Mellotronists

I finally got to hear the 4-Track. I finished the major work about an hour  
ago. Now all I have to do is minor adjustments on 4 playback heads and to 
adjust  the SMS-3 and fine-tune the motor. It really should have a new motor, 
but that  is not my decision. I also have to clean the line out and swell 
pedal sockets;  they're a little dicey. I also think I am going to have to 
glue some, if not all  of the pinch rollers to the hubs.
 
It sounds fantastic... and a bit different than a M-400. The keyboard now  
feels great. The action is pretty fast and very light.
 
Here are some photos with comments. I will eventually upload them to the  
Yahoo site. If you right-click and save these photos you can see a lot more  
detail.
 

          
This was a mistake. I  should have done them one pad, one key at a time as 
I do on 400s. I  could have saved some time in  fine-tuning.
   
Finished keyboard. The  keys look uneven along the front, but they're not. 
It's just my  shitty camera.
   
As you can see, the  4-Track keyboard is deeper than the M-400  keyboard.
   
Crappy old tapes.  Poorly installed and completely  shot.
   
The old tapes. For  some reason there was an extra tape guide on the frame. 
All of them  were binding and with the tapes being too long, they wouldn't 
return  when the key was released.
   
I  took one out and inserted a spacer, then realigned them all to spin  
properly. With 1/4 inch tape you need to keep friction to a  minimum.
   
I  saved the old tapes and put them on a spool. The owner may want them  as 
a reminder of what fucked up tapes look  like.
   
Nice new  tapes.
   
This rig makes  installing them a snap. It took less than an  hour.
   
Here is one of the  preamps.
   
I  finally found the serial number. Sure enough, it is #  1
   
Here everything is all  tucked in. I fixed up the cabinet a  bit.
   
Ready to  play.
   
Taking the 4-Track for  a test drive. It's the one in the center for those 
not paying  attention.
   
Still quite a bit of  work to be done, but I'm close. It should be ready 
for pick up in a  couple of days.

Sunday is for  football.