Mellotronists

Hi all,
I'll own up to being the purchaser of the ex-strawbs M400 that came 
up on ebay in may. I had extensive talks with the seller about the 
condition and history of the unit before I put in my bid. Although 
the cabinet looked bad at first glance (and the photo on ebay was 
particularly poor) in reality it just needed the black paint sanding 
off, a few holes filling in, the edges relipping, the base 
strengthening and a respray. This is nearly all done and it's in its 
undercoat as we speak and coming on nicely. Mechanically and 
electrically it's fine - a bit stiff through dirt and years of 
inactivity but it all works well except for some crackly pots. And 
it has an SMS2 mounted on the power supply case. The Strawbs story 
is that in 1978 they dumped their 2 trons in a music store in 
Hitchen UK following their tour of that year. The previous owner 
bought the newest of the two (1973 model no.992) and has had it ever 
since. The tape frame is M400 violins, MkII brass and 8 choir 
original tapes and has the original Strawbs label identifying it as 
frame no. 4. I'm trying to confirm this story with John Hawken and 
Dave Cousins but they are on tour at the moment. I've taken lots of 
pics and I'll post them on the website as restoration progresses.

Cheers
John
M300/005, M400 992