Mellotronists

Hi Bernie!

The Mellotron Professor put together a comprehensive list of Mark I/II
differences at one point, and I'll ping him to see if he still has it
available.

...kl...

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 3:45 PM, tron400 <kornowicz@...> wrote:
> 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...
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>