Mellotronists

Other than the keyboard locking mechanism, what's the difference between a MkI and a MkII?

Having played Jerry K's MkI with the MkII conversion, I can testify that the touch is more like a Hammond organ than an M400.

Bernie

--- In Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com, Ken Leonard <ken@...> wrote:
>
> 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...
>