26/10/2025
Dispelling some misconceptions about mellotrons in general that exasperate both John and I and used do the same to John's dad, Les Bradley, the father figure!
Mellotrons are not temperamental! - This idea comes about through gossip and hearsay, but always from a total lack of maintenance. We see instruments built in '71 that have never been serviced. The owner(s) will have serviced their car on a regular basis, changed the oil and belts, had their ni***es greased but not spent a penny on the poor old 'tron in 50 years. Yet they are both electromechanical beasts that have the same, if different, requirements.
The reputation for temperamental stems from neglect, nothing more. All of the mellotrons we have built or serviced have never had a problem and are totally reliable.
Vintage tapes!! - Tapes are like the oil in your car, eventually they need replacing. Not as often as oil but certainly after 20 or more years. Can you imagine, in an analog studio, mixing down to a stereo master tape, and instead of winding it tightly onto a reel and storing it vertically at a kind temperature, instead, you hang it out until next required? No, it would be madness, but that's exactly what happens in a mellotron. Your precious tapes are hung out and soak up whatever atmosphere is pervading. Stage smoke, w**d, damp etc.etc. for years and years. That's why they need replacing.
To sum up, the idea that the unsteady, muffled sound of an unloved 'tron is somehow accurate is a completely misguided notion. They should never warble, be horribly inconsistent or droop in pitch. They should leap out of the mix shouting 'over here!' in a clear aggressive fashion. And they should never have heavy keyboards!
