The Mellotron Group

Sean wrote:

> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlbDjdW_8aU>
> 
> On a whim I started searching for Chamberlin stuff on the internet.
>  Frank or the good folks at Streetly, this Chamberlin seems to need
> your help!
> 
> And speaking of Chamberlins one of my friends at Fresno State grew
> up with one.
> 
> Story time chitlins...
> 
> Last spring I took a basic composition course on a whim. Early in
> the semester Dr. Boone had us all talk briefly about what
> instruments we could play so we all know who to ask to record what,
> or to advise on what. I mentioned Mellotron, samples only of
> course, and that sparked the obligatory "a-whatta-tron?"
> 
> As I described our center snare, Elias Kwak started nodding
> knowingly. Talked with him after class and he said
> 
> Oh yeah I had one in my house.
> 
> YOU WHAT?
> 
> Yeah we had a Mellotron, with all those tapes on the inside. It was
> fun.
> 
> I am so jealous.
> 
> Well, no, it wasn't a Mellotron, what is like a Mellotron? Like,
> the same on the inside with all those tapes over that spinning rod
> and all?
> 
> ...You mean a Chamberlin?
> 
> YES! That's the name! It was a Chamberlin.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...you had a Chamberlin? (I'm in a bit of disbelief at the moment)
> 
> Yeah, only it never worked right. Sounded good but every time we
> turned it on it smelt like something was burning.
> 
> .. do you still have it, that can so be fixed!
> 
> No we threw it away.
> 
> YOU WHAT?!?
> 
> (I think he said that it caught fire one day, I can't remember but
> there was some sort of catastrophic failure)
> 
> OH MY GOD DUDE? WHEN? DID THIS JUST HAPPEN?!?!
> 
> No, I was 16 when we threw it away (He's 20 now)
> 
> (He asked a few questions about Chamberlins, how rare they might
> be, if they're a Mellotron knock-off, etc. I filled him in on the
> history of it. He was impressed by how little he and his family
> appreciated the thing they had.)
> 
> I'm sure that the ravages of 4 or 5 years in the Fresno County Dump
> has totalled whatever was left of that beast. However many
> Chamberlins there were I can report that there is one less.
> 
> RIP that Chamberlin. And Harry Chamberlin too.
> 
> -Sean

Wow!  That's quite a story.  Thanks for telling it.
-- 
Cheers, SDM -- a 21st Century Schizoid Man
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