Mellotronists

<< What did we decide the new standard tapes would be? Who has ordered
a set? Come on guys... You can manage without that electric pasta
maker that she wants. Just tell her it is essential for your mental
health. If she has a problem with that...tell her to piss off. >>


absolutely.

>>Jon S's idea for a new standard tape set is fine. Why not M300A

Violins/McD
Flute/Russian Choir...... <<

and so when the pasta-maker was gone from the shop-window and we had to spend
the money on something just to stop the tears..... that's what we ordered.
well, the tapes have been here now for two weeks, and martin probably wants
his little red spools back (somehow I've ended up with four), but I've been
away on business (conquering more of the world on mtv's behalf- romania this
time. that IS a big palace. but what's with all the renault-12's?)
so- I'll let you know soon. first, though, which of the old frames gets
retired?

happy birthday mr bradley senior- I expect you think we're all crazy hanging
on to this low-tech way of doing things, but sometimes low-tech is just
better. anyone involved in the advance or advancement of technology and
techniques knows what a difficult (and brave, sometimes) thing it is to say
"no, I'm not going to do that- I prefer the old way, and the hell with
technology for technology's sake". peer group pressure. thank heavens we've
got this support group, eh?
("sentimental young fools- why don't they buy samplers instead?")
john, what does he think?

and what's this in the new fender catalogue? relics? new-old-stock?
closet-classics? there's a jazz bass in there that looks exactly like my '71,
only it's brand-new, with some paint missing..... NO-O-O-O!! get a real one!
half the fun (for me, anyway) is wondering what the damn things would say if
they could talk- where was 1098 before I found it in rod argent's workshop?
(a new bass, with some of the paint rubbed off again in the factory....? and
this isn't the pastorius tribute or anything, just an old-looking new bass)

all this talk of dummy 'trons on stage.... I mean, fair enough, if you've
never owned one, but klaus has been through a couple of dozen machines....
and then wheels out this kurzweil with "mellotron" (not "mega..") written on
it. nice guy and everything, but that sitar guitar was wasted on him.... a
faker, not a fakir....
and these musical box people- surely a more honest tribute would be to do the
extra work involved in running a real 'tron. you might aswell put on a cd
otherwise. I quite like the idea otherwise, of someone's entire stage show
being recreated. maybe one day jim davidson (the unpleasant british
"comedian") will pay for someone to mount an ELP tribute show and we can gawp
at a pile of packing cases with christmas lights strewn over them while all
the noise comes from a jv1080 underneath......
I'm starting to rant now. and I'm sorry I mentioned ELP again.

duncan-400nr1098, the one that looks like someone's tipped pasta sauce on it.
amongst other things.

"...well, the tapes have been here now for two weeks, and martin
probably wants his little red spools back...."

So Duncan did you order M300A Violins/McD Flute/Russian Choir?
Clay

... << romania this

>time. that IS a big palace. but what's with all the renault-12's?)

They're Dacias. Saloons and estates are called "Denem"s whilst 4x4s are
badged as "Duster". Both were available in the UK for a short time around
1983-4. The Romanians are constantly fobbed off with redundant French
machinery. If you think the saloon versions are bad, then you should check
out the pick-up... a Renault 12 with the engine reversed and a propshaft
driving the wrong end. Shite. The REALLY interesting motors are the Oltcits.
They are what the Citroen Visa would have been if the boring old farts at
Peugeot hadn't bought the company and insisted on using a Peugeot 104
floorpan. Check out the spec: Air cooled OHC flat 4 motor from the GSA,
torsion bar front suspension with transverse leaf overload springs, All
round ventilated discs.... Shall I shut up now??..... Well you DID
ask!......

Sorry.

C


FABULOUS 'Tron sounds, as always, on
http://www.s-club.co.uk
Shitey old equipment showcased on
http://www.technostalgia.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Colin G Crawford [mailto:g-colin.crawford@...]
Sent: 01 May 2002 00:15
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Re: new standard tapes & phoneytrons


Colin


Check out the spec: Air cooled OHC flat 4 motor from the GSA,
torsion bar front suspension with transverse leaf overload springs, All
round ventilated discs....


What the *hell* are you talking about??! :-) I would say "Gimme a set of
turnbuckles and a headblock" or something, but I don't know much about them
either...

Andy T., quite seriously attempting to make a living as a data cabler...
;-)
M400 #1145

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/

Mellotronists!!

Ok, it was off- topic. Do feel free to continue this thread via my own
personal email address or the

stuff@...

address!

Cheers f' now!


C

PS, The Flat4 air cooled motor from the Citroen GSA would have provided bags
more torque than the SMS2 or 3, and was renowned for its smooth operation
and power curve. It was, however a bit noisy.
----------

>From: "Andy Thompson" <andy.thompson@...>
>To: <Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: RE: [Mellotronists] Re: new standard tapes & phoneytrons
>Date: Wed, May 1, 2002, 12:45 am
>

>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Colin G Crawford [mailto:g-colin.crawford@...]
>Sent: 01 May 2002 00:15
>To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Re: new standard tapes & phoneytrons
>
>
>Colin
>
>
>Check out the spec: Air cooled OHC flat 4 motor from the GSA,
>torsion bar front suspension with transverse leaf overload springs, All
>round ventilated discs....
>
>
>What the *hell* are you talking about??! :-) I would say "Gimme a set of
>turnbuckles and a headblock" or something, but I don't know much about them
>either...
>
>Andy T., quite seriously attempting to make a living as a data cabler...
>;-)
>M400 #1145
>
>http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>Mellotronists-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

-----Original Message-----
From: Colin G Crawford [mailto:g-colin.crawford@...]
Sent: 01 May 2002 07:13
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Mellotronists] Re: new standard tapes & phoneytrons



PS, The Flat4 air cooled motor from the Citroen GSA would have provided bags
more torque than the SMS2 or 3, and was renowned for its smooth operation
and power curve. It was, however a bit noisy.


Rather like another antiquated piece of machinery round these parts, then.
:-)

Andy T.
M400 #1145

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/

> From: ferrograph@...
> Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 08:18:31 EDT
>
> I expect you think we're all crazy hanging on to this low-tech
> way of doing things, but sometimes low-tech is just better.

I guess I can think of tons of examples where the application of
technology doesn't offer an improvement. Or even makes things
worse.

Take guitars for instance. I don't have any hard marketing data in
front of me but I'm guessing the three most popular and highly
regarded guitars are the Fender Strat, the Gibson Les Paul and the
Fender Telecaster. In that order. Consistantly for the last 25 years
or so. Those instruments came out in 1954, 1953 and 1948
respectively, and have barely changed over their production life.
That's old. Guitars with technological breakthroughs, say the
Steinberger, haven't really made it.

It's also true in other fields, say cooking. Great chefs generally
don't use electric stoves or microwave ovens -- they cook over
low-tech flames. (What could be lower-tech than a flame?)

> all this talk of dummy 'trons on stage...

I understand that most grand pianos used in show biz (stage shows, tv,
etc.) are really piano shaped shells with a Kurzweil or the equivalent
inside.

Sure, it's tough to properly mic a piano. But this whole
one-instrument-in-the-cabinet-of-another thing is pretty weird.

-- Don

--
Don Tillman
Palo Alto, California, USA
don@...
http://www.till.com

<< I understand that most grand pianos used in show biz (stage shows, tv,
etc.) are really piano shaped shells with a Kurzweil or the equivalent
inside. >>

maybe in the US.... like that thing that paul shaeffer stands behind while
he's mumbling agreements with his boss, the one they call Letterman. the
grands we get in at mtv come from john henry's, usually, and have to have at
least three piano-wranglers and a tuner afterwards; they come separated from
their legs, in a huge padded fabric muff thing (wonder where that idea came
from...), and travel on their sides. once or twice now, it's been a
completely ordinary piano- a pricey one, mind, but ordinary. but most often
they send this midi'd-grand, which is still a real piano but with midi
generated by it's keyboard aswell as hammer movements, and a little
sequencer. I don't think they made many of these, I think it's a yamaha. I
mic'd one up once (mary chapin carpenter) with a pair of 414's, not knowing
that the things aren't reversible, with the working face of the mic facing
upwards onto the back of the piano lid, and had to add about 6dB of presence
to them...... well, they looked better that way up.

so I'm all ready to go with my relacing operation. I've decided to strip a
frame that has a split cello/string section on it, that we could never get
used to. it also has 8-voice choir and oboe. so I've dubbed off onto a revox
the entire cello and oboe at both 'tron speeds and will sample them
eventually. the oboe is remarkable- the entire 35 note range, for all 8
seconds of each note, varies in level by +/- 1.5dB at most. the pitch is
pretty good too, but I couldn't keep from laughing at the undignified effect
of the tapes running out during the note, especially with no reverb or
anything. always cracks me up. tonight I'll get started on fitting the new
tapes.

d/400nr1098 and a growing pile of revoxes.