Mellotronists

Hi everyone,

     I just had a thought which may help those on the list with 
double-keyboard Trons if you ever have to move them.  I know there are quite a few of you 
out there: Jerry, Frank, Rick, Jimmy, JB, Martin, Chris, Bob, myself and 
others.

     I just saw a demonstration (on TV) of a very inexpensive, low tech 
gadget which seems to be made for heavy Tron lifting.  It's a pair of straps which 
allow two people to easily lift heavy objects.  The straps go under the item 
to be lifted.  Two people (one on each end) put their forearms into the straps 
and stand up, lifting with the legs.  In the demo I saw, two normal guys 
easily lifted a refrigerator well off the ground and effortlessly walked around 
with it, while a 200 pound man sat on top of it.  There's some kind of leverage 
going on here that the strap is designed to take advantage of.

     I have a road case for my MKII.  The hardest part of moving the beast is 
lifting it up 18 inches or so off the ground and then *dancing around* trying 
to get it into the lower lip of the road case (KL knows the dance well).  
When I move the MKII, we usually need several guys just for this step.  There's 
no good way to grip a MKII for lifting it, so that's most of the problem (along 
with the weight).  These straps seem like a good solution.  I'd just use them 
for that - lifting it in and out of a case.  If you do have a double keyboard 
mellotron, I suggest you do most of your transporting in a well built case.  
However, these straps would seem to solve the "lifting" part.

     I've just ordered a pair of them through QVC (www.qvc.com).  I can't say 
that I've tried them out yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot.  For $18 a 
pair, it's not much to spend to save your back, and maybe your mellotron. You 
also won't need so many people the next time you have to move it.  The straps 
are rated up to a weight of 500 pounds.  


Ken M
MKII #247 (survived three hurricanes last year without moving).

>      I've just ordered a pair of them through QVC (www.qvc.com).  I can't 
> say that I've tried them out yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot.  For 
> $18 a pair, it's not much to spend to save your back, and maybe your 
> mellotron. You also won't need so many people the next time you have to 
> move it.  The straps are rated up to a weight of 500 pounds.

500 pounds, then?  Question:  What are your forearms, shoulders, back, and 
everything else rated for?  :-)

(This reminds me of the ol' conundrum Superman's human girlfriend faces, 
given that certain parts of her anatomy aren't rated to handle certain 
pressures Superman can probably...uhhh...generate.  I'll leave *that* to 
your imagination.)

Speaking of which...We're going to need something to get Jimmy Moore's Mark 
II into his basement---carefully.  Perhaps these straps, but they might be 
dangerous lugging 300+ pounds down a steep flight of stairs, or a 
Roll-or-Kari (if it'll fit a Mark II---Rick??).  Or the third option:  It 
stays upstairs in the front room.  It's a lot easier to run audio cables 
than to transport a 'tron.  :-)  (Jimmy - you *can* remote control your 
recording PC easily (and free using VNC - www.realvnc.com) if it's on the 
network, btw, so leaving the 'tron upstairs isn't impractical.)

...kl...
M400 #805 - rated for 120 pounds
M400 #1037 - rated kinda low 'cuz you can't dance to anything w/ a 'tron in it

In a message dated 1/18/2005 4:09:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
ken@... writes:

> 500 pounds, then?  Question:  What are your forearms, shoulders, back, and 
> everything else rated for?  :-)

Disaster!

> 
> (This reminds me of the ol' conundrum Superman's human girlfriend faces, 
> given that certain parts of her anatomy aren't rated to handle certain 
> pressures Superman can probably...uhhh...generate.  I'll leave *that* to 
> your imagination.)

The issue of super genitalia aside,  I don't think that I'd actually try 
lifting 500 pounds with someone, but I would have a go at lifting a MKII (without 
a case) straight up 18 inches to get it into the case. 

> 
> Speaking of which...We're going to need something to get Jimmy Moore's Mark 
> II into his basement---carefully.  Perhaps these straps, but they might be 
> dangerous lugging 300+ pounds down a steep flight of stairs, or a 
> Roll-or-Kari (if it'll fit a Mark II---Rick??).

The guys demonstrating these straps said that they were excellent for use 
when carrying the item up and down stairs.  And they did demonstrate them by 
carrying the refrigerator with the man on top, although it was on a flat surface.

Now, does this mean I'm suggesting that these straps would be great for 
lugging a MKII or SFX unit up and down steep stairs with Jimmy sitting on top? 
Absolutely not ;-).   I think that if it has to go up or down stairs, you *may* 
want to try this, as long as it is out of the case and there is an ambulance 
standing by.  A Roll-or-Kari may work, but I think it would be safer for Jimmy to 
build an elevator in his house :-).

  Or the third option:  It 
> 
> stays upstairs in the front room.  It's a lot easier to run audio cables 
> than to transport a 'tron.  :-)  (Jimmy - you *can* remote control your 
> recording PC easily (and free using VNC - www.realvnc.com) if it's on the 
> network, btw, so leaving the 'tron upstairs isn't impractical.)

There you go (KL speaks from experience).  That was the solution for my MKII 
when I lived in Boston (in a multilevel townhouse).  The MKII never made it up 
to my studio, but that was OK.  It was easier to bring the studio to the 
MKII.  I just added another PC with a soundcard downstairs.  In my current 
situation, my MKII is still not in my studio, but I am again using a second PC for 
recording the MKII.  I just got a Tascam FW-1884 controller which is the central 
point in my digital studio, and I'm looking forward to "rolling" this out 
(literally) to use with the MKII.  I've tried using VNC, and I think that there 
would be a big issue with latency for recording purposes.  May be worth a shot, 
though.


Ken M.

> 
> ...kl...
>

On Jan 19, 2005, at 3:31 PM, Mattias wrote:

> Hey hey,
>  
> I am in the middle of moving my studio...so does anyone have any tips 
> on how to move a Yamaha GX-1 down two sets of stairs...
>  
> The moving company who got it up there in the first place asked me to 
> burn their number afterwards...
>  
> // Mattias

Mattias,

Hire a piano mover. They don't whine the way regular movers do. They 
also know how to do this sort of thing better.

Rick