Mellotronists

On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 2:23 PM,  <djacques@...> wrote:
> Now that we are on the subject of Mark II's and how many could be out there, I was wondering just how many of us actually has played one. I still need to get down to Frank's to play his.

Played several, including a restored Mark I.

http://www.kleonard.com/mellotron - look at the get-togethers and
MONEYPIT reports for what goes into a Mark I/II (including Frank's).

> Are they a pain in the ass?  I heard that very few people are daring to cycle them anymore.

"Pain in the ass" for what?

Playing?  No, they're great.

Cycling/mechanicals?  A properly restored and adjusted machine will
work just fine, including cycling.  Mellotron Professor Jerry Korb
does keep an eye on his when he cycles it, even though it cycles just
fine.  If the rollers start running up the frame, you have to hit the
power off button immediately, or you're in a world of hurt with
trashed tapes.  That can happen if a tape is jammed, which could
happen if, say, the tape's pinch roller or pressure pad is not
adjusted properly, the tape is not cut correctly, if you had your hand
on the keys when you pressed the cycling button, or if there's some
other problem/fault.

May a Mark I/II need maintenance and some work?  Yes, from time to
time, everything from the "usual stuff" (fixing wobblies) to
correcting various faults (hopefully rare).  These are fiddly boxes
that are almost 50 years old but can behave well--it's not like they
just fall apart.  If anything does go wrong, you have to know what you
are doing or bring it to someone who does.  You can correct a wobbly
yourself, and some people can probably work on the amps or other
electronic bits.  But anything more than that needs someone who's got
the knowledge, especially for low noise modifications and cycling.

...kl...