please bring the beer. 
> Seriously, including my neighbor, I can think of at
> least five or so owners within a short distance. 
> Maybe some type of post New Year's gathering is in
> order.  Let's see, I've got an empty frame, and a
> box of tapes, and a Twain book to draw inspiration
> from.  That and a can of whitewash should get me... 
> 
>  
> Oh and Santa, I'd really like a Titanium capstan
> please and an SMS-5.  
>  
> Stan 
> M400/174
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fdoddy@... [mailto:fdoddy@...]
> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 7:25 PM
> To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] New member :
> question...
> 
> 
> In a message dated 12/4/2003 7:41:38 PM Eastern
> Standard Time, Stan_Cotey@... writes:
> 
> Welcome to the list.  I've been around this thing
> for the last 3-4 years variously in and out of lurk
> mode.  I live in San Francisco and have not only an
> M400 (a pretty early one) in great shape, but also
> an Orchestron, an Orchestron and another Orchestron,
> which will give you some idea of the type of people
> who hang out here.  The guy who occupies the office
> next to mine also has an M400 and we share tape
> frames.  Feel free to e-mail me at work, and let's
> see if we can get together maybe after the holidays.
>  
> 
> Oh I get it! You invite the new guy and not the rest
> of us, AND Digi bails on SampleCell? See if you get
> a gift from this Santa this year mister! :>)
>  
> Fritz m400 #1697
> 
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