Mystery Circuits The Melloman by Mike Walters

The New Melloman by Mike Walters video upload by mysterycircuits

"DIY Mellotron using 14 Walkmans. Custom built for Justin Vernon in 2012-13. This is an updated version of the Melloman I built in 2005."

via this Reverb listing

"WORKING CONDITION: Fair - All keys and cassettes are sounding and operational, except for both "B" Keys. You can hear some light hiss when pressing the keys but no sound. The output volume knob does not adjust, so presently the volume is fixed, but fortunately, it is at high volume. About 4 of the tuning knobs don't change the pitch but the rest are adjustable to varying degrees. When the drum track is turned off, you can still hear it bleed through the output faintly. We can say that it is mostly working and usable for some creative inspiration, but it could probably use some cleaning and perhaps some servicing by a tech.

The pack includes an instruction manual and what appears to be schematics, so it is serviceable. Also includes instructions on how to swap out the Walkmans, so you can keep this thing going for a long time!

PHYSICAL CONDITION: Good - This is a 1-of-1 custom-built "Mellotron Style" keyboard that runs off of 14 Memorex "Walkman" cassette players. The lid is hinged at the back and when closed does not fix to the front by design, so you can access the cassettes conveniently. The keys are a little uneven but that is all part of the charm of this unicorn. All the keys are stable otherwise and so is the rest of the unit.

See and hear the video of this very unit at the end of the photos.

INVENTORY #55795

BRAND: Mike Walters

MODEL: The Melloman

FUNCTION: Mellotron Style Keyboard

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This listing is for a Mystery Circuits by Mike Walters, The "New" Melloman Mellotron Style Keyboard.

You can swap out cassettes with your own recording samples on them to get that warbly aged Mellotron style sound with any tone. Currently, the cassettes have a Polymoog Vox Humana on one side, and female vocal on the other.

From the Mystery Circuits Website:

"This is the new Melloman, built eight years after its predecessor. It was commissioned by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir), and took me a little over a year to complete. Like the original Melloman, this is my DIY design of the classic Mellotron. There are 14 Walkmans inside the Melloman, running tapes of continuous notes. Each tape has two octaves of a looping sound, and those sounds are routed to the output when a key is pressed on the keyboard. The new Melloman is a complete redesign of the original Melloman I built in 2005"- Mike Walters

The website and page for this item is still active for those who want to do more research. Simply search Mystery Circuits and find 'The New Melloman 2013'."