Mellotronists

FRANKENTRONS!!!!



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jack Younger" <e4103s@...>
To: <mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 6:08 PM
Subject: [Mellotronists] Inerchangeable parts...


> Hello all!
>     I recently had the opportunity to work for Paul
> Kolderie (producer; Radiohead, Pixies, Hole, etc.) on
> two M400's he obtained from the old Beatlemania
> touring company (I can see the Brits among us rolling
> your eyes, and justifiably so, as I myself tend to use
> the more accurate term; Beatle-lame-ia).  At any rate,
> it was a pretty interesting mess.
>     Paul's instructions were to make the one working
> unit (or as we have taken to calling it; Happy 'Tron)
> strong and approach the second (Sad 'Tron) at a later
> date, as the power supply appears to have caught fire
> at one point. No wonder as I found many questionable
> mods and electronic fixes in Sad 'Tron.  The standard
> mod seemed to be for the purpose of bypassing the
> Volume and Tone controls to keep players from changing
> the levels accidentally on-stage, and maitaining a
> consistant signal for the front-of-house guy.  
>     It seems that they undoubtedly had four or so
> units on the tour and the tech/techs would hastily
> interchange frames, motors, preamps etc.  I found at
> least four sets of serial #'s littered throughout the
> two units.
>     These won't be candidates for full overhaul as
> the cabinets were a wreck.  Solid, but painted with
> rollers, brushes, sprays, corners ground down, a
> select array of pits and gouges and clumsily drilled
> holes to allow for new bases as the feet were long
> gone.
>     The internal workings were a delight, however, as
> they both had SMS boards, stong motors and good tape
> sets.  
>     So after cannibalizing Sad 'Tron to make Happy
> 'Tron happier, We have a very serviceable unit.  Sad
> 'Tron is currently awaiting a power and preamp
> re-working and will be happy again soon.  Numbers
> unknown, they will reside in Paul's new studio in
> Revere, MA and I'm sure will be used and maintained
> sweetly.
> Cheers all!
> -Jack Younger
> EMI104s
>       
> 
> 
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