Mellotronists

Andy Thompson wrote:

>
>
>      ----- Original Message -----
>      From: George Summers
>      To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
>      Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2004 11:10 PM
>      Subject: [Mellotronists] Hi !
>       Hi,I JUST now joined this ensemble after invitation to do
>      so by Ken Merbler in March 2003 and by Jerry Korb in
>      September 2003. Better late then never.I'm in Houston, Texas
>      USA ! and proud to be & also proud to be the owner of M 400
>      S s/n 553 that I bought new in Nov 1974 in my native
>      Virginia (Washington, D.C. area). I'm happy that so many
>      folks like these old critters! Remember, old mellotrons
>      never die they just fade away (after 8 seconds) !A-OK,
>      George Summers  gpsummers@...
>
>      Welcome to the group, George. Interesting to note that you
>      bought a 500-numbered 'Tron new a year after my
>      1100-numbered machine was manufactured - maybe something to
>      do with export models? Anyone?    Andy T.
>
>      __________________________________________________________________________
>
>      Hi Andy, George, and everyone,
>
>      Not sure about the sequential numbering vs. locations
>      of M400's.   I purchased my M400 new in July-1973,
>      #681 from Sound Cities Music in London, and had it
>      shipped to the USA.
>
>      My buddy Larry "Synergy" Fast purchased his M400
>      #725 new in May 1973 from Rondo Music,Union,NJ.
>      This was the same M400 used in his premiere LP
>      "Electronic Realizations For Rock Orchestra", 1975.
>
>      Dallas Arbiter began importing Trons in early 1971,
>      maybe they shipped groups of M400's to certain
>      regions/distributorships  of the USA.
>      .....I'm only guessing of course.
>
>      JB/Martin, any ideas??   Hey George, perhaps you
>      and Ches Cain can get-together.....If enough Tronists
>      in the DFW/Houston regions, a  Tex-TronFest would
>      be nice,complete with 55-gal. BBQ smokers  and
>      cases of Shiner beers !
>
>      Regards,  Jerry Korb  (been to New Braunfels TX
>      AND old Braunfels, Germany)
>

In a message dated 1/4/04 3:20:53 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
kinchmusic@... writes:


> Hmm..A Texas Tronfest?  Do you know just how good that sounds to those of 
> us here in the UK?  On the subject of Serial numbers. Isn't it about time that 
> there was definitive Web based register of where all surviving trons can be 
> registered?

Howdy, Y'all.

Oops...sorry, forgot I'm not from Texas.

There a registry on DK's site...but try getting access to it!  I've been 
keeping an unofficial list of trons, etc, as I come across them one way or 
another.  Most, but not all, have serial #'s; a few just the knowledge that an 
individual owns it w/no # available.  That list presently includes:
     35 MkI/II's                              8 300's
     87 400's (including yours, Andy)        5 MkV's
      1 4-track                                0 T-550's
      5 MkVI's                                 1 JK/MKVI
      3 Birotrons                               5 Chamberlins (mostly M-1's)
      1 Orchestron
There's also a few saved postings with machines/#'s that haven't been merged 
in to the list yet.

Feedback?  Compiling a list is one thing - Would tron owners want this 
information to be readily/openly shared?

Frank Samagaio
San Diego CA
MkII #134 / M400 #908
author, The Mellotron Book

kinchmusic@... wrote:

> On the subject of Serial numbers. Isn't it about time that there was 
> definitive Web based register of where all surviving trons can be 
> registered?
> Andy K
> EMI m400 # E4/1405
> 

Waking up from a long sleep.....
Speaking of serial numbers, Andy are you sure that your last digits a 5 
and not the letter S?  I'm pretty sure the format for the serial numbers 
of the EMI Trons is   E4/XXXS.  Most of the numbers I've seen looked 
like that. However someone here with an EMI Tron (I can't remember who) 
posts a serial number with a completely different format.  Anyone know 
when these trons were made?  I got mine in 1973 from DMI in Mahwah just 
before they closed, as a trade for my M400 #295 which was a dog and 
never worked.  It was a floor model that I bought from Rondo Music in 
Union, NJ in 1972 for $2500.  I thought I was getting a good deal.  I 
was 20 and had mellotron fever. What did I know?  (Actually, today it 
would be a good deal because we have this network to handle these 
problems, back then no one could fix it and they weren't sending it back 
to Streetly.)

That last time that I was at DMI, there was in a corner of the warehouse 
a pile, about 8 feet high of junked Mellotrons.  I saw twisted bodys 
with feet sticking out, mangled keyboards and aluminum frames. There 
were tape return boxes and bent up tape frames and all kinds of 
mellotron innards and at the top of the heap sat my #295!  I wonder 
exactly how many mellotrons were lost in that pile?

Dave Shapiro
EMI m400 # E4/169S.....been to Streetly