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Hi Vance:

Chris –

Yep – The pins and springs are fine. I turn off the amp and listen so I have the pinch roller adjustment at the same barely-disengaged point – amp back on and double check -- then I adjust the pushpad for a just-firm-enough engagement for full sound without any drag/wobble. The problem with the keyboard is mostly the ugly disarray of the keys which also effects how they are “located” as run through their short arc when they are played.

Yeah, the measurement and number of turns is much finer distance than Mellotrons.

My MAIN issue is actually some of the return spools (after it warms up for 10 mins or so – this seems to be an M2/long return spindle issue – my old M1 didn’t need to warm up but 2 mins) making gobs of squeaky, whining racket – some of which makes through into the signal and out the speakers – argh! - But I want to get these rubber keyboard pieces sorted out before I dive into that. I’ve done some return spool adjustment screw tweaking, but it won’t help some of them – do I need to re-felt the spools?? I hope not….

About the rubber pieces - you might have to make those out of something else. I'll look and see if I have those, but I don't think I do. You might try taking silicone and making a "copy" of one by drying the silicone out in the shape of one. That's the cheapest way!

And for the return rings, I think the allen screw is touching the return shaft on several keys, I'd actually try removing them entirely on the keys that don't cooperate just to see if they're causing the noise.

That's how I knew they were making noise on mine. Then I put them back and very finely adjusted them.

On mine I find that after it's been warmed up for 15-30 min that problem goes away. It may just need a warm up.

Your M2 is longer than the M1 and it takes longer for the heat to move around.

If you still have noise after backing off / removing the allen screws then yeah you may need to re-felt the spools. That's a BIG job and I'd rather bring it to Richard (...if.... he's up for that) unless you have the time to do it.

The only other cause for this noise (and hopefully it isn't this) is a bearing in the shaft has gone and it's grinding - but that's unlikely.

For now I'd try to get the rubber bits made. Please let me know about that because I don't know if I have any, and I'll need them too.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Dale
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 11:59 AM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Mellotron v. Chamberlin keyboard (was RE: [newmellotrongroup] NAMM Report)

Hi Vance:

Have you tried adjusting the back of the keys? Are the pins /springs okay?

On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 2:18 PM, Pomeroy RH Ranch <punchbowl4@earthlink.net> wrote:

[Attachment(s) from Pomeroy RH Ranch included below]

My last turn at a Mellotron was Dave Kean's MkII (I need to get out more often) - I liked the feel well enough. What would you say the comparison is with a Chamberlin M-series?? - I find my M2 not-particularly-light, and having a fairly long key travel -- even when I have it adjusted for attack high on the key stroke, I push pretty far down as a matter of course.

For a while now I've had the keyboard partly torn down because I want to replace the rubber key-bumpers (under the front of the key) -- anyone know where I can get these?? Without them, the keyboard looks dishevelled with keys at slightly different heights, some going down further than others, and the keys pushing down a bit crooked. I've attached a couple of small pic files to show what they are. Are there suitable substitutes that could help with the action??

Vance ---- my rice must be masochists - no crying, only moans

-----Original Message-----
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of fdoddy@aol.com

My Streetly refurb still feels pretty good after, what is it now, 7 years?! I like the fight, the pushback of a tron. It's like playing a guitar through a "gasp" real amplifier. Ya gotta work it.... Samples and a MIDI keyboard are too forgiving. Like the old Italian grandmas say about making risotto, "The rice must feel the pain"

-----Original Message-----
From: tronbros@aol.com
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com

In a message dated 15/01/2010 03:35:16 GMT Standard Time, markpringnz@yahoo.com writes:

Can't see the advantage of having a mellotron keyboard action, it's horrible!

Wrong! Yours might be but that doesn't have to be the case!

M

Streetly Electronics - All Things Mellotronic
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The Mellotron Group

Re: Mellotron v. Chamberlin keyboard (was RE: [newmellotrongroup] NAMM Report)

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