Prepare to have your jaw dropped!
2005-05-19 by Rick Blechta
Fellow mellotronists, Over the past several months I've been having frequent chats with one Martinge Smith of Streetly Electronics. (I'm sure you're all familiar with him!) The reason for these discussions was a very special commission which Streetly undertook at the end of last year on behalf of a collector who was interested in something "a bit out of the ordinary" for mellotrons, something very special indeed. As the project unfolded, I was taken into Streetly's confidence and developed a magazine article which I sold to Robb Report, which if you're not familiar with it, bills itself as the "monthly lifestyle magazine for the affluent". How does this fit in with those rather plain white boxes we all know and love? Well, dear reader, you have two choices. I encourage you to purchase the June Issue of Robb Report which contains their annual "Great Machines" extra issue. It's due out on newsstands next Wednesday. Or you can check out www.mellotronics.com. Just click on the bottom image (believe me you'll know which one it is) and see what the Streetlys have been up to. This special "Skellotron" is based (very loosely) on the original demo unit built in the '70s. With the design help of Martin's son, Paul (a very talented industrial designer), they have built something quite unique. Due to the requests of the commissioning collector, it is something more than even the most diehard "tronniac" might ask for, but it is, literally, a work of art. The entire unit was made in-house by Streetly, although a few things such as the gold plating (I'm not kidding) obviously had to be hired out. So now, besides rebuilding and repairing our classic machines and making plans for various upgrade kits as well as a limited run of 400-based instruments, Streetly has now moved into a vastly different realm where they are creating unique musical instruments based on our favourite beasts. I invite you to look at the latest example of John's and Martin's (and Brian's) many years of dedication and hard work to the mellotron community. I guarantee your jaw will drop. Even though I was privy to what was going on as they worked on the unit, I was completely "gobsmacked" by the final results when Streetly sent me the photographs of the Skellotron prior to the submission of my article to Robb Report. It really is quite extraordinary. Rick (SFX 10030 -- "What, no wise ass comments tonight?"