The Electric Piano Forum

Hey everybody, noticed there wasn't one here or maybe there is an old one, but starting a thread - post a picture of your Rhodes, and how you came into it ~

my 79 Suitcase88
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/my79suitcase.jpg)

I bought it locally on ebay here in Los Angeles, from an antiques dealer (mainly in dolls and toys.)  A friend of his found this old keyboard in a theatre that closed, and he was selling it for him online.  I went by to take a look at it, and it was horrendously dirty, but not a mark anywhere on the tolex after 25 years.  Opened it up, out came the original packet with tines, registration card, manual, and cutting guide.  Bought it for $900 US, and just cleaned the tolex with a brush.  Maybe I'll send in the limited warranty card :)

is there a wurlitzer 200A on de left side?

yeah, with a Hohner E-7 on top

and is that a lamp on the honer?

hohner i mean.

yes its pretty dark over there... hey cmon someone else post their baby hahaha.

I'm new to this "posting" thing.

How do you go about adding an image to your post?
Thanks,
Ray[/img]

is that hohner pianet T? Well equiped!! what kind of sound it makes? (like rhodes i think, but what are the major differences with these two keyboards?!) i'm interest to get one one day!

how to post a picture:

sign up for an account at www.photobucket.com  you can upload pictures from your computer there, its free.

For every picture, once uploaded, they give you 3 possible links below it.  Highlight and copy/paste the one that starts with    [img].  Just paste that line in your posts here and it will link it to the picture you uploaded on the site.

There's my 1980(?) Rhodes Mark 1 Stage Piano(lot of work to do), i paid 200$CAN for it 1 months ago. i'll make restoration inside(tuning, adjust..) then outside (brand news hardware, logos etc..) for now he didn't get the perfect sound, but it'll come!! in 4-5 month i'll post other pictures to show  all the work!
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/DSCF1985.jpg)

my baby:
stage 1976 with a hammond xb-2 on top. got it in good and working condition, only some adjustment and tuning was necessary. maybe i'll make set pickups the pickups in a bit closer during the semester break...but it sounds great already thanks to the yellow channel of my fender hotrod.

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e230/andi85/DSCF2554.jpg)

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e230/andi85/DSCF2555.jpg)

the xb-2 is getting new verneer. definitely. the plastic is all gone :)

did your rhodes top is a round one? and how many pound is your XB-2 ? 'cause i want to put an other keyboard on the top, but it didn't seems to be really ''tough''!

The Rhodes look great!  Keep them coming!

Here are some crummy pics of my piano.  I had better ones but I lost my camera before I could download them.  Sometimes, when God opens a window, he slams door.  Anyway, this is my new baby, and I can't play it enough.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/therayjames/FrontRhodes.jpg)

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/therayjames/SideRhodes.jpg)[/img]

yes, it´s the round top.
the xb-2 is about 15kg (30 pounds??) - no problems at all.
even my roland rd-150 with 22,5kg (45 pounds??) stays where it should, but i´m a bit anxious if the cover itself survives that.

i bought a rubber pad at ikea, which was originally designed for preventing things to move in a drawer. it´s not the stickiest pad on this planet but it helps a bit and protects the cover from scratches.


the student rhodes looks great. ha!

This is my Mk1 Stage with VK-8 on top :D The organ's 4 rubber feet straddle the slight bend in the case making it a very solid rig!

(http://mixsynth.fearfulsilence.com/misc/rhodes-vk8.jpg)

clean looking rhodes!

ha! looks great.
is that a quik lok double-x steel stand?
i have the same - solid as a rock :)

(http://www.backroomsounds.com/gallery/rhodes/images/CIMG1039.JPG)
(http://www.backroomsounds.com/gallery/rhodes/images/CIMG1040.JPG)
(http://www.backroomsounds.com/gallery/rhodes/images/CIMG1041.JPG)

Heres my 1978 Mark I 73, after longing for a while and bidding on ebay I found this one only 15mins up the round from me. I went along and it was all complete, lid, legs & braces, sustain, original cable, handbook and vinyl case for the legs .......RESULT

I then ripped the hell out of it and made it like new inside and out just for the love of it. hehe

see the restoration gallery here http://www.backroomsounds.com/gallery/rhodes/

Heres a clip from a new track of mine featuring this Rhodes http://www.backroomsounds.com/audio/too_late_classic_brs_mix.mp3

Yep it's a Quiklok -- one of the four original legs was broken so I had no choice. It can hold something like 120kg (2 people!!)

here comes the funky red tolex again...hey it looks so great, man. incredible.


yeah, the quiklok is great, only damn heavy and fumbly for gigging - that´s why i have another double-x from k&m, which is an alloy model and much lighter, but a bit less stable. anyway, still far from shaky...

just picked this 1975 Mk-I up a week ago and it's gorgeous.

got it locally (yay! no shipping) on craigslist for a great deal.

everything looks and works great.

(http://www.demuxdigital.com/images/studio3.jpg)
(http://www.demuxdigital.com/images/studio4.jpg)

ha! nice light in that room. and a nice piano. have fun with it!!

(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/juppaaro/DSCF0108.jpg)(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/juppaaro/DSCF0112_1.jpg)(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/juppaaro/DSCF0104.jpg)

Here is my 1975 Mk1 Rhodes and just for kicks my Whurly to boot.  I got this through a friend that was a teacher.  He said that his school had two Rhodes and that he would just give it to me.  Crazy huh!!!  I got lucky.  Although the Rhodes was in good shape inside, I had to add alot of stuff to the outside.

It only came with three legs so I had a friend make me a leg for it.  I then had to recap two keys because the plastic was gouged off from retarted high school punks.  Finally, I had to buy a sustain pedal for it.  Now it works 100%.

nice rhodes and a nice wurlitzer.

some day i'll get a clav, a wurly and a real hammond with tonewheels.





some day...:)

What is it with Americans GIVING AWAY Rhodes pianos......

It makes me sick.......

Enlgish people would rather give their own mother away than a MK1  :shock:

German people, too.
When I see that some people pay 800$ for a good suitcase I just want to cry...

So, don't beat me, but I bought one of my Stage MkII on a garage sale and payed 100 Euro in 2001... here in germany. The second was an old, not working liverhodes... I think, I will repair it when I have the time for this.

Best regards
HammondToby

Don't you just love the action on those old student models??  I just sold one that was 1968, so it was after they took out the vibrato (damnit)....but the action is so much nicer on the student models than any other Rhodes or Fender Rhodes I've played.  Just simple felt hammers.  Sounds great.

-T

My friend gave that to me because it was collecting dust in a corner of a band room and he was doing some spring cleaning.  The other Rhodes was being used to stack sheets of music for the high school choir.  I want to go back there and ask for the other Rhodes too!!!!  I was shocked to see a Rhodes just laying there and no one new how important this instrument is.

I still wonder what happened to the first Stage 73 I played...it was a 1969 Mark I with the all-wood hammers (i.e. heavy as hell), which I found hiding in the tuba closet at my high school.  At the time they probably would've given it to me for $50 or even for free....

I bought my Rhodes Mk 1 Stage 73.... Must've been two years ago now, anyways, I bought it used out of a Vintage Guitar Shop in North Calgary, the guy told me that he was selling it for some movie crew that had it refurbished and used at some point in the movie, it was some cowboy movie, he said sometihng about it, said the name, it quickly dropped out of memory. It was in great shape, I love it, use it all the time, got it all tuned up by JL at the Cantos, so it plays like a dream. I never really thought twice about it's being in a movie. That was until a few months ago somebody said a name that sounded familiar in my head, it was the name of the movie my Rhodes was apparantely somewhere in, movie wasn't just about Cowboys, but it was about gay cowboys, the movie was Brokeback Mountain :) It was used in a bar scene where a live band is playing, among other things, my Rhodes. That's the story behind mine.

(http://imagestore.ccn-irc.com/images/66-1131493688-IMG_0738.jpg)

(there is now a nice Red Fender Contempo Organ to the right of Rhodes now, they make such a nice pair :) )

hey...cool.
i had bird food in my rhodes. not exactly so glamourous like a movie, but always good for a laugh :D

Ebay my friends. Bought a rhodes in pretty good condition with pedal and legs for $600. Did a regrom, lubed the felts, cleaned out underneath the keys and everything, polished the keys, washed the tolex, repainted the harp cover and sustain pedal black. Adjusted escapement and pickup placement back to spec followed by a voicing/tuning. Sounds pretty good so far. I'm looking at getting a MKHC or maybe that Crystal preamp in the Amps thread.  I'm thinking about sanding and powdercoating all my hardware. There's a place in town that will do it for pretty cheap.

I bought the rhodes because I love the way they sound and want to learn how to play piano.
So far I think she's a beaut and my learning is coming along well I think!
TJ
xoxo

(http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/4691/rhodes19qt.jpg)

(http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8189/rhodes26wq.jpg)

(http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/146/rhodes32ft.jpg)

(http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/127/tone14jm.jpg)

(http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8076/top16zj.jpg)

Oh god! Sorry about the massive pictures!
And by the way, I play it through quite possibly the sweetest amp ever.
Smallest peavy in existence. I'm saving up for a Traynor amp that sounds beautiful.

hui...that old FENDER-rhodes namerail drives me crazy everytime i see it.

i like it EVEN BETTER then my '76 mark I namerail :)

great piano!

Great! What year?

1972
Mark 1a with wood hammers.

Those 1972 models weren't hybrid hood-plastic with replaceable tips yet?

Oops, that's what I meant. Sorry!

Here's my Rhodes pic...
(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j53/jeffwuollet/Rhodesside.jpg)
71' Fender Rhodes(Rewired with single conductor monster cable & Neutrik RCA jacks)

I threw some more pics of the studio in the recording section...

Hey tjcombs, whats the action like on yours?

Well, I haven't played many real pianos, but it seems really responsive. I would say it's pretty light compared to how most people call rhodes "sluggish" or "Heavy". I wouldn't describe it as anything like that. It might be my imagination, but it seems like the lower registers feel the way a normal piano does, and it gets lighter as it goes up the keyboard. Is that normal?

Give me a few weeks and I'll have some pics of my new toy.

My cousin has a groove rock band in NC (he plays guitar and sings) and works in a pawnshop in his spare time between gigs.

He calls me and says that he ended up getting a near-mint (year unknown) Rhodes Mark I Stage 88 complete with legs, crossbraces, and pedal in trade for $100 and a Samick electric guitar.  He said that it's still in tune, as well.  

This is after sitting for many years in storage in a guy's garage.

I can't WAIT to get my hands on that bad boy.

rocksnob, when are you gonna show us your fender contempo ? now that's what i call a rare bird, you lucky stiff! does it have that steel guitar type stand? I always wanted to hear one of those & play one & most of all own one. my next project is to procure a fender contempo & set it up next to my english vox continental and run them both thru a leslie speaker. I also have a 75' rhodes that i bought cheap & fixed up real nice, with new hammer tips, felts, bushings, and a BBE harmonic clarifier made by McClennan, beautiful sound! will send some pix as soon as i get a digital camera.

This Rhodes Mark 1 was made in November/December 1976 (4776-5064). This was my first Rhodes ever, and my uncle had to make a custom crate to ship it in (from CA to CT. With the proper crate, UPS can do no harm really). I'll never forget the day I got off of the school bus (maybe back in 2002?) and literally ran to my house. When I first saw it I couldn't believe how large it was. It seemed really friggin big. And I couldn't believe how poorly the action felt. Horrible, just  a nightmare.  

I was told that the seller had some work done on the piano in 1977, including an exciting custom brown-vinyl job on the outside. The pickups were split so that the first 24 notes were given a dedicated output (a ¼" output is drilled directly over the "R" in Rhodes). The adjustable legs we swapped with non-adjusting legs for "added stability". Many of the mid-range hammer tips were replaced with harder tips (to add a stronger attack).

Unfortunately, none of these modifications translated into a better sounding and playing piano, and when it arrived in 2002, the instrument was suffering from years of serious, major neglect. My first impression of the Rhodes was a very bad one. The action was unbelievably sluggish, the individual pickup volume was completely uneven, multiple pickups were dead, and above all, the sound was not like the Rhodes I cherished. The sound was boring, flat, limp, flaccid. It was quite nasty.

In 2004 I got the courage to do my first "overhaul" and make my Rhodes come to life. If it weren't for the help provided by Steven Hayes and John Della Vecchia (just to name a few), this Rhodes would still be crude and unplayable. I began by soaking every single tine in kerosene and carefully cleaning each one. I replaced all grommets, all hammer tips, re-wired the pickup scheme to a single output, replaced all of the dead pickups, replaced broken tines, and made sure the tone bars were all clean. To help the action, I added the key lift option, which helped individual key articulation and allowed me to do trills. Re-adjusted the damper arms, (arms were bent, but felt was in good shape). I lubed all points of contact. I replaced the balance rail felt and guide pin felt (which by the way, makes the action feel new again. Really makes it nice and soft). I re-adjusted the strike line because it was all out of whack. I re-adjusted the escapement to factory spec, as it had been lowered. The timbre was set to capture the more harmonic sound of the Rhodes tines. I placed the tines as close to the pickups as possible. I did this to help with the lacking sensitivity, and low volume (I know a lot of guys don't like them too close but I like it). Upon removing the wooden keys, I noticed that the first one had the date of "10/20/77" written in pencil – the date when the first "modifications" were performed.

One other thing I did, which by the way happened after these sound samples were done, was remove the keybed felt, thus giving the keys a longer keydip and hammer tips further distance from the tines (there is still some keybed felt/glue remenance so the wooden key isn't actually touching alluminum). The action really isn't sluggish now, and if I had to choose, this was probably the most critical "mod" I performed because now the tines really get whaked hard and they bark loud as a result (sadly I don't have a recording to demonstrate). Well here it is, ugly and brown!

(http://www.photographs.homestead.com/rhodes.jpg)

(http://www.recordingproject.com/bbs/files/rhodes4.jpg)

Here are the respective sound samples. Tell me how you think it sounds! It's not perfect. I'll bet a REAL tech would find a number of problems. I don't get to play too many other Rhodes..at all..so I have nothing to judge it against. PS- not very good recordings at all. Quite low and noisy- for the stereo tremelo it's a dunlop TS-2.

http://octavecat.homestead.com/JazzChords1976.mp3

http://octavecat.homestead.com/FastStereoTrem1976.mp3

http://octavecat.homestead.com/MinorchordsReverb1976.mp3

The following sound sample is me going friggin crazy. Actually, what I mean is I was so desparate to get the pre-1975 wood/plastic hammer sound- you know, the "Fender Rhodes" sound, as opposed to the Rhodes. I wen't crazy trying best to get that sound, so what I did was cut small pieces of maple (about 1.3 inches long and however wide the hammer is) and put them directly on the plastic hammer, for about 24 notes. This did make it sound more like a pre-'75. Actually one tech guessed it was a 76' pickup/tine rail on a '74 action, so mission acomplished to a degree. It was impracticle though, but I would like to do something similar again, to get more upper-midrange bite. Warning- sound sample is bad, only this time worse  :oops:

http://octavecat.homestead.com/FenderrhodesSample.mp3  


EXTRA- Here's a photo of another Rhodes I now have, which is an updated 1978 with dyno my piano mods (the 78's with the modified peds). Can't say I've ever seen one before. It sounds good- it's very different than the '76 though. One thing that really bugs me is understanding the keydip. The key dip travel is longer than the '76's was (before I removed the keybed felt) yet the keybed felt is 100% intact on the '78. I have no idea how other to increase keydip without removing keybed felt. To this day I still don't get it. Shim the action rails? It doesn't make any sense. I've looked over both of the pianos in and out, and I can't see any difference, though what I can't see might be my problem.    


(http://www.photographs.homestead.com/top.jpg)

Well in any case I hope you had a good read and a good laugh. I've enjoyed reading all of the other submissions. I especially like seeing the "Fender Rhodes" !!

Best Regards

Quote from: "geronimo"rocksnob, when are you gonna show us your fender contempo ? now that's what i call a rare bird, you lucky stiff! does it have that steel guitar type stand? I always wanted to hear one of those & play one & most of all own one. my next project is to procure a fender contempo & set it up next to my english vox continental and run them both thru a leslie speaker.

I'd be pretty happy with an English Connie as well :)

I actually have two Contempos, though not really, one is a total parts cow (my first and disasterously unsuccesful attempt at buying one, bought it sight unseen, apparantely in :working condition" and when I got it the power supply was trashed, cosmetics s**t, all the oscillating coils were missing! only managed to get a bit of my money back from the bugger, at least I didn't really pay all that much either...). Oh well, I have nearly a full set of parts for the good one in case anything ever happens at least.

The sound was more or less a mystery to me when I bought it, I had briefly played one a few years back, and I had an album from the ONLY band I could find that played one that had an album for sale (The Gardens Faithful, pretty good poppy keyboard centric music if you can look past some of the rather uninspired lyrics), so I had a general idea, but other than that... Sounds really cool I think though, quite thick (puts my old Farfisa VIP 500 to shame). The unit  is in tip top shape other than the fact that the only thing that is missing is the cool Fender legs you mentioned, I have a pair of chrome combo organ legs that work nicely with it, but it's just not the same.... Maybe I could get the metalworking shop near work to bend\weld me a pair from a picture.......

I'll take a few pics of it tomorrow and perhaps if time permits post some nice sound clips of it, drove me crazy the almost total lack of availability of sound clips of any sort on the internet for the Contempo, it's a great sounding and looking beast if I do say so myself :)

Sound samples please!  :lol:

Here is mine 1980 MKII 88:

(http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/22.jpg)

(http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/23.jpg)

(http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/24.jpg)

(http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/25.jpg)


Buyed for 900 euro here in my city, without tolex and really dirty, but in good mechanical condition.

I've retolexed , cleaned inside and outside, now seems new :) The only thing i got to add are the handles.

You can listen a test here: http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/intro.mp3

Not great musician skillz, but the rhodes sound good :)


Some pics of restoration here: http://www.stokkaemadbuddy.com/rhodes/


bye

Nice work, tasters - she's a beauty!

tasty... :D

All,
The following story about my Mark V is taken from my blog:
http://www.joehungry.com/?p=105

Quote
This post is all about my Rhodes Mark V Stage 73 piano. But first, some background, if you please.

I must give credit to Will Ammons, good friend and keyboardist from my college band, for introducing me to vintage keyboards and organs, expecially the Fender Rhodes piano. Thank you, Will.

I was in high school when my mom was given a Fender Rhodes Mark Ib Stage 73 from a local school. This was before I knew anything about the instrument, and as a consequence it sat unused in our home., and eventually my mom and I gave it away to a local recording studio; a decision I came to regret.

I eventually purcased my first Fender Rhodes piano; a Mark 1b Suitcase 88 for $400. What a piano! I fell in love with the stereo tremelo. I later sold it to purchase a mint condition Mark II Stage 73 (with wooden keys) for $300. I eventually sold the Mark II as well. I was playing the EVP-88 Logic Pro rhodes emulator with a MIDI keyboard and thought that I should sell the Mark II, as some tines and pickups had broken. I thought that I would be as happy with the rhodes emulator as I was with the real thing. I was wrong.

After only one month of being "rhodesless" I decided to start looking for another one. I read up on the different models and decided to start looking for a Mark V Stage 73, but would also like to find a Mark 1b Suitcase 88. I knew it would be difficult to find a Mark V, and if I found one, I wasn't sure how much it would cost. I placed 2 online WTB ads, one of which was on my personal blog.

After only a month, an email appeared in my inbox bearing the subject: "Rhodes Mark V Stage 73″

It read:
   I have a Rhodes Mark V Stage 73 model that I don't use. Everything works and I rarely use it. Interested ?? and how much is a fair price ??

I could not believe it! It turned out that there was a gentleman in Baltimore, MD who saw my WTB and decided to write to me. Based on my previous purchases, I suggested a price of $400, to which he agreed. Over the next 6 months I saw two Mark V's sell for over $4,200 on eBay.

It was in good condition when I got it, and I was able to tune it and clean it with success. I have had to replace about 4 tines, which I broke while playing it. But other than that, it has been very reliable. I plan on keeping this one for a long time.

Here are some pictures of it; inside and out:
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0246.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0247.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0380.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0437.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0875.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0876.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0877.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0881.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0882.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0883.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0884.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0886.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0887.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0888.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0889.jpg)
(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0890.jpg)

Thanks for taking the time to look!

I'm going to be taking pix of the stand soon, for all those Mark V owners who are missing one, and want to see one in detail.

Jigz

Some MarkV Soundclip?
looks cool :)

bye

Well, for now you can go to:

http://www.joehungry.com

I recorded my Mark V recently with a group, Esspaul, on the "Incomplete Fall Tour Album".  The tracks are pretty much scratch, and have only drums and Rhodes Mark V on most of the songs.  So, hopefully you can hear the Mark V well enough on them.

The songs are listed on the right hand side of the page, grouped by Band and then Album.

Since recording, I've tuned and voiced the Mark V, so it sounds better, but I think it still sounds fine in the recordings.

Thanks for your interest.

Joe

Here are those Fender Contempo clips I promised, my digi camera is on the fritz, but when that's workin I'll take those pics too. The first two are amped and mic'd, the last two are DI'd, You'll have to excuse the playing though.....

http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-all-full-except-513-slow-vibrato-mp3.html (http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-all-full-except-513-slow-vibrato-mp3.html)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-all-full-except-4-slow-tremolo-mp3.html (http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-all-full-except-4-slow-tremolo-mp3.html)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-no-513-no-effects-mp3.html (http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-no-513-no-effects-mp3.html)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-various-settings-mp3.html (http://www.zshare.net/audio/fender-contempo-various-settings-mp3.html)

Hi I thought I'd post mine. I have a Mark 1 73 Stage Rhodes. This was like 5 years in the making. Actually I fixed it around 2002.

I re-did the tolex to a the blonde color. And the harp cover..well that's a long story. I tried to do the sparkle top but it wasn't working. The top gloss coat was peeling off so I tried to redo the sparkle but it started looking like crap. Then I decided to just get some thin "furry" fabric, slap it on the cover and call it a day. And I must say I am happy with it.

I got this for about $400 but it is missing the push rod, sustain pedal, the crossbar and the case cover (which I'll get all later well except for the case cover). But everything works after a lot of cleaning and fixing the tines and pickups. I just need to solder one wire back on.  

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes4.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes3.jpg)

hmm needs a cleaning there. lol

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes1.jpg)

:shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

It looks like a high-quality job :)

your cover looks somehow like marble :)

Blackbird, nice! That was pretty creative putting on fabric. I had never thought of that. I would like to see one done with some really shaggy "monster fur" type fabric.
-Ben-

a general question - i noticed often tines with squished grommets have 2 springs linked together under the tonebar, like in the picture below.  Why were 2 springs used in some places?  was this a factory thing or a tech find?


(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0882.jpg)

Good question. None of mine are doubles.
-BJT-

Quote from: "BJT3"Blackbird, nice! That was pretty creative putting on fabric. I had never thought of that. I would like to see one done with some really shaggy "monster fur" type fabric.
-Ben-

Thanks. It's only because I was getting frustrated with spray painting the harp cover and it looking like crap. I just decided to slap on some fabric and voila!

Quote from: "bjammerz"a general question - i noticed often tines with squished grommets have 2 springs linked together under the tonebar, like in the picture below.  Why were 2 springs used in some places?  was this a factory thing or a tech find?


(http://www.joehungry.com/wp-images/IMG_0882.jpg)

I guessed that this happened in the factory by mistake, when I rebuilt mine I took out all the double. Think there was 3 or 4 lots, and the sound wasnt impared.

Well, I guess since I've finally joined, its my turn.  Not a very interesting story, but here goes.  I'd been looking for a Fender Rhodes piano bass for a while and even in a big city, Indianapolis, there aren't a lot of shops that sell vintage intstruments, much less that sell anything as cool as FR stuff.
I started searching ebay and in late 04, found the one pictured below.  I won the auction for a mere $212 plus shipping.  It was actually in tune when it arrived at my home a week later, but it came with no harp cover.  I figured this is why it went so low, but even still, I felt like I got a good deal.  I found a harp cover from a 73 and cut it up.  I am still trying to get a real one or find someone that will lone me one so I can get a vacuformed replica made since the one I use now doesn't fit all that great and the seam is still visible

Well...here she is.....

(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i195/Peacefrog35/HPIM0081.jpg)(//)

i think people put two springs in so that they can squash the grommets.


no ha ha i was joking ha ha.

i always imagined it was an attempt to get more sustain out of a note. But it's a dodgy way to do it cause it wrecks the grommet!

Hey neat idea on that sparkle top.  I see the weld-ish point in the middle but it works!  haha

Thanks for the compliments!  It's not perfect, but yeah, it does work.  All in all, $212 isn't too bad for a Piano bass in good condition.

you're tellin me, I still don't understand how they go for so much money.

great thing!!!
don't worry about the cover - at least you've got one...:)

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/9764/img17520im.jpg

Fender Rhodes stagepiano mark 1 73 -74
I found it from Rovaniemi, Finland
It had key pedestal mod ready and it was in perfect condition

Quote from: "zlognaut"Fender Rhodes stagepiano mark 1 73 -74
I found it from Rovaniemi, Finland
It had key pedestal mod ready and it was in perfect condition

Nice. Always nice to find something that's ready to play!

-Ben-

This is my third Rhodes, I Drove 2400 miles to get from a little town in NJ. Paid 1750 for it, she is pretty perfect (i Think).
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/jabbejokker/IMG_0001.jpg)

It's in just about as perfect shape as I've seen one for that era.  Amazing find!

Thanx :D, Im thinking about polishing/rechroming the metal parts, and re tolex it. Allso the glitter-gray stuff is a bit brownish in places as you can see...

maybe do the chrome parts, but don't retolex and regrille!  it's a little brownish but that might be able to be cleaned (it's only brown where the panel sections are for the speakers, where air can pass through)

You should probably leave it in it's original patina, it's gotta be worth more that way demonstrating what kind of condition it was held in over 30 years

(http://wcssp.webclub-subaru.com/Funky%20Duck/P1010074.jpg)

A pic from my set-up, with the Rhodes Mk 1 that i bought for 80 frs. It was in very bad condition, 3 keys missing, tines had to be replaced,etc...) but i made a little restoration last year. Paintjob (blue and orange colour) is a bit special, but my goal was that the Rhodes should looks funky. And i think it does...

yep, indeed, it looks funky, are those cheek blocks red ?
nice leslie, have never ever seen this kind of model.

Regards
Mark II

very cool. especially the "no dogs" sticker.
nice roland, too.

Quote from: "Mark II"yep, indeed, it looks funky, are those cheek blocks red ?
nice leslie, have never ever seen this kind of model.

Regards
Mark II

Yes, the cheek blocks are now red, with a small piece of red fur on it.

It's not exactly a Leslie, only a clone of a Leslie Cabinet from Italy, made by Sisme, in 1970. Sounds allmost the same than Dynacord or Elka Cabinet. A real Leslie (122, 147, 760 etc...) is really another sound dimension ! But this clone is allways better than the internal simulation of the Korg CX-3  :wink:

(http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k82/seanp_music/RhodesBefore-sized2.jpg)
My Mark I Stage 73

I bought it on Monday on Ebay for $202.50.  It's a fixer-upper.  I sent 11.5 hours driving today to pick it up.  I got it home and hooked it up to a Tube MP...and it works.  Only 2 keys don't work (which I'm pleasantly pleased about).  It's a little out of tune. And, it mad dirty!  It needs a desperate retolex job.  But, overall I can't be more excited.

I've wanted a Rhodes since I started building up my studio.  I fell in love with hiphop listening to A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes, and Life.  This record was The Ummah's (Jaydee RIP and Q-Tip) first record as a production team.  Their sound heavily relied on the Rhodes' atmospheric and melodic sound.  Jaydee continued this format successfully with Slum Village.  His sound sparked a whole new movement of music (some call it neo-soul...although his albums were hiphop records).   Anyway...that music means soooo much to me, and the Rhodes was one of the biggest reasons why I love music today.

looks funky with the flightcases :)

congratulations, have fun with it!

Quote from: "andi85"looks funky with the flightcases :)

Yeah...i know...gotta buy some legs, but Im not really satisfied with what I'm finding.

Thanks andi85

This is my Rhodes. He's born in 1977, like me :)
Stage 73 with the original suitcase preamp

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/b0478131.jpg)

The suitcase preamp, with 2 jacks outputs and power supply modif ( tremolo effect is realy a fantastic thing :lol: ) :

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/995b4f51.jpg)

My Rhodes' friends ( Twin Reverb, Leslie122, Boss CE-1 )

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/f5c19e92.jpg)

His bedroom, shared with a portable Hammond B3, MUTRON biphase, etc.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/b9897377.jpg)

Great sound and touch !! Love my vintage effects too ! :wink:

very fresh indeed!

congratulation sean p for your purchase. it's always a joy to see a new couple to be formed.

soukouss, where is your clavinet  :wink:
just kiddin, you have a nice collection.
lovely mixture of vintage and new gear.
respect

Mark II

No clavinet? Pffft.... your equipment sucks.

.
.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.Just kidding, wish I had some of the stuff you have. :D

Yeah I'm very proud of all my instruments, with a special tenderness for the vintage stuffs :)

But it's true a clavinet is missing  :lol: I use for the moment a Nordelectro2 ( not a bad simulation in fact ... it particulary use a "natural" tuning, not a cold "equal" tuning ).

very very nice. especially the hammond. i'd really love to have one. ok, probably all ouf you do...:)

Now that I finally have things setup at my new place, I thought I'd make my contribution here...this is my studio:

(http://www.fenderrhodes.org/base/etc/studio/full-view.jpg)

My new friend is a 1975 Rhodes Stage 73.  I gigged with a bassist a couple of weeks ago who described his axe as a FrankenFender, which seems to be a good description of this piano.  I have no idea how many of the parts are original, how many are transitional, how many are new/old stock.  What I do know is that the pickup rail is from early '75, the serial number sticker on the harp says "Rhodes" and reads 41333 (no FR or K in front), and the hammers are half-wood/half-plastic.  Here's a closer look inside:

(http://www.fenderrhodes.org/base/etc/studio/inside.jpg)

The big score here is that the tonebars have been nickel plated, and the pickup rail was rebuilt by Major Key (John's signature is on it and everything).  Taking a closer look has revealed a few more interesting things.  Tonebar #5 is just plain missing, even though the screws, springs & grommets are still there.  Tonebar #8 is actually marked as both #15 and B, obviously from an era where the 88-key Rhodes had been introduced.  A few of the tines have a silver-colored generator, while most of the others have an aged gold-ish look.  The damper felts and hammer tips look like they were replaced fairly recently, but a handful of the felts in the upper range have drooped over and aren't doing their job anymore.  I guess another round of replacements is in order there.

Probably the strangest thing I've found is that two keys (#4 and #69, both white) are newer in color compared to the others, both inside and out.  More replacement work, obviously.  What's really interesting is that these newer keys are a different size from the original ones??!?!!!  Even though they look about the same on the inside and there are no differences in the action, the top of the key is 2 mm longer than the others, causing them to stick out in an unnatural way.  I'm trying to track down a couple of replacements from '75 to see if they're the right size, but what the hell, maybe the keys aren't even from '75 in the first place....

(http://www.fenderrhodes.org/base/etc/studio/key-diff1.jpg)

(http://www.fenderrhodes.org/base/etc/studio/key-diff2.jpg)

As far as mods go, I have a Speakeasy flat-top that I used with my Suitcase, a new leg set and a tube preamp on order, and I might add the MKHC to the list.  But I'll definitely be getting a lot of stuff from Vintage Vibe...the action on this piano is so nasty that I won't be able to play it without the Miracle Mod!!!

nice one. be honest and admit that you put the tai-chi-magazine on the music stand just for the pictures to be taken.

Got you :twisted:
Mark II

Either the keys or the keycaps have been replaced, these 2 are later model keys, from the all plastic hammer vintage , late 70s.  It would seem that the keys from maybe late 74 and 75 are unique, I've always noticed a difference - the keys from this era are flat on top, and the "stubs" that are the vertical side that faces you (whatever they're called) are always yellowed in appearance.  Take this picture for example.

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/jabbejokker/IMG_0001.jpg)

Here's my new Setup :
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/IMG_1626.jpg)
Showing : Rhodes Mark 1 73 (1980?), Hammond m3 Organ (1959) and a yamaha CS-40m

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/IMG_1624.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/SA400009.jpg)
New acqusition : Hohner PIanet T

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/SA400043.jpg)
A Leslie 825 + Cmbo préamp II

lookin good!

Yeah!!  Lookin' real good.
How's your relation with the neighbours ?  :wink:

Kitchen

(http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/65/838/1600/100_0279.jpg)

(http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/65/838/1600/100_0284.jpg)

I love The Red Lady more than anything in the world.  I got her off ebay a couple of years ago from a guy in Long Island who had not idea what the value of this completely cherry '79 Stage 88 was.  450 bucks.

I did the red tolex myself last summer.  I haven't really had to replace anything.  The grommets could probably use a swapout.  I adusted the strike line and tuned and voiced it and soldered the cable off the harp straight to the output, bypassing the pots.

I gig a lot, usually 3 or 4 times a week and I'm on the road a lot.  I've never had an instrument that feels like a friend before and I feel at home when I'm behind her on stage.

I'm like the rest of you guys.  I'm happiest with the harp cover off and some tools near by, just tweaking by the hour.

Long live The Red Lady.

I forgot- I put all the black hardware on.  It's slowly turning silver from the road.

Hello guys

Have you ever heard talking about a TOO LOUD harp rca output which makes the preamp distording when playing very strong?
It's what happend to my Rhodes, with two different preamps.

So my technician puts an electric resistance into the preamp, to lower the input signal about 3 or 4 dB. Now it works fine.

The Rhodes is a Stage 73 Mark 1, first week of 1977, with the exclusive namerail upgrade. I got it with two Super Satellite cabinets.
It has been customized by the same technician to be used less the cabinets. Now it has an onboard AC power on the back and two jack outputs next to the "accessory".

It has a great sound, very very closed mics' setting. I finished tuning it myself.
Here is some pics. Sorry for the bad quality.

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/16062007.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/16062007005.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f85/Soukouss/16062007002.jpg)

Bad quality? They're just right ;)

Where are all those imputs ont the front-left used for?

Quote from: "soukouss"Now it has an onboard AC power on the back and two jack outputs next to the "accessory".

As you see, these 2 jacks on the far left are the output jacks.
than the fx loops (=accessory)

Mark II

A picture from my actual live set-up :

(http://wcssp.webclub-subaru.com/Funky%20Duck/MS20.jpg)

Nice gear Spooky !

What is your rhodes's history ? Some  electronical or mechanic tweaking ?
Do you use the MS20's filters with the Rhodes ?
What kind of music do you play with that set up ?

My Rhodes History ?

I bought it there is 17 years ago, for 80 frs (60$) from my cousin. The Rhodes itself was not in so good conditions, cosmeticaly. So i paint it blue and orange there is a couple of years.

Last year, i gave all the internal mechanic to a Rhodes Tech in switzerland. He changed some tines, pickups, made a total revision.

And i made the case and paint job. So it changed from light blue/orange to royal blue/gold sparkle.

In January i also aded a VintagVibe Preamp. It's not the definitive model, with the original serigraphie. It's a sort of pre-serie Preamp.

Yes, the Rhodes is sometimes going thru the cuting edge filters of the MS-20.  I have an effect slope in the Rhodes Preamp, so i can include the MS-20 without problem.

The kind of music ? Funk, soul.

hmm it sounds good ! thanks for your response.
I'd like to see his royal blue - gold sparkle colors...
Peace
S.

You can see my 1976 Rhodes Mark 1 Stage (aka the "babied studio Rhodes") to the left in this shot:

(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x174/toddague/Studio.jpg)

These days, a new Nord Electro II 73 sits on top of it.  I bought that Rhodes off EBay from its original owner.  Only a few scratches on the tolex, but other than that -- mint condition.  I installed new grommets, thoroughly cleaned out the insides and polished everything up -- then tuned and voiced it.  On top of that, I bought a Rhodes tune-up kit from a music store owner friend that had it laying around, and found Rhodes-issued modification/mounts for the upper 12 or so tonebars.  No springs needed!  I installed these, and get a bit more sustain in the upper registers now.  Typically, I run this Rhodes through a Speakeasy Vintage Suitcase Vibrato pedal, and/or a Speakeasy Vintage dual channel tube preamp to beef up the sound.  Overall, the Rhodes sounds great!

I have another Rhodes (a 1978 Mark 1 not shown here - aka the "Road Rhodes") that is a bit beat up on the outside, but sounds great for live, since it, too, has new grommets and has been revoiced, tuned and had escapement updated to move the tine ends closer to the pickups to give it more bark.

great setup!

Yeah, nice. Interesting about that upper note mod kit too. Would you mind posting some pics? Cool, so when ya' gettin' the Clav and Moog? Lol... :)

B3, ok...but in stereo ! ! !  :shock:

That's amazing. Is it a 122 and a 145 ? I can immagine the sound...wow !

Yes, i agree bjammerz : Great Setup.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_eobW-9K9pIo/Rpi8cLewRPI/AAAAAAAAANs/Vv1DWa1AbKE/s1600-h/DSC01973.JPG

Any love for my Student Model?

Re: B3, ok...but in stereo ! ! !  That's amazing. Is it a 122 and a 145 ? I can immagine the sound...wow !

Actually -- the leslies are a 147 and a 45, which I modified to a 2 speed (so it's basically the same as the 2 speed Leslie-issued 145).  A 145 is like a 147 -- same amp and speakers, but in a 7" shorter cabinet, so a bit less low-end tone.  I use the 145 for live work sometimes, but the 147 stays at home.   This setup does create quite the "stereo doppler effect" -- especially when recording and panning each leslie's horn and lower rotor at 9 and 3...

I'll get a few shots of the upper tine/grommet assembly out here as soon as I can.  No one seemed to know about this Rhodes-issued modification when I first acquired the kit and asked around about it...

Quote from: "toddague"I bought a Rhodes tune-up kit from a music store owner friend that had it laying around, and found Rhodes-issued modification/mounts for the upper 12 or so tonebars.  No springs needed!  I installed these, and get a bit more sustain in the upper registers now.

Probably it is the "rubber-standoff", a Mark V factory improvement for the higher tonebars.
I didn't know that this kit was in sale :shock:

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/rubber-standoffs.php

"Probably it is the "rubber-standoff", a Mark V factory improvement for the higher tonebars.
I didn't know that this kit was in sale"  :shock:  

Yes -- you're correct, O.Lahoz!   That's what I bought and installed.  I didn't realize these were for the Mark V, but that makes sense, timing-wise (the package/accompanying memo had a date stamp on them of 1984.

Anyway...I agree with the content found via the link you sent.  The higher-key rubber standoffs sound better and have improved sustain, but the difference is not hugely significant...

You people and your B-3's... I'm so envious :-(

grrrrrrrrr

Quote from: "soukouss"hmm it sounds good ! thanks for your response.
I'd like to see his royal blue - gold sparkle colors...
Peace
S.

Here you can see a little bit the colour in the day light :

(http://wcssp.webclub-subaru.com/Funky%20Duck/SetUp02.JPG)

bloody guitarist setting his guitar case down right where it's gonna mess with your sustain pedal!

Quote from: "jim"bloody guitarist setting his guitar case down right where it's gonna mess with your sustain pedal!

Never mind, jim.
spooky should be glad that he doesnt lay his crappy guitar on top of this awesome gold sparkle finished harp cover.

"Do it, man and I will stab you to death with my sustan pedal rod." :twisted:

Mark II

Quote from: "Mark II"

Quote from: "jim"bloody guitarist setting his guitar case down right where it's gonna mess with your sustain pedal!

Never mind, jim.
spooky should be glad that he doesnt lay his crappy guitar on top of this awesome gold sparkle finished harp cover.

"Do it, man and I will stab you to death with my sustan pedal rod." :twisted:

Mark II

You're absolutely right. It's a really crappy guitar...An Epiphone for 450 Euros. But i wouldn't stab it to death...the cover is allready scratched. Nothing serious, but it's allmost impossible to keep a Stage Piano in pristine conditions when i take it to gigs every months...I assume it, and in 2 or 3 years, i make a renovation of the case and top.  :wink:

Quote from: "Spookyman"

Quote from: "Mark II"

Quote from: "jim"bloody guitarist setting his guitar case down right where it's gonna mess with your sustain pedal!

Never mind, jim.
spooky should be glad that he doesnt lay his crappy guitar on top of this awesome gold sparkle finished harp cover.

"Do it, man and I will stab you to death with my sustan pedal rod." :twisted:

Mark II

You're absolutely right. It's a really crappy guitar...An Epiphone for 450 Euros. But i wouldn't stab it to death...the cover is allready scratched. Nothing serious, but it's allmost impossible to keep a Stage Piano in pristine conditions when i take it to gigs every months...I assume it, and in 2 or 3 years, i make a renovation of the case and top.  :wink:

stab the gituar player, not the guitar.

Mark II

Here is mine:
(http://www.sonicreef.com/IMG_1453.JPG)

Got it last Friday. Sounds and plays like a dream. I couldn't get away from it all weekend.

Your Rhodes seems to be in very good condition too.

And the Voyager... :D  I'm loving it ! Nice set-up man.

Here's my set up: Rhodes - Boss Tremelo - MicroKorg - Zoom Drum machine - Yamaha 4-track recorder - Monacor Reverb

Click on thumbnail to see a bigger version...
(http://imajr.com/th/PICT0007_254657.JPG) (http://imajr.com/PICT0007_254657)

Quote from: "Spookyman"

Quote from: "soukouss"hmm it sounds good ! thanks for your response.
I'd like to see his royal blue - gold sparkle colors...
Peace
S.

Here you can see a little bit the colour in the day light :

(http://wcssp.webclub-subaru.com/Funky%20Duck/SetUp02.JPG)

Very, very cool gold sparkle and royal blue treatment, Spookyman!  Did you do the finishes yourself?  Looks like you stripped off the tolex and found a durable spray enamel for the blue part.  Nice new hardware, too!  Any tips you can share on how to do the sparkle and blue finishes?  My "road Rhodes" could use a makeover like that!

 -- Todd

Hi there!!

There is my lil story, first im from Canada and originaly speak french, so sorry if sometime im hard to read :P

Im a vintage Piano-Organ collector now i count 8 pieces on my collection
- Fender Rhodes Mark 1 Seventy Three
- Fender RHodes Mark II Fifty Four
- Fender Rhodes Piano Bass
- Gibson G101 organ
- Vox Continental MK I organ
- Vox Super Continental
- Wurlitzer 200A
- Korg BX3

So im first a big fan of the doors, and my first goal was to get the famous Piano bass and the gibson and Vox organ, so i found someone around here who was selling a RHodes Seventy three at a really fair price, my 1st idea at this time was to buy the rhodes to trade it for a Gibson/Pbass/vox after that... But after played a few min on it i decide to keep this baby forever :P a year or 2 after i found someone who was sellling a part of the Satellite amp and i bought it, the Rhodes sound totally amazing in it, really smooth, but i only have the slave unite, so i cant buy the preamps with the vibrato... After that...
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/RhodesMarkI.jpg)
I reach my goal to get my other babies... a 1971 Silver Sparkle Piano bass proudly sit on the top of my Gibson G101
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/Rhodes-Bass.jpg)
After getting some other organ i discover a friend of mine was the owner of a Rhodes 54, he was sleeping since a lot of year, i bough him and when i open it i discover it was totally brand new, the hammer look like they never play
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/Rhodes-54-2.jpg)
Ill maybe be interested to trade it for a Clavinet D7 or a Minimoog but i really love it.

Thats my lil story, ill try to keep get m,y collection bigger but im a non proffessional musician, i play for fun! ill join the rest of my collection for those interested by those oldies :)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/Wurlitzer.jpg)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/VoxBass1.jpg)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/GibsonG101-1.jpg)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/SVox1.jpg)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/BX3-2.jpg)
P.S The BX3 stand was made by myself and a friend to made him look like a real B3,

Quote from: "toddague"Very, very cool gold sparkle and royal blue treatment, Spookyman!  Did you do the finishes yourself?  Looks like you stripped off the tolex and found a durable spray enamel for the blue part.  Nice new hardware, too!  Any tips you can share on how to do the sparkle and blue finishes?  My "road Rhodes" could use a makeover like that!

 -- Todd

Yes, the tolex was stripped away. The Hardware is brand new. For the case, i took a car colour, and applied it with the help of a friend. The top, i gave it to a friend that also make Drum Set Finish.

So if you are interested, there is a post in the Archive Part of this site :

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=2352

Thanks for your comment Todd  :wink:

love the collection manzarek!

Quote from: "Manzarek"
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/BX3-2.jpg)
P.S The BX3 stand was made by myself and a friend to made him look like a real B3,

/e drools

I heard the old ones have a more "dirty" sound than the new ones.  True/False?

i never try a new one, but i heard the news one are way smoother than the early version, better/badder? ill need to try one! :)

Hey Manzarek, are you from québec?

amazing collection you have here!!!

Here my new Setup

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/100_0115.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/100_0113.jpg)


just brough the Wurly 2 month ago! Great sound!

Ok here's my Rhodes stuff:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09235.jpg)
My baseball jacket:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09237.jpg)
My poster:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09225.jpg)

Carol

that's awesome!

I love the cabinet rhodes!!

Apparently there were only 25 made.  At least that's what it says on this site.   Dave has one and I have one.  Both of which were built from the "stuff" my brother recovered from my dad's "shed" when he moved from Fullerton hills when he and Delores (wife #3 and Harold Jr's mom ) got divorced.

Hello, i am Orestes From Greece. Sorry for bad english.
This is my lovely Rhodes piano. I bought it from ebay, a guy from italy.
The model is mark1 1976

(http://www.geocities.com/benekas/Rhodes.JPG)

The keyboard is in good working condition. Has many scratches but i love the sound.
I did a jamming party with some friends when rhodes arrived and this is my first jam with the piano... The recording is Home made...

http://us.share.geocities.com/benekas/JamOstl.mp3

You can listen a hammond sound from the motif es keyboard.[/img]

I will use this thread as the original one (http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=2479) is closed since the relaunch of this site. I promised some pictures, so there u go

Meet my new modified Peterson 4 Pin Suitcase Preamp with custom made faceplate.

(http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/7172/img1809od5.th.jpg) (http://img528.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1809od5.jpg)

about the modification: I drilled some holes and installed 2 LEDs indicating the vibrato and 2 switches. one switch is for varying the speed aswell (actually halving the speed), the other switches from stereo panning to mono tremolo on both channels.

I installed it all on a second namerail I got from musicpartsguru. I removed the long black sticker. I like the recent design.

comments are welcome.

Mark II

very cool on the custom preamp!  great work!

Carol, a quick question for you about your wood cabinet Rhodes - What does the left pedal do?  I assume the right pedal sustains, does the left Dampen?  or hold down certain sustained notes like a grand piano?

Hi Bjammerz,

I just went and turned mine on, played a few notes and noticed no difference in the sound from holding the pedal down or not.  The Supersite has some info on the student model here:
http://www.fenderrhodes.com/models/student.php

I guess the left pedal is supposed to handle volume, but mine doesn't do anything it seems.

I'll ask Dave about it.

Carol

The left pedal on a console style Wurlitzer cut the volume down, I would assume that this is what the pedal on Carol's originally did too. I don't see how it can act as a sostenuto in a Rhodes....that would be very difficult to do.

Steve O

Here's a few shots of my KMC I:

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1before.jpg)
This is how it looked when I picked it up.  Got if off craigslist here in Nashville for $350.  Most of the plastic trim was cracked and peeling, and the walnut veneer on the sides was torn and chipped.  The grille cloth was frayed and stained, and somebody had duct-taped the metronome knob to keep it from being turned on, which left a bunch of residue.

I thought about leaving the outside alone and just fixing the guts, but decided that if I'm going to have it sitting out in my home and studio, then I want it to be functional AND look nice.

I completely dismantled it and filled in as many cracks and chips as I could.  Then I sanded and painted it, and replaced the plastic trim.

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1stripped.jpg)

I pulled out the action, and found that it had plastic/wood hammers with the original square felt tips on most of them.  Some in the middle octave had been replaced with neoprene years ago.  I replaced all the damper felts, all the pedestal felts, and the namerail felt.  I also found a small stamped date code on the bottom of the harp:

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1datecode.jpg)
(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1action.jpg)
(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1serial.jpg)

Then I moved and it sat for about 6 months before I could get back to it.  Last week I replaced the tonebar grommets, screws, and washers, and fixed some of the upper damper felts (thanks to this board)  that I had installed wrong.  It plays great now, except I think I need new bridle straps on about 3 notes.

Oh, here's what it looks like now:

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/kmc1after.jpg)

I added a parallel direct out from the harp in place of the mic input and replaced the orange neon bulb with a bright red LED.  I also replaced the rotary power switch/source selector with a giant toggle switch and put new knobs on it.  I also had to order a new "Seventy-Three" logo.

Here's it's cousins, my chopped/modded Wurli 206A:

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/wurliafter.jpg)

And my refinished M3:

(http://www.mtsu.edu/~nrd2b/rhodes/M3after.jpg)

holy smoke, the KMC looks amazing. well done.
a little redish, :wink:  but I like it.

kind regards

Mark II

Real nice job on the Wurli and Hammond too! Real nice Hammond!

The Hammond looks good! Need to fix that F key, though.

Doh! I forgot to mention that the Rhodes is gorgeous! I saw it, and suddenly went  :D

Funny story about that F key on my mom's Hammond. When I was a little kid, I somehow pulled up on that same key and busted it off. I freakin panicked and didn't know what to do. I quickly chewed some gum, and stuck it under there and "glued" the key back on. My mother NEVER noticed it- it held until 15 or more years later,when my little nephew broke the same key off and got blamed for it-that's when I fessed up! 15 years (or more) later and the gum still held!!!! At this point I was a tech, so I repaired it the right way..it's still in the family today.

haha wow!  now that's amazing

Good story.  :lol:

Here's my rhodes, mk 1 88 suitcase.

I had been looking for a rhodes for a looooong time, probably 6 months or so. Could never find one in my budget, or most importantly, within driving distance. So I check out ebay one day, search keyboards by distance, and lo and behold, there's a mk 1 88 key suitcase in the next county. Damn, I thought. So I spent a week getting the money together (and went into debt in the process - hey, I'm a student, I'm allowed to have no money) and two days before the auction ended, emailed the seller and asked if she would sell it locally. She did.

It's a real nice piano, miles beyond the Rhodes settings on my e-mu Vintage Keys. The seller got it from a school auction, and it looks like it had hardly been used. The tolex is scuffed up, but that's to be expected. This thing is immaculate. I think it's the closest anyone's ever gotten to getting a virgin rhodes used.

The seller also had a piano bass, but I didn't have the cash, as well as the fact that I already play bass, and I sorta kinda think the piano bass is a bit of a novelty. Anyway..... Here is a pic of my baby.

(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2885/hpim0391gt2.jpg)

Looks great!

This is my Rhodes as seen after about 8.5 hours of playing, the day I got it.  :D

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/2039796628_5227c074ff_b.jpg)

Here's my Rhodes.  It's a '74 Stage 88.  It has a tube preamp, a solid state pre, and a phaser built into it.  It can be switched between active and passive and the two preamps can be mixed together with a mix knob.  It has all new dampers, damper felts, key pedestal mods, hammer tips, grommets, screws and washers.  
The inside of the piano lid has been coated in conductive aluminum tape and is grounded to prevent radio interference and noise.  (Useful when driving the tube preamp at a high gain setting.)  
-Rob Currier


(http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff63/darkboneus/DSC04311.jpg)
(http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff63/darkboneus/DSC04310.jpg)
(http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff63/darkboneus/DSC04308.jpg)

Very nice. What's that on the background of the suitcase? An organ?

Now that's a modded Rhodes. High class.

WOW !

I'm loving this kind of modifications...amazing !  :D

This topic is just so beautiful! I'm proud to be able to add to it...

Here's my Mark II, with her custom paint job (Krylon with some sparkle, and a little texturing). I had been looking for a 73 of some kind for awhile, and was actually called from a list at a store I had given my name to, but by the time I got in to look at the piano, someone who rebuilds these babies as a hobby had already traded the one they called me about and brought this one back in instead, recently repaired and readjusted! I couldn't resist.

The custom paint job came later, partly inspired by the blue sparkle top one in the main Super Site gallery, and partly to match the lamp cover on the Bassman 50 that I've paired with her.

And of course, here's some photos (with special guest, my melodica 36!):

(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/kineticturtle/music%20gear/PICT0013.jpg)
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/kineticturtle/music%20gear/PICT0015.jpg)
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/kineticturtle/music%20gear/PICT0030.jpg)

I've posted in the thread before and yet I have another piano bass story.  Some may argue I'm not a true Fender Rhodes guy,but I am.   However, I only own piano basses at this time.

Anyway, I found this by luck while I was inspecting a house.  This lady had this shiny goldish thing in her garage with a ton of stuff on it and all around it.  I had to move stuff to inspect the fire damage to the garage.  I immediatley knew what it was, and my heart was beating fast.  Could this be the illusive gold top  piano bass???  I asked the lady about it and she said they bought it  years and years ago thinking it was an accordian( weird huh) and her son never played it and so it sat in the basement forever then moving to the garage for years and years.  
The top of the case was not on it and the fiberlass was cracked and the thing was cruddy.  She offered it to me for free, but I couldn't do that and someone being there on a professional capacity, I didn't feel right just taking it so I offered her the cash I had on me and took it.

The hammers and everyting was in great shape, although out of tune, but hte Raymac tines were also in great shape.  The tolex was shot and water damaged...strangely enough though, not torn.  The cheek blocks had crud on it and didn't even look like wood so I polished them for a long time.  I took the thing apart, cleaned it had it tuned, tolex changed and the top repaired professionaly.  THe crack was repaired and the sparkle blended so the repair is totally hidden.  All I need is the repacement tone knob that I am waiting on.

Here's a pic:

(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i195/Peacefrog35/RestoredGoldPianoBass005.jpg)

and another giving a close up of the repaired top looking better than it did when new I'll bet.

(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i195/Peacefrog35/RestoredGoldPianoBass006.jpg)

Wow, that bass is incredible! You're a lucky guy, finding that like you did.

Out of curiosity, why would anyone say that you are not a true Rhodes guy?

(http://images2.bilddagboken.se/28/_u1/_u9/_u1/_u9/_u4/u191947/93544_1191270762.jpg)
My setup about a month ago.

This is my rhodes, I got it on ebay a year ago for $400 US and it was and still is in great shape. I designed the custom ATA flight case based on the specs of the original case, and I'm glad to say that the new one is lighter and far more sturdy, especially when it comes to the latches, handles, etc (in the pic with the other rhodes and the XK3, it's sitting in a wood case I had made and was unhappy with). In fact, the flight case cost nearly twice as much as the rhodes itself, but it is now indestructible and I have no nightmares about my tolex ripping.

The preamp has been modified by a rhodes tech in Calgary (he did Chick's and Herbie's Rhodes back in the day) so that it now functions as a STAGE model, only now it plugs into the wall, and has two new left and right outs to get that sweet ping-pong effect.

This is my favorite gig rig, I use it frequently. And the flat top makes it easy for me to stick my Korg RADIAS or Hammond XK3 ontop.

(http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn99/com__dot/n649036765_655039_6426.jpg)

(http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn99/com__dot/n500751020_578109_3089.jpg)

(http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn99/com__dot/n500751020_72676_9312.jpg)
[/img]

(http://www.ariil.com/zhen/Rhodes/rig.jpg)
my 1972 fender rhodes mk. I stage
and a fender twin silverface (~1974-1976)

my girlfriend cleaned it and then I took a shot and then she cleaned it virtually (photoshop!) (http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9387/fender01ia9.jpg)

Great pics!

I finally got my baby after years of thinking about it and months of searching. Pics wil follow in a couple of weeks.

OT:
1ThingI have to express about a lot of the pics...your (home) studios are all horribly treated for accoustics!! :shock:
You guys spent so much time on your goodies you forget the space you play in!!!
.

:oops:


carry on..

Quote from: "darkboneus"Here's my Rhodes.  It's a '74 Stage 88.  It has a tube preamp, a solid state pre, and a phaser built into it.  It can be switched between active and passive and the two preamps can be mixed together with a mix knob.  It has all new dampers, damper felts, key pedestal mods, hammer tips, grommets, screws and washers.  
The inside of the piano lid has been coated in conductive aluminum tape and is grounded to prevent radio interference and noise.  (Useful when driving the tube preamp at a high gain setting.)  
-Rob Currier

(http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff63/darkboneus/DSC04311.jpg)

DAMN! Looks beautiful with all the knobs :)

Quote from: "raemon80"1ThingI have to express about a lot of the pics...your (home) studios are all horribly treated for accoustics!! :shock:
You guys spent so much time on your goodies you forget the space you play in!!!

My photos were actually taken soon after I moved in; I've added some improvised but attractive sound paneling since then, and now everything's been moved around!

Quote from: "tjjazzpiano"

Quote from: "Manzarek"
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Organ-Piano/BX3-2.jpg)
P.S The BX3 stand was made by myself and a friend to made him look like a real B3,

/e drools

I heard the old ones have a more "dirty" sound than the new ones.  True/False?

I'm very very sure,
Because the new ones are digital and the old ones are analog.

Here are some before and after pics of my 1974 Fender Rhodes Seventy Three key Suitcase piano. I got it on Ebay for $400 and the seller says she purchased it new at a San Fansisco music store in 1974.  She said that she used it as a home piano and the only time it was moved was when she changed residence. She said that she had not played it at all in the last 10 years, and during one of her past moved has lost the case lid. I had to drive out to the middle of nowhere in Oregon to pick it up and was a bit concerned when I first saw it sitting in a funky old attic that reeked of cat pee. It was covered in dust, but had very little visible damage. I was pleasantly surprised when she turned it on and all of the keys worked, and it was actually in pretty good tune. I asked her if she had ever done anything to it and she said that she had never done any maintenance or repairs to the piano. I took it home and spent many hours taking everything apart and thoroughly cleaning it. The action felt pretty sluggish and I discovered why when I took the keys off and found that all of the pedestal felts and key bushings were barely worn. The piano had never even been played enough to get fully broken in. The piano is now all cleaned up and playing great. I have ordered the miracle mod kit to improve the action and will be rebuilding the amp soon (one channel is not working). Overall I could not be more impressed with my find.

Before
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/billulsund/Fender%20Rhodes/DirtyRhodes.jpg)

After
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/billulsund/Fender%20Rhodes/FenderRhodesPictures018.jpg)

Haha!  I saw this one go through ebay a few times I believe.  A great deal for you.

I think I was most interested in the fact that it had the early style concentric knobs.

When you get a chance, could I get the serial number from you and any day codes on it?  I may have the records but I believe she never got back to me.

Quote from: "bjammerz"Haha!  I saw this one go through ebay a few times I believe.  A great deal for you.

I think I was most interested in the fact that it had the early style concentric knobs.

When you get a chance, could I get the serial number from you and any day codes on it?  I may have the records but I believe she never got back to me.

bjammerz,

I just posted all that info on the thread for listing information about suitcase models. I could not read the first digit of serial number very well in the picture so I will let you know when I get home if that is not correct. The only problem is that it is missing the volume knob and as I am sure you know the original concentric knobs are hard to come by so I am going to have to settle for the later cylindrical style knob as a replacement.

Hi.
VintageVibe and Speakeasy aswell have the knobs.
No quest anymore.

Mark II

Well finaly I've got my suitcase! It's a 1976 73, and it looks to be in great condition, at least from the outside!
Got it off Ebay in Germany, had it in my home for 1 day and now it's getting a full service at EP service in Holland, so I have to be patient once more! :? Also picked up a Clavinet E7 while I was there... nice!!!
Anyway here are some preview pics... more pics as soon as I have it back*
(http://www.3bergen.com/images/clavi.jpg)
(http://www.3bergen.com/images/piano1.jpg)

Nice! Most people would love to get ONE of these. To get two on the same day...great! A clavinet would be my next purchase (once I'm done restoring my Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hammond!!!!! :lol: ). How much did you pay for the clav? What shape is it in?

yeah, I bid on the clavinet and forgot about it, then all of a sudden I have a clavi!  :lol:
I paid 650€, and it's in pretty good shape, though I'm also having it serviced at the moment, just to start fresh and clean!

that's almost a steal, with D6 hitting 1200 euros these days in europe.

congrats

I love these auctions you forget but win all the same.

Mark II

I'm pretty happy myself! I guess most people forget about the E7 and go for the D6 (and yeah the D6 looks better, but still...)
The prices for most vintage keys are pretty high in Europe, but there are still some relative good finds here I guess!
I got the rhodes for 1450€ which is a pretty good price as well over here, specially for such a goodlooking one. Only problem is I can't stand it that I didn't start looking for this stuff years earlier!! *sniff*
oh well, at least I got 'em now...

Quote from: "3bergen"Only problem is I can't stand it that I didn't start looking for this stuff years earlier!! *sniff*
oh well, at least I got 'em now...

hell, yeah, in the early 80ties everyone was selling they Hammond/Rhodes/Hohner to get a DX7. pfui

I wish I had been into music and a little bit older these days.

Edit:
But I can't complain. I got my rhodes for 350 euros (without legs, braces and leg flanges). :D

Mark II

our time will come... some day... :wink:

even the keyboards go topless in europe!!

Hi

Just joined- long time frequenter of the site- and just picked up my '77 73 suitcase with the FR-7710 cabinet! :D I only paid 450 USD for it...   I'm pretty happy about it!

I found this one on a Craigslist posting a good distance from me, but it was the closest one around that wasn't 1200+ USD. So my girlfriend and I made the drive to Billings, Montana (having a nice day to spend in Yellowstone along the way :) ) and picked it up. It was in slightly better shape than I had thought- with most of the tolex ripped on the speaker cab. It has no speakers in it right now, which isn't too bad, and the pedal needs to be either replaced or retrofitted with a new extension- but the sustain works. The inside is in excellent shape with only age being the major factor in its condition. production No. is 3077

The speaker cab is pretty jacked... like I said, no speakers... yet. There's some weird mod on the player's side (see image) which I guess are outputs: the preamp outs from the amp itself to my KC-550 work great, but the mystery jacks on the front don't appear to do anything that I can tell. I plug them in and I get nothing :? so I think as part of my restoration I'm going to remove that... I like the silver Fender/Rhodes grill more than the black... we'll see.

I'm going to go through and adjust the tines and tonebars- even though it sounds pretty good already- just some timbral changes. there's no mid punch to it.

(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/ctenophonic/rhodes.jpg)
(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/ctenophonic/beauty_shot.jpg)
(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/ctenophonic/weird_mod.jpg)
(http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/ctenophonic/a_mess.jpg)

Anyway- there it is. This means I'll have to sell my Wurli 112 now, but oh well.

Well because they're right next to the poweramp on the player's side, I'm assuming it's some kind of effects loop for the cabinet, or additional inputs or outputs.  Probably has nothing to do with the actual piano part, maybe when they used speaker cabinet by itself with other things.

Quote from: "bjammerz"Well because they're right next to the poweramp on the player's side, I'm assuming it's some kind of effects loop for the cabinet, or additional inputs or outputs.  Probably has nothing to do with the actual piano part, maybe when they used speaker cabinet by itself with other things.

hmm... good call. I'll have to give it a try.

Quote from: "Mark II"Hi.
VintageVibe and Speakeasy aswell have the knobs.
No quest anymore.

Mark II

Well, I just got my new volume knob from Vintage Vibe, and it is not a perfect match. The existing knobs are a cone shape, while the knobs sold at Vintage Vibe and Speakeasy are cylinder shaped.

I've never seen a cone-shaped knob? I think that's a mod of some sort....

Quote from: "billulsund"

Well, I just got my new volume knob from Vintage Vibe, and it is not a perfect match. The existing knobs are a cone shape, while the knobs sold at Vintage Vibe and Speakeasy are cylinder shaped.

sorry, didnt know this fact. I thought it's a perfect match. But I think the result looks better than mixing different knob desgins ?

Mark II

Quote from: "MikeMalone"I've never seen a cone-shaped knob? I think that's a mod of some sort....

They are definitely the original knobs. The lady I got it from bought it new in 1974 and said that nothing on it had been changed (except that she lost the volume knob and lid).

Quote from: "Mark II"

Quote from: "billulsund"

Well, I just got my new volume knob from Vintage Vibe, and it is not a perfect match. The existing knobs are a cone shape, while the knobs sold at Vintage Vibe and Speakeasy are cylinder shaped.

sorry, didnt know this fact. I thought it's a perfect match. But I think the result looks better than mixing different knob desgins ?

Mark II

Yeah, the Vintage Vibe replacement knob is very close to the original and definitely looks better than the Peavey amp knob I had temporarily put on there. But it still would be nice if I could find an exact match.

There were 2 styles of concentric knobs used on the Peterson preamps.  the early style of cone-shaped was used from about 1968 or whenever it first came out, upto about early 1974 when the cyllidrical was used until end of production.

You'll probably never be able to find an original cyllindrical concentric knob, so the speakeasy mismatch will still be the only answer to a functioning knob.

Here are some sample photos of the early concentric knobs.  If you notice they have a dot indicator on the outer knob only, the cyllindrial with lines on both knobs came later (though if you can take a close up pic of your Bill I'd love it!)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/Rhodes60s/silvertopPreampClose.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/Rhodes70/5170Faceplate.jpg)

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/Rhodes1973/5273PianoParts.jpg)

thanks, bjammerz, although for me it's hard to tell, never saw a suitcase, nor touched the knobs. When I was doing my research for getting suitable knobs for my Peterson Preamp I would have been glad if the refabricates were already on the market. Took my quite some time to find fitting concentrics knobs.
anyway.

Mark II

oh yeah of course.  If anything these replacements are better because the first generation knobs had no indicator on the inner knob.

Here are some closer pictures of the preamp knobs on my Fender Rhodes. You can see the difference between the old concentric knobs and the ones you can get from Vintage Vibe or Speakeasy. I gave up hope on finding an original after dicovering how rare they are, but I think this looks pretty good.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/billulsund/DSCF1610.jpg)

(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/billulsund/DSCF1612.jpg)

allright, now I got the point. But why do you buy a concentric knob for a non concentric potentiometer ?

Mark II

If you want to have a full matching set of the newer-type knob, I'd be willing to do an exchange plus a little cash for your 2 old-style concentrics.  I have a pair that would match your new knob, plus maybe a little extra for the trouble.  I rarely come across these and would need for parts some day in the future.

Mark II - If you look at the above picture of the original volume knob on the sparkle top rhodes you can see that they put concentric knobs on the non-concentric volume pot to match the other knobs. I was hoping the volume knob would match a little better, but it still looks good.

Bjammerz - I appreciate your offer, but I would prefer to try and find an original volume knob that matches the other ones instead (I know that will not be easy). If I every give up my quest and decide to replace them all with new knobs I will let you know.

Quote from: "billulsund"Mark II - If you look at the above picture of the original volume knob on the sparkle top rhodes you can see that they put concentric knobs on the non-concentric volume pot to match the other knobs. I was hoping the volume knob would match a little better, but it still looks good.

true, thanks for  letting me know.

Mark II

Quote from: "bjammerz"Well because they're right next to the poweramp on the player's side, I'm assuming it's some kind of effects loop for the cabinet, or additional inputs or outputs.  Probably has nothing to do with the actual piano part, maybe when they used speaker cabinet by itself with other things.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk35/ctenophonic/inside_theMachine.jpg

this one is very big

I opened 'er up and took this picture of the panel and the amp. the panel has wired each channel from the headphone jack (which is very hard to see, but if you look close at the photo it is) into two 1/4" mono jacks... presumably for outputs?? but wouldn't the Ωs on the headphones be incompatible with speakers? also, it's wired up with fuses for each channel (which are blown, which explains why nothing works when plugged in) which may give them power right from the amplifier, which kinda would scare me from plugging speakers into them...

If that's the case (they're used for external speakers only) I may just take it out or at least disconnect the wiring.

what do you all think?

Likeliest is that they are just in parallel with the speakers, and facilitate connecting external speakers (like floor wedges or whatever). See if you can trace the wires back to speakers.

Quote from: "Rob A"Likeliest is that they are just in parallel with the speakers, and facilitate connecting external speakers (like floor wedges or whatever). See if you can trace the wires back to speakers.

actually... I don't have any speakers in the cab... not even any stray wires that might have been connected  :oops: maybe this is just a replacement setup for speakers??? problem is, i don't think any of the speakers lying around here will match the Ω rating or wattage... All i ave it my Ampeg 4x10, and an older randall which has TRS jacks for the speakers but probably can't handle 100 solid state watts.. i dunno. nope- each is 35 watt rated at 8Ω well.. will it totally kill the speakers even if i do it at a very low volume and just test it real quick to see if that's what it is?

It's possible they wanted to wire up 2 speakers to increase the tremolo effect?  You just never know with the doctored mods.  It wouldn't make sense to wire mono channels of left and right unless you're trying to separate the signal into 2 separate cabinets.  I know people have incorrectly gone direct into a mixer with a stereo cable out of the headphone jack.

Regardless, yes I'm sure they serve no purpose at this point.  As long as it appears your input/output jacks on the power amp are still wired up, I'd remove the wiring.  

Does your cabinet play at all or are the master fuses blown inside?

Quote from: "bjammerz"It's possible they wanted to wire up 2 speakers to increase the tremolo effect?  You just never know with the doctored mods.  It wouldn't make sense to wire mono channels of left and right unless you're trying to separate the signal into 2 separate cabinets.  I know people have incorrectly gone direct into a mixer with a stereo cable out of the headphone jack.

Regardless, yes I'm sure they serve no purpose at this point.  As long as it appears your input/output jacks on the power amp are still wired up, I'd remove the wiring.  

Does your cabinet play at all or are the master fuses blown inside?

Thanks- I probably will remove that once I get new speakers for the cab.

No fuses on the amp itself blown- everything works and sounds beautifully! I had some static before but it was just the instrument cable it came with, so replacing that it sounds great now-

i don't remember this recording might have static... i did it the day after I got it back home.  http://www.savefile.com/files/1630096

I'm plugged into a KC-550 via the preamp outs on the cabinet amp.

Quote from: "tjjazzpiano"You people and your B-3's... I'm so envious :-(

grrrrrrrrr

1`

Im envious too...  although Ive got an Aruora Century, with drawbars and a built in leslie...

rhodes is still in process of acqusition...

MAN Great pics, I sold both of mine years ago but hey for old time sake.....  Here goes, looking to get another one this month.


(//%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/vintagekeys/DSC01559.jpg)


[/img](http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/vintagekeys/DSC01560.jpg)


(//%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/vintagekeys/DSC01561.jpg)[/img]

Quote from: "blackbird67"Hi I thought I'd post mine. I have a Mark 1 73 Stage Rhodes. This was like 5 years in the making. Actually I fixed it around 2002.

I re-did the tolex to a the blonde color. And the harp cover..well that's a long story. I tried to do the sparkle top but it wasn't working. The top gloss coat was peeling off so I tried to redo the sparkle but it started looking like crap. Then I decided to just get some thin "furry" fabric, slap it on the cover and call it a day. And I must say I am happy with it.

I got this for about $400 but it is missing the push rod, sustain pedal, the crossbar and the case cover (which I'll get all later well except for the case cover). But everything works after a lot of cleaning and fixing the tines and pickups. I just need to solder one wire back on.  

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes4.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes3.jpg)

hmm needs a cleaning there. lol

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/blackbird67/fender_rhodes/rhodes1.jpg)

WOW Lovely you should share these for your vote of HOTTEST Looking Rhodes Thread

Quote from: "Carol Rhodes-Rice"Ok here's my Rhodes stuff:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09235.jpg)
My baseball jacket:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09237.jpg)
My poster:
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd55/crrice6640/2007-09225.jpg)

Carol

Where o where did you get that poster.....

I couldnt say EXACTLY where she got it, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that her dad is Harold Rhodes!!

Quote from: "MikeMalone"I couldnt say EXACTLY where she got it, but I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that her dad is Harold Rhodes!!

good call  :D

Mark II

Wow and heir to the family,  I would love to have that poster in my studio........  Maybe its one of a kind or last of its kind, most folks around that era probably threw that stuff out.....

http://picasaweb.google.com/quatschmacher/RhodesMarkIIStage73

Well, hopefully the image upload works.

I just took delivery of this 1980 Mark II Stage 73 today :D

I've been looking for one for about 3-4 years now.

One came up last week, a 1979 Mark I stage 73, which had been in the owner's house from new. I had arranged to buy that after a lengthy talk with the owner who assured me of its great condition. Then my friend, who was going to give me a lift to pick it up, she crashed her car so I couldn't. Whilst trying to rearrange the pickup, the owner fianlly got round to sending me the pictures. It wasn't as good as he made out, so I backed out on Saturday.

On Sunday  I received a reply from one of my wanted ads from guy who has 1977 Mark I Stage 88. It didn't have the lid, pedal rod or brace knob, but I made him an offer. He said it was fine but was waiting for a couple of other offers coming back.

Then last night I was checking ebay (as I have been doing nearly every day for the last few years) and saw a 1980 Stage 73 listed. The seller was listing it for a friend whose numbers were listed in the ad. I rang the guy straight away and asked him about the condition etc. He said he only wanted £400 for it and said he could drop it off. I thought about it for about ten minutes and then rang him back to tell him I'd take it sight unseen (aside from a couple of photos in the listing).

24 hours later it's in my lounge! I'm sooo pleased. I was hoping for an early Mark I but at this price I'm not grumbling; I've been keeping records of sales for the last few years and this is the best (UK) bargain I've seen. It does need a bit of attention (a couple of pickups have a lower output and a hammer tip needs replacing) but on the whole it's great. I should hopefully be able to afford to get it serviced properly soon.

Since Picasa isn't being friendly about embedding these photos on other sites, I'll host them here for you instead:

(http://www.fenderrhodes.com/img/users/quatschmacher/Quatschmacher1.jpg)
(http://www.fenderrhodes.com/img/users/quatschmacher/Quatschmacher2.jpg)

sweet, looks really clean. And for 400 GBP = 501 Euros it is for sure a nice bargain.

congrats, quatschmacher, so your quest finally ended.

kind regads

Mark II

Thanks for hosting the pics, James - I appreciate it.

Quote from: "Mark II"congrats, quatschmacher, so your quest finally ended.

Well, as one journey ends, so begins another, as they say; I'll need to get it put into proper playing shape. Then I'll need get me into proper playing shape too. :) At least I can spend loads less time on the internet now!

Quote from: "Quatschmacher"At least I can spend loads less time on the internet now!

depends on finding someone to put your rhodes into playing shape. if not, you will definetly spend equal or even more time on the net.

good luck

Mark II

(http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k444/rick732/06-28-08_2218.jpg)

I've got my suitcase 73 (& clavinet) back from epservice and have been playing every available moment and loving it!
It's really a joy to play, now it's time to upgrade my playingskills  :wink:

(http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/1194/img0930bo3.jpg)

I think I posted the story before, but anyway, bought it off ebay in Germany, it was a 110V model and in pretty good state. Brought it over to EPservice the same day to get the amp switched to 230V, a pedestal kit, new felts and some small repairs.

Also had the clavinet E7 checked (also from Ebay germany).
Got a cry baby 535Q for my birthday last sunday and it works really well with the clavi.
So at the moment I'm one happy camper (though my neighbours probably aren't)

(http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2302/img0947pk9.jpg)
(http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3084/img0951qt6.jpg)
(http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9306/img0941dw9.jpg)

Very clean suitcase!

Congratulations, they're looking real good!

Yo 3Bergen,

they were finishing up your suitcase when I picked mine up :)
Just finished painting the cover and it's gotta dry for a couple of days....putting the Stage Vibe on it  8)


pics l8rz!!

Hi Raemon,
it's such a small world huh?  :wink:
Seems like a cool Rhodes you got there, cool colors, am curious how the stagevibe is.
I'm still looking for a stage Rhodes, but the suitcase keeps me busy for a while.
Maybe we'll meet someday at the EPservice

Quote from: "3bergen"Hi Raemon,
it's such a small world huh?  :wink:
Seems like a cool Rhodes you got there, cool colors, am curious how the stagevibe is.
I'm still looking for a stage Rhodes, but the suitcase keeps me busy for a while.
Maybe we'll meet someday at the EPservice

Sounds like a plan!
Funny, I'm still looking for a suitcase, while this Stage Model is kicking my ass!
The Stage Vibe sounds sweet, I had issues with the signal and pots, since some stuff must've been moved during shipping. But Chris (from VV) gave me some tips & tricks, and with simple tweaking in the circuitry board the problem has been fixed :)

BTW
I will definitely be at EP Service in September to have a look at this new collection of (40!) Rhodes piano's he's supposed to get. Some guy (with time, money and a passion for Fender Rhodes piano's) travelled through The States for 6 months and bought up around 40 piano's and shipped them to Holland. He's storing them all in Schagen in September ^^

I own a Stage 73 from 1973. It's been laying around for the last couple years - hurting, some might say. It was in pretty bad shape and I simply couldn't find time to fix the minor problems (tuning, adjustment) - but! A hole appeared in my schedule and I started working on it. Didn't stop until I was satisfied.

It doesn't look like a Rhodes anymore. I have modified, restored and cleaned every piece in it. Wanted to try of as many techniques that I possibly could for improving the Beast. I'm satisfied. and by the way... It's sounds great.

Some of the things I've done,
- new hammer-tips, damper-felts and paper-shims.
- silicone-treatment of the key pedestal felts.
- retolexed (Porn-red!)
- new aluminum top, painted black.
- toned plexiglass top on the aluminum top.
- relocated logos and electronics.
- tuned after Rhodes strech tuning.


(http://www.suntan-trio.dk/rhodes.jpg)

(http://www.suntan-trio.dk/frontside.jpg)

more pics of the Rhodes (http://picasaweb.google.com/zukanovic.adi/RhodesMKI1973Modifikation)

pics taked during the process (http://picasaweb.google.com/zukanovic.adi/RhodesArbejdsproces)

well done, allthough I dont like your harp cover, but that's a matter of taste.
your tolex job looks pretty clean. thumbs up.
enjoy your refurbished rhodes.

kind regards

Mark II

Interesting looking Rhodes and great job!

Well, I finally finished the paint job.
My wife took the camera that had all the pics on it from the first to fourth stage of paint layers but I took some pics with my phone of the end result. I'll post some more pics in the other forum section with.
Excuse the poor quality:
(http://student-kmt.hku.nl/~raemon/Sparkle%20Practice/IMG006.jpg)


It has the red sparkle tolex, new hardware and I painted the top with DecoArt Glitter Paint :)
EP Service did a full run-through and I installed the Stage Vibe with a little troubleshooting help from Chris (VV).

Funky!!

Quote from: "bjammerz"Funky!!

lol
that is EXACTLY what I was thinking when I finished it....It's not the most handsome fella....but he's FUNKY!

looks pretty cool Raemon!
I'm gonna look at those 40 rhodes as well, am very curious...
Maybe make it a supersite meet & greet  :wink:
All us Rhodes-nerds in 1 room, hmmmm, maybe not hehehe

@raemon80 : your Stage Piano has a "little brother"...(or a cousin)


(http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/1391/1212501598np7.jpg)


(http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/7000/img25vv3.jpg)

And also a special version of the Stage Vibe...

Wow Spooky! Did you just buy a new Rhodes? It looks GREAT!!! Tell us more about it!

No...i have it since 1990. But i made a total restoration in 2006. It was necessary.

I made a thread there is allmost 2 years ago, but now...it's in the archive part of this forum. And all the pictures are away (server in France does'nt work anymore). I should load some pics again on imageshack !

How come ur stage vibe is not black?

P.S. My brother is dropping off my Wurly to Chris from Vintage Vibe Thursday. Im excited to see what he does with it!

It seems to be the second one built...the first prototype went to SWANG (also on this forum), he bought it from ebay.

And i have certainly the second "prototype", cause i ordered the Stage Vibe to Chris one week after SWANG showed me the pictures from his Stage Vibe ! The definitive design was not finished, so they send me the Stage Vibe with a grey rail. Black would be beautiful...But with my Stage Piano in Royal-Blue and Gold Sparkle, the grey is perhaps even better (optically).

Yea your piano looks fantastic!

super sweet, Spooky!
all this candy is making me  :twisted:  :twisted:

@3bergen
Sounds like a plan :)

I saw that somebody else posted a picture in another forum on here, and figured I might as well officially post it myself.   I recently did this custom job on my rhodes.  It has been retolexed in white, the top has been painted white, the hardware has been painted gold, and I also installed the "miracle mod" (which really helps the action a lot by the way).  A buddy of mine sold it to me for a really good price, and after getting the white cabinet you see in the pictures he says as a total joke "Dude, you should white and gold your rhodes". And in a flash of temporary insanity, I tried it. And then in another moment of temporary insanity I bought another rhodes that has even better action AND includes the lid (which I didn't have on the first, but really wanted). Since I don't poop out 100 dollar bills I can't afford to keep two rhodes so I've decided to retolex the most recent one I bought and sell the white one, so you might see it floating around craigslist if you're in la. It's a darn shame I know......but hopefully someone else will appreciate its splendor.  I've got access to professional auto detailing equipment and can even do a sparkle top in any color (!!!) Any recommendations on color combinations I should try? Just don't say leopard print, please.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/tightwhite85/IMG_2448.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/tightwhite85/IMG_2447-1.jpg)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/tightwhite85/IMG_2445.jpg)

I'd like to see one in Tweed   :oops:

Tweed would be cool. Man that white one is WICKED!!!!!!!!! If I had the money Id buy it right now....but instead I think I'm just gonna steal your idea and do it to mine... :D

(http://a784.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/119/l_f844d741947963850bf709614983aa67.jpg)

This is my fathers Rhodes that I currently am claiming as my own. It was purchased in NYC in 1971 or 72 (he was 21) for $760. I posted already that one of the channels is blown and the vibrato pot is nonfunctional, yet despite this, it is clearly an integral part of my Sound.

On its round top is a MicroMoog that was actually given to him by the original owner because he got tired of it.  It has also become an integral part of my sound.  The best Moogs in life are free.  Beside it is the Moog 1130 drum controller and a synsonics pro drum machine.

This is the most recent picture of my keyboard station.  THe Rhodes is vital to our sound. You can have the roughest synth track held together with some gentle Rhodes to really create some emotional complexities.
(http://a721.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/120/l_680c9dd4039c89d7b6bd807308b8b138.jpg)

This is my rhodes and this is its story.



Respectfully,
Eric

Quote from: "Spookyman"@raemon80 : your Stage Piano has a "little brother"...(or a cousin)


(http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/1391/1212501598np7.jpg)


(http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/7000/img25vv3.jpg)

And also a special version of the Stage Vibe...

Is that  Prodigy on top?Eric

Yes, it's a Moog Prodigy Mk1. Not free...but it's still a great sounding Moog for me. And like you said, Moog and Rhodes, it's really a good sounding pair.

Your set-up is amazing, with the Voyager, the MoogerFooger's...wow !

Here's my cuty 54 stage I bought from Tristanyeah on this very forum (scroll down for the story):

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/dyno.rhodes/SLZZH-35FcI/AAAAAAAAADQ/QdVE9YN1xb4/s400/rhodes00.jpg)

(http://lh5.ggpht.com/dyno.rhodes/SLZZIaexGEI/AAAAAAAAADY/rD7D5kzlEsc/s512/rhodes1.jpg)

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/dyno.rhodes/SLZZRf4Lo6I/AAAAAAAAAD4/WXR6vjossV4/s512/rhodes6.jpg)

(http://lh5.ggpht.com/dyno.rhodes/SLZZRx-D1GI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/OLjIg_Hs3Tk/s512/rhodes9.jpg)

For the story:
I live in Paris/France but I went all the way up to London to pick it up and brought it back all by myself on the Eurostar ! 8)

When I got home the output was dead because of one single dead pickup (yeah the 54 wiring is a little special so that if one pickup is dead it kills the whole output, arggh!). Anyway I rewounded the pickup and fixed it.

It now sounds awesome, I've set all tines to get this sought-after barking sound and I'm very happy :wink:

I recently picked up a Mark I suitcase 88 built in late 1975. I found it on craigslist Seattle. Everything on the piano works and the tolex is in good condition, but both amps are dead, so I got it for $300. It was very dirty when I picked it up and there were a few cigarette burns on the keys. I cleaned it up, sanded and buffed the burn marks off of the keys, and adjusted the voicing and now it looks and sounds great. I also have a 73 key suitcase from early 1974 that I installed a bump mod on, and I like the action on this 88 better. The bare wood pedestals with felts on the bottom of full plastic hammers gives it a much faster action, but it still has the earlier tines that in my opinion sound better than the tines on my friends 1978 mark I 88 key suitcase. It does have a curious switch on the far left of the namerail that seems to be an effects loop bypass switch. I now have a good project ahead of me in rebuilding the 2 power amps which are totally fried (I am upset because I got outbid on an ebay auction for 2 working power amps).

(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd182/billulsund/DSCF1900.jpg)

Damn a nice steal at $300 haha.

Indeed, a steal in almost any condition at that price!

Well finally
here it is:
(http://94.100.114.18/361350001-361400000/361354101-361354200/361354142_6_gI--.jpeg)
It's a Fender Rhodes from 1971 week 11
New tines, new hammers, new tolex, new legs, new side handles, new chromed-corners, new cheeck-blocks, new logos, new potknobs, new jack input, new frontrail, new sustain-rod.

Quote from: "Jordy"Well finally
here it is:
(http://94.100.114.18/361350001-361400000/361354101-361354200/361354142_6_gI--.jpeg)
It's a Fender Rhodes from 1971 week 11
New tines, new hammers, new tolex, new legs, new side handles, new chromed-corners, new cheeck-blocks, new logos, new potknobs, new jack input, new frontrail, new sustain-rod.

I would say it's more like a Fender Rhodes from 2008 ! :wink:

Here is a better pic. On the other one it's like the logo is missing:
(http://94.100.113.194/364800001-364850000/364843401-364843500/364843462_6_SlCQ.jpeg)

cool, congratulations!! I saw this one on marktplaats, looks very good and probably plays pretty damn good too! Enjoy it!

I have no idea what any of this means. I finally have my own place so I have the space to set up my Rhodes. I saw it laying under my cousins bed and gave him R900 (South African Rands) for it. There is no amp cabinet but I have all the components excluding the speakers and woodwork. It's all in pieces but I can now finally start putting it together. I'm not sure how to upload pics but here goes.

www.roland.aliphon.com/mr1.jpg
www.roland.aliphon.com/mr2.jpg
www.roland.aliphon.com/mr3.jpg
www.roland.aliphon.com/mr4.jpg

Quote from: "3bergen"cool, congratulations!! I saw this one on marktplaats, looks very good and probably plays pretty damn good too! Enjoy it!

It does: it's got the herbie-sound!!

Hey Roland!  Looks like a cool Suitcase 88 top from 1976!  Can you make out the serial number on the gold badge?  Congrats!

Nope, can't make out the Serial Number. I will take pictures of all the amp parts laying around soon. Maybe someone call help me to put it all back together. Does anyone know how to hook up a sustain pedal? I don't see any place for it underneath or behind the piano.

Here are some pictures of the amplifiers as I received them. No housing. No speakers. Just what you see in these pics. Maybe someone who knows could help me get them up and running. And also suggest speakers for them.

Still dinno how to post images....

www.roland.aliphon.com/amps1.jpg
www.roland.aliphon.com/amps2.jpg
www.roland.aliphon.com/amps3.jpg

Quote from: "RolandAliphon"Still dinno how to post images....

Just use the Img tag around the link to your picture.  Click the Img button above the box where you type your post, insert the URL of the picture, and then click the Img button again to close the tag.

It should look like this:
[img]http://www.roland.aliphon.com/mr1.jpg[/img]

The result will be this:
(http://www.roland.aliphon.com/mr1.jpg)

Well, the Big power amp should have a covering on it so just be careful in handling charged electronics like that.

It looks like the 2 grey RCA cables were cut, and joined with 2 black RCA cable ends.  These are plugged into a female RCA jack on each smaller square amp module (the RCA is onboard), one per module.  The wiring harnesses on the square amp modules are then plugged into the receptacles on the power block, joining them together.

The speakers unfortunately required with this amp are the rare 32ohm speakers.  I'm not an electronics guy and don't know if there's a way to skirt this by wiring differently, but they originally came with this special rating of speaker.

Quote from: "bjammerz"
The speakers unfortunately required with this amp are the rare 32ohm speakers.  I'm not an electronics guy and don't know if there's a way to skirt this by wiring differently, but they originally came with this special rating of speaker.

I may quote S. W. on this (http://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/speakers.php)

Quote from: "Steve Woodyard"
The originals were 32 ohms each, (2 per channel) wired in parallel. Orange County Speaker is very familiar with the originals and knows their specifications. The 32 ohm voice coil is no longer available so you have to recone them (or replace) to 8 ohms and wire them in series (that amp wants to see 16 ohms total)...

the sentence in bold is the important one. what ever you do you should match the impadance of 16 ohm. so your amp load should sum up to 16 ohm in totall, meaning, one 16 Ohm speaker, two 32 Ohm in parallel or two 8 Ohm in series. I personally dont have experience with good replacements, sorry.
kind regards

Mark II

i have a set of 32 ohms for sale

How much would a set of 32 Ohm speakers cost? Just as a matter of interest. Or on the other hand - How much could I sell the amps for?

(http://www.roland.aliphon.com/amps1.jpg)
(http://www.roland.aliphon.com/amps2.jpg)

check with these guys @ price for a peterson modul:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4563
kind regards

Mark II

My apologies - I looked again and found a "thingy" for sustain. Pushed it with my thumb, et voila! Sustain. I'm gonna make my own pedal since Rhodes' are virtually non-existent in my neck of the woods. Will post pictures when it's done.

My brother is an electronics engineer / software developer in the UK and he's gonna help me get the right speaker setup going. Off to Timbercity to start building my cabinet. I'm so excited.

I also scrutinized the badge and I'm pretty sure the serial number is either: 64249 or 04249. Does that mean anything significant?

(http://www.roland.aliphon.com/sust1.jpg)

No the serial number is just checking if it's all original which it appears to be.

Quote from: "RolandAliphon"

(http://www.roland.aliphon.com/amps1.jpg)

I'll buy one of those Peterson modules from you.

here she is.  please dont beat me up on the stand, its only temporary until i put my whole studio together.  

(http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/keithdog72/studio004.jpg)

(http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp129/keithdog72/studio005.jpg)

Love the red sparkle tolex!

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Cyber_Mike/Rhodes6.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Cyber_Mike/Rhodes2.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Cyber_Mike/Rhodes5.jpg)

The previous owner lived on the 6th floor of a building with no elevator.  

Overall it was in decent shape, that is, if you didn't mind the fact that the tolex was stapled to the case and had rips & air bubbles all over it.  

I dismissed the aesthetics when I made the purchase because the thing sounded amazing.  It has really sluggish action, but oddly enough it kind of adds to the character.  

The superficial guts were replaced, though it still has most of the original hardware, the tolex was stripped, and the wood was stained. It has a real nice acoustic vibration when I play it now. (somthing that wasn't there before the overhall)  I'm still looking for a cabinet for her, and am probably going to put the bumps in sometime in the near future.

What a great thread this is.  Just enjoyed looking through this for last couple of hours.  Some beautiful keyboards out there.  Thanks for posting your pics.

Here's my lady in red with some other toys...

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000312.jpg)

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000314.jpg)

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000326.jpg)

soon to be united with another mistress...

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/IMG_4476.jpg)


:D

Love the custom Rhodes look!

The Wurly is spotless, was it restored?

Here is  a pics of my beloved rhodes, I sold it last month but got a MINT Suitcase Mark II and Mark I stage yesterday pics to come of the Mark II.

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/vintagekeys/CIMG5251.jpg)

Here is another one I just picked up.....

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff216/vintagekeys/CIMG5560.jpg)

Love the blown glass in the backround...!

Hi everyone! This thread seems like a good place for my first post. Here's my early 1975 Rhodes Mark I Stage. I am very proud to own one of these superb instruments.

(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/MuMajor/Rhodes/Rh001.jpg)
(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/MuMajor/Rhodes/Rh002.jpg)
(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/MuMajor/Rhodes/Rh003.jpg)[/img]

Quote from: "bjammerz"Love the custom Rhodes look!

The Wurly is spotless, was it restored?

I was just plain lucky. It was a one owner who hardly played it. When I sent it to Peter Hayes of elecedge.com to service, he said it was in show room condition.  :D

Hey everyone...thought I would post some pics of my new baby on this site.  She was given to me as a gift (I know - how lucky!!) and she's a '78 mark II suitcase (that's older than me!) and every girl's dream.  Anyway, here are a few pictures I took...She is sort of crammed in the corner until I move her to the practice space after the holidays so the pictures are a little crappy.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r43/vikingj3ss/IMG_0300.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r43/vikingj3ss/IMG_0299.jpg)[/img]

I just love this piano so much, it has such an amazing sound and I feel newly inspired these days playing it!

I'm thinking about covering the lid with some sort of fabric...pink fur maybe? I don't think that has been done yet;)

enjoy and thanks for checkin' out my new girl... :D

HOT, I just got an 82 Mark II a couple weeks ago I will post my pics in the next few days, enjoy her, they are wonderful instruments.

Very clean Mark II suitcase!

rhodesgrrl, that's an odd looking glass candleholder on the shelf behind the rhodes!!

LOL I agree!!!!!!

d'oh! :shock:
thats the boyfriends, uh candleholder there. i can't believe i missed that....probably not the first that piano has been around though.  :lol:

I just have to say that I love the sn "MuMajor"  8)... I wish I could have thought of something that cool.

Thank you coach! I thought my Rhodes forum nick just has to include some reference to Steely Dan ;)

nope rhodesgrrl....there may just be one next to mine too!!

LOL!
:lol:

Quote from: "acis"Here's my lady in red with some other toys...

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000312.jpg)

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000314.jpg)

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/P1000326.jpg)

soon to be united with another mistress...

(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk194/acism/IMG_4476.jpg)


:D

Good lord, that's everything I want to purchase in my life :O (besides things i need to live in/of ;))

There's still the clav missing...... :shock:

Jordy,
AWESOME!

This is my project Fender Rhodes. Got it without legs, pedal, nuffin. barely had tolex on it. So through the years I finally got everything, too bad I have to sell it soon. But trying my best not to. I have no experience, or should I say had, with restoring and had 200 dollars at the time to spare. I liked the look of the old PreCBS pianos and mimicked the one in the movie Ray. I followed Marc's plan. He had a post up about his.  Sounded fun, so i tried it. One long summer and this is what I got:








I also replaced all the innards mostly. Everything except some felts and tonebar clips and she is great. I took her to a gig and she got a scratch. She is now fixed at home. She'll stay for a while until I see a nice Suitcase. Thanks goes to some members here for helping me out, a lot of thanks, a lot of members!

She might not be the best or most durable, but she is more than I expected.

Looking back i should have done tolex, but hey, I'm young. knowing better is a luxury.

That certainly was a lot of work!  The harp cover looks a tad sparkly in the red - how did you go about that?

Keep it if you can!

It's a sparkle fabric. I believe the exact same one "Marc" used on his restoration. From Jo-ann Fabrics. 20$ a square yard. And some DAP glue I think. It looks pretty good. His post is still on the site somewhere. I took pictures of the process but they were on a cell phone that broke. Here's more pictures, the flash robs them. Looks real good under a stage lamp though! EDIT: Here's where i got all my advice. http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3948&highlight=marc

(http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww111/garagebandking41/IMGP0076.jpg)
(http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww111/garagebandking41/IMGP0077.jpg)
(http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww111/garagebandking41/IMGP0079.jpg)
(http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww111/garagebandking41/IMGP0082.jpg)

Hi!
Is it this one?

http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/store/product.php?productid=6095&cat=700&bestseller

How do you glue it to the Harp-Cover? Or do you glue it at all?
Peter

Hi,
I saw this picture a while back of a Rhodes where all the tolex was stripped and the wood was refinished and it looked really sharp! I'm thinking about doing that to mine and was wondering if anyone has seen that pic and could point me to it? I've been searching the forum cause I thought it was here but came up empty...
thanks!

asdf

I'm not completely done, a few badges still not on.
But here are some pics.

1973 Fender 88 Western Brown Tolex

http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho1.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho2.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho3.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho4.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho5.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho6.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho7.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho8.jpg
http://www.aplusplussolutions.com/EBAY/rho9.jpg

Yeehaw that is some wild tolex love it!!

Just got a Rhodes this morning!!!  $500 for a 1979 Rhodes Mark I.  Came with everything, plus seven extra tines.  The innards look like they're absolutely perfect.  Click on the smaller pictures if you want to see them bigger.  You can then make them even bigger by clicking "All Sizes" if you want.  The last picture is just one showing the amp that I use (Fender "The Twin" Red Knob).

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3434354533_10dca0723a_b.jpg)

Quote from: "EMicCheck"Just got a Rhodes this morning!!!  $500 for a 1979 Rhodes Mark I.  Came with everything, plus seven extra tines.  The innards look like they're absolutely perfect.  Click on the smaller pictures if you want to see them bigger.  You can then make them even bigger by clicking "All Sizes" if you want.  The last picture is just one showing the amp that I use (Fender "The Twin" Red Knob).

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3434354533_10dca0723a_b.jpg)

Wow!! I cant belive you got that for $500!

That is one pristine piano!

Hello all!

This is my first post to the forum.
I became the proud owner of a '77 Stage Seventy Three last summer.  I traded a Juno 60 for it to a guy who had posted an ad on Craig's List.  I hope he's as happy with the deal as I am!
The piano is in great shape and fairly shiny inside. I'd wager it's been out west its whole life. The action is fantastic, very light and responsive. It was missing the tine on the low E, which I've replaced. I've also replaced the grommets, hammer tips, balance rail felts, several screws and a washer.  I've set the escapement and adjusted the pickups. I've leveled and straighted the keys as best I can, and tightened up all the screws.
I've decided I like the sound best off the harp, so I wired a new RCA cable directly to the volume knob, bypassing the bass boost.  I also removed the harp brackets. I've spent hours tuning and retuning and tinkering with the tone, and I've loved every bit of it.    
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j194/mohairvest/2june001-1.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j194/mohairvest/2june002.jpg)
This site has been an invaluable resource to me in my endeavors.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed!

Ok.. I just got this last night.  I've been outta the look and haven't been on here in a while...long long story.

Anway,  Here's my first Fender Rhodes that isnt' a piano bass.  I got it for $400 ,but it didn't come with the bottom amp cabinet.  It has one dead key...the low E.  It needs a new hammer for it,but I'll take care of that soon enough.  When I got it, it was very diryt....but shined up like a new penny.  Surprisingly enough, the insides are quite good and the tear drop hammers are all in great shape.
I hope to change out the hardware and let the local tech get it 100% though she does sound sweet even today!  

(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i195/Peacefrog35/cleanedup.jpg)

So here's my first Rhodes that I bought from ebay last year. Had it shipped to Thailand earlier this year (yes, the shipping costed me more than the piano itself but it was worth it!)

The condition was pretty decent. The parts didn't look all original to me as if it had been refurbished before. The damper felts, grommets, and hammer tips looked too new for a 30 years old piano. But besides that, the keys, tines, and tone bars were in good shapes.

All i did was cleaning it up, taking the harp cover to have a paint job done at a auto paint job near by (a Toyota pearly white hahaha) and to have it re-tolexed in Red (each costed around 50 bucks, labor and materials included.)

And now I'm one happy owner!

Just bought a Wurlitzer 200A and am waiting for it to arrive soon too!

Hey kiwizz -

Nice pics....looks great. Did they have to prime the top first before they painted it?
Just curious...

- Mark

Wow $400 for a 60s piano top... great find.  Looking forward to that!

And great story about shipping to Thailand!  Glad these get around the world!  Custom looks great!

So you think it was a good deal even without the cabinet? I wasn't sure ,but seemed like a good idea.  I love the way it sounds,but am dropping it off to be serviced this week.  I've heard that adding legs isn't a good idea,but the bottom seems sturdy enough to take the flanges and legs......

OK, here are my pics. It's a Mark I Stage 73 Fender Rhodes. The week/year is very hard to see, but it's either 3874 or 3974...I can't really tell the first two numbers. Bought it from a friend of mine who has toured with Meat Loaf and Yes.

It needed a little TLC as you can see in the "before" pics, and since I'm a complete Rhodes newbie, I sent it over to Vintage Vibe for the attention it needed. They did a terrific job, and were very kind and very helpful. I had it re-tolexed (I don't have a case lid, so there wasn't much to do). Also, new felt, new hammer tips, the Miracle Mod and a backcheck were installed. They also replaced three tines and fixed the two keytops, set the escapement, new grommets & screws, tuned it, cleaned it up, etc. Oh, and they epoxy'd the scratches in the harp cover, then primed it and gave it about 3 coats.

As it didn't come w/ the legs or braces, I had to get them off of ebay .

It looks, plays and sounds great now. I absolutely love it. Played it well into the wee hours last night.

I tell ya, the Rhodes is certainly not a cheap date, but she really puts out...  ;-)

Before shots:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes1.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes6.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes5.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes4.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes3.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/OldRhodes2.jpg

After shots:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes1.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes2.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes3.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes6.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes11.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes12.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes7.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes8.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/adventmrp/NewRhodes9.jpg

Sorry I don't have shots of the harp before it was serviced...I didn't know enough to think of taking shots of it back then. Anyway, enjoy!

- Mark

Looks great and cool color!

I will keep an yeye out for a cabinet.  I saw one on ebay last week,but wasn't sure if it was the right one and the seller didn't know.  I started to ask here,but you know how that is when you post an auction...people swarm all over it. lol
I do love the original look of legs.  If I could find a table stand that was chrome, I'd be happy until I get the bottom cabinet later.  As it is...I'm almost glad I didn't have to worry about moving a speaker cab.  The piano itself was heavy enough as it is.

Do not install leg flanges! The plywood bottom of any suitcase Rhodes is too thin... The top of the flange will interfere with the keybed frame!

Thanks for the info Fred.  Are there any table stands that are aluminum or chrome that have a similar look as the legs?  I've only seen black talbe stands.

Maybe this isn't the thread for all of my questions.  Sorry guys!


Edit: I jsut purchaesd a nice table stand.. doesn't look like the original,but has the original feel with the chrome extensions coming out.  It will work jsut fine and give plenty of support...and cheap to boot. Problem solved.

I just dropped the piano off this morning for full service...I can't wait to get her back.

Quote from: "ADVENTmrp"Hey kiwizz -

Nice pics....looks great. Did they have to prime the top first before they painted it?
Just curious...

- Mark

Hi Mark,
Thanks. Yeah. The guy at the shop said he needed specific prime from Toyota for this color.

How're the Miracle Mod and backchecks working? I'm interested in getting them done too but not sure if they would make much difference...

kiwizz wrote

QuoteHow're the Miracle Mod and backchecks working? I'm interested in getting them done too but not sure if they would make much difference...

They both have done a lot of good in the case of this piano - the back checks especially. I think some keys still need a bit of tweaking here & there, but that's easy to do at home now. I would definitely recommend both procedures if you have the opportunity. The MM really lightened up the action quite a bit and is quite a common modification on Mark I 's from what I understand.

I do have a tine or two at the low end that whenever I hold down the key for a few seconds it vibrates so widely that it hits the tines on either side of it and causes a brief springy metallic-like sound. Anybody know how I can remedy this easily? Or should I take it back to Vintage Vibe?

Thanks,
- M

It's very difficult to get a perfectly working lower register like that.

Fact being, the tines are so long that they often don't vibrate in a perfect up-down range.  They're often swinging to the side, colliding with tines, pickups, tonebars, sustain rail... etc.

You could take it back to V V but they would probably have the same trouble as it's the parts.

You can usually rectify by spreading pickups out more, getting tonebars out of the way, and check if it's the sustain bar - hit notes with the pedal down.

The way to fix a wavy tine is either to replace it, perhaps if it appears bent you can rotate the spring around, or to tilt a hammer tip or the whole tonebar mechanism.  Usually the wavyness comes from the sweet spot of the tine being at a certain angle.  You can see this by plucking a tine with your fingers at different angles.

Thanks for the heads up, bjammerz. Appreciate the time you took to answer the question.

It's a pretty obnoxious sound when holding down keys 5 or 6, so I'll see what can be done by tinkering. If it's too big a problem, I'll talk to Chris @ VV about it. I was thinking of having the Quadrapuss installed at some point anyway, so maybe I'll just have him look at it while it's there.

Thanks again!

Best,
Mark

I recently sold my beautiful MkII with the painted green top and bought a wurly, which I have been adoring.

Then, the night before last, lo and behold, a cryptic craigslist ad, something to the effect of "Rhodes with amp: This rhodes is not currently working but could be beautiful if brought back to life by the right person. $100"

I guess I was the quickest on my feet, so here it is. I've got it in pieces all over the place, of course.

So far it looks to be a '71 suitcase with a long history of failed modifications, as you can see in these photos. It looks like at some point someone took out the original 4-pin interface and tried to install 6-pin XLR in it's place. Independently, someone tried to turn the keyboard section into a stage rhodes... there are these strange holes cut in the bottom of the instrument with sunk nuts installed... It was also autographed by he whom I assume to be the defacer...

The good news is, the harp looks relatively untouched. One tine (the lowest) is missing, but the wiring looks untouched. All the keys look great, and I THINK the action is in quite good shape. We'll see!

Anyway, this should keep me distracted for awhile. :)

(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/kineticturtle/P7180002.jpg)

(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/kineticturtle/P7180003.jpg)

A picture from my fully restored Stage Piano 73. And some other stuff that sounds also good with a Rhodes Piano.

Under the Nord Stage and Juno 60, you can see the pedals that are used with my piano : booster/overdrive, compressor, 10 band EQ, phaser, and stereo tremolo.

(http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/7852/man01c.jpg)

i received two suitcase models in a trade recently.  i was told one is a '69 and the other a '75ish.  they both play well, but need some attention.  i was hoping to sell the mid 70's rhodes and fix up the earlier model.





(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4338.jpg)

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4341.jpg)

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4343.jpg)

Yes the one without the accessory jack - it's around 69 or 70 because it has a red felt lining on the lid (though always missing)

I don't believe they stamped the front of the harps with a date like your '75, however two ways to figure out - unscrew the wood harp and flip it over, probably a stamp date on the underside.  If not, worst case you can unscrew the front rail and lift out the lowest one or two keys.  The key manufacturer usually stamps the keybed completion, so if it says "may 1969" then figure a few months later than that for sale of keybed to Rhodes and installation at factory.

The 69/70, does it have full teardrop shaped hammer heads, or white cube felts?  (the part that strikes the tine, not moves away from it)

Awesome!

the hammer tips look like they have been replaced with rubber square tips.  here's some pics of the inside.

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4423.jpg)

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4425.jpg)

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh141/goodhonk/IMGP4424.jpg)

Hey Spookyman -

That's a great pic and some very cool stuff (w/ a Leslie yet!), but that must be a wiring nightmare when gigging out. I've only got two keys and a few pedals and still barely have enough time to set up shop before the performance. (Then again, we seem to be playing more festivals, where one has to share the stage w/ many other bands. Maybe we're going about it all wrong, but prog-related venues aren't that easy to come by.      :wink:  )

Anyway, great shot and nice toys!

- Mark

Thanks ADVENTmrp !

It's not a nightmare...I like to do it ! But i need 20 - 30 minutes to install everything correctly. The pedal board helps a lot, all the pedals are allready cabled, so it's going quite fast to connect the stage piano (mono jack) to the pedal board, and then stereo output from the Tremolo to the mixing desk.

Last year, we had about 20 gigs. This year a little bit less. But we are playing funk, with brass section, 2 singers, percussion, drums, bass, guitars, etc...and of course some vintage keys.

This is my Mark V (pd $2300 CAD).  The story goes like this....  Like everyone, I've always dreamed of playing a MKV.  I've had a MKI stage 73 since 1996 and have been in love with the Rhodes sound since. I've been buying Rhodes' here and there, fixing them up and finding them good nurturing homes.  

I have had no history with the MKV.  I have never played one, or even seen one in real life before this one.  I've only seen some blurry pictures on the internet of the MKV running into the woods or heard accounts of people being abducted by a MK V, but until recently was convinced that this keyboard was just a myth.  

I've been checking ebay and kijiji for the last 10 years looking for a MKV and have always been discouraged at the fetching prices of these rare beauties.  I had pretty much given up on trying one, let alone owning one until last week when my boss, Alex phoned me up and told me of a MK V at a music pawn shop in Toronto.  From the picture on the website, it was missing the stand, pedal and pushrod, but the condition of the actual Rhodes was excellent.  The next day, Alex (who has a mint 73 Stage MKII)  had told me to take the afternoon off to get the Rhodes.  So I called the pawn shop and told them I'd be down to try it out and if everything checked out, I would purchase it.  

The drive to Toronto was two hours away, and the pawn shop closed at 7PM. I decided to leave at 3:30 PM which would get me there at 5:30 - plenty of time to give the Rhodes a good test drive and make sure it was what I wanted.  But who was I kidding?  My mind was made up before I even left!  Anyways, as always, I got slammed with a ton of traffic, and I missed a few exits because of construction, and ended up in the 'hood.  I dodged some gunfire, smacked some hoes, and by the time I found my way out, it was 6:50 PM and I was kind of freaking out.  I didn't know if the guy at the store didn't think I was coming and that he would just sell it to the next guy in line.  I couldn't believe that 10 years of searching for bigfoot  would boil down to a traffic jam.

Just when I thought I wouldn't make it, the traffic parted like the Red Sea and I flew into downtown and arrived at the pawn shop at 6:55.  I said hello, and ran to the back of the shop and did a quick chromatic scale up the keyboard.  It sounded amazing. The action was absolutely incredible.

I signed the bill and they packed it up and closed the shop.  I did not get a chance to talk to them and find out where this came from, who owned it, or any history at all.  Thats my story.

Wow!
Amazing setup!

My ''lil'' mark 1 =P
(And a cousin, a Pianet T)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/StudioChampetre-7-net.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/StudioChampetre-9-net.jpg)

A ''mod'' Fender Rhodes logo, i put my name on it, just for fun
(made with Soldworks 2009)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/DZDPGTEHU-web.jpg)

Great story!

Ok, so now I'm bitten AND infected.

After picking up my first Rhodes (see specs below in my sig), I thought about getting a Mk II, but was just in daydreaming stage until a friend of mine made me aware of a friend of his that was looking to unload his Rhodes.

As I'm still relatively a newbie, I'd like a little help from one of you pros. I'm not really sure what version this one is...I'm a bit confused. All I have at the moment is my memory to go on, since I only had a brief look at it this past weekend and unfortunately didn't have access to a camera.

I believe the week/year was 2579. The rail was silver w/ just the Volume and Bass Boost knobs on it. It only had a mono out and both the rail and the rear of the kybd said "Rhodes," NOT "Fender Rhodes." It was a stage 73 with the hood of a Mark II (flat top), which is why I'm a little confused. Is this a Mark I or a Mark II? Can anyone be of help?

Apparently this Rhodes has been pretty busy...it has gigged with Jaco Pastorius, The Bee Gees, Chuck Mangione, as well as having been used on a broadway show, I think. The flight case has some stickers on it, telling some of its story. I'll see what other info I can get and post pics when I get it home - assuming I pick it up this week.

Aw, who am I kidding...we all know I'll be picking this baby up. It sounds pretty killer and the harp looked like it has been well-cared for - nice & clean. $400 is a steal (I think) for this one in its present condition.

Would appreciate any assistance identifying the version...I know it might be hard w/o any pics. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Thanks,
Mark    

P.S. - My apologies if this is not the proper thread for this type of request.

Sounds like a deal!

Well they released the flat top in 1980 on the Mark IIs only.  However, they did offer to factory retrofit your Rhodes with the flat top for a price.  So very likely, someone who just bought their Rhodes in 1979 with round top had it upgraded.  If it has the Seventy Three or Eighty Eight logo on the right side of the harp cover, then it was an upgrade (the Mark IIs had the logo on the rail, not cover.)

Thanks, bjamm -

I got my hands on it the other night (surprise, surprise! - lol ) and will post some pics and some details very soon. Thanks for your quick reply...
(thumbs up)

All the best,
Mark

Quote from: "Tehu"Wow!
Amazing setup!

My ''lil'' mark 1 =P
(And a cousin, a Pianet T)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/StudioChampetre-7-net.jpg)

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/StudioChampetre-9-net.jpg)

A ''mod'' Fender Rhodes logo, i put my name on it, just for fun
(made with Soldworks 2009)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/DZDPGTEHU-web.jpg)

What `re the extra 2 knobs for???

a Homemade Dyno-ProEQ

I did'nt have concentric knob, so I put it like this!

I got my Mark II Stage off Craigslist, pretty simple. It was clean on the inside, but has rust and corrosion on the times and pickups...I've got about 1/3 of the way through cleaning the tines. It's in tune though, and I'm getting the Vintage Vibe refurb kit. I just can't see spending $4K CAD on a MK7 Stage...I got a Rhodes, Wurlitzer 200, and Hammond XK3 for that price!

S

http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz329/The_Cause2010/IMGP4769.jpg

Hahaha...is that the one from Paul's Boutique?

Quote from: "darryl77"This is my Mark V (pd $2300 CAD).  The story goes like this....  Like everyone, I've always dreamed of playing a MKV.  I've had a MKI stage 73 since 1996 and have been in love with the Rhodes sound since. I've been buying Rhodes' here and there, fixing them up and finding them good nurturing homes.  

I have had no history with the MKV.  I have never played one, or even seen one in real life before this one.  I've only seen some blurry pictures on the internet of the MKV running into the woods or heard accounts of people being abducted by a MK V, but until recently was convinced that this keyboard was just a myth.  

I've been checking ebay and kijiji for the last 10 years looking for a MKV and have always been discouraged at the fetching prices of these rare beauties.  I had pretty much given up on trying one, let alone owning one until last week when my boss, Alex phoned me up and told me of a MK V at a music pawn shop in Toronto.  From the picture on the website, it was missing the stand, pedal and pushrod, but the condition of the actual Rhodes was excellent.  The next day, Alex (who has a mint 73 Stage MKII)  had told me to take the afternoon off to get the Rhodes.  So I called the pawn shop and told them I'd be down to try it out and if everything checked out, I would purchase it.  

The drive to Toronto was two hours away, and the pawn shop closed at 7PM. I decided to leave at 3:30 PM which would get me there at 5:30 - plenty of time to give the Rhodes a good test drive and make sure it was what I wanted.  But who was I kidding?  My mind was made up before I even left!  Anyways, as always, I got slammed with a ton of traffic, and I missed a few exits because of construction, and ended up in the 'hood.  I dodged some gunfire, smacked some hoes, and by the time I found my way out, it was 6:50 PM and I was kind of freaking out.  I didn't know if the guy at the store didn't think I was coming and that he would just sell it to the next guy in line.  I couldn't believe that 10 years of searching for bigfoot  would boil down to a traffic jam.

Just when I thought I wouldn't make it, the traffic parted like the Red Sea and I flew into downtown and arrived at the pawn shop at 6:55.  I said hello, and ran to the back of the shop and did a quick chromatic scale up the keyboard.  It sounded amazing. The action was absolutely incredible.

I signed the bill and they packed it up and closed the shop.  I did not get a chance to talk to them and find out where this came from, who owned it, or any history at all.  Thats my story.

Not much of story i wanted a rhodes after dreaming of the amazing sound  they make then about a day later one popped up on craigslist at a great price and wahla. The second rhodes the older one in the pic i scooped up for a deal today i know i dont need two but they are so freaking amazing my voyager has been getting not as much use as it should lately. only time will tell if i will sell one of the suitcases. they both need some tlc on the outside otherwise they work and sound ggggrrrreeeeattt!

(http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq284/Fogflip/IMG_9503.jpg)

http://s824.photobucket.com/albums/zz162/brewguitar/?action=view&current=1.jpg&newest=1  

Long ago, I joined this site.  And was going to post pics of my Rhodes. They shutdown for some reason, and I was unable to post them. I have returned just recently, to find some info. On satellite spkrs. And  
Found that it has grown to have thousands of members. And many postings of their Rhodes and its story. Then it shuts down again!  And again! WTF :?:  DONT LIKE THIS OLD FORUM!!!  (and, thanks for deleating my old post of this...WHATEVER! )   *#@&*! :roll:

I found my (1974 Mark 1 stage piano)  while I was doing some electrical work for some friends. (Back in 1996). I was putting in a new circuit breaker box in their basement, and walked by a storage area and noticed two anvil cases (satellite speakers) and a large tolex covered box (the piano). Being the gear junky that I am, my first thought was "must be musical equipment!"  so I asked them what it was... they said it was their cousins elec. Piano, that he played and toured with some jazz unit. So, I asked if he wanted to sell it, and he said he wasn't playing in that band anymore, and did I want to buy it. So I basically got the thing in exchange for about 8 hrs. of work! Or , $200 bucks!   Turns out to be a 73 key elec. Piano with a set of satellite spkrs. (In anvil cases).  It was in near mint condition! The only thing I had to do was dust it off & tune it up!

Great to see you again Brewguitar! :-) I've posted up your super satellite scans in the Fender Rhodes Piano Section.

Cheers

Tim

If anyone can tell me anything about this piano I'd be really interested.
My hubby was given this as a gift from an avid fan of his then band, he plays keys as well as many other instruments.
We've had it hidden away in a massive cupboard in the house. After dragging out two damaged drum kits, four boxes of Hallowe'en decorations, a Christmas tree and the regular bits and pieces we use to gig with we got to this, we've decided to sell it on Ebay (much to my disappointment) as we've no room for it and it should be loved and played.

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/songbirdsDesign/PhotoLibrary-4983.jpg)[/img]
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/songbirdsDesign/PhotoLibrary-4967.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/songbirdsDesign/PhotoLibrary-4966.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/songbirdsDesign/PhotoLibrary-4984.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/songbirdsDesign/PhotoLibrary-4975.jpg)

(http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5558/houseroy01.jpg)

Monday evening, i was recording in a studio in Switzerland for a Nu-Jazz Session. Took my Stage Piano including a Reussenzehn Suitcase Preamp. And also some other "goodies" like a Minimoog, Roland SH-2, Roland HS-60 (e.g a Juno 106 with speakers).

It's always a pleasure to record with a good recording equipment (Semrau Broadcast Desk, with vintage Telefunken, Siemens, Neve, UREI, Tube-Tech and API Preamps and compressors...).

And there is one month, with a little more folks.

(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7112/p1010720n.jpg)

My stage piano is waiting for the TRamp from Jens Lüpke (Taste und Technik...). This wonderful suitcase preamp should be ready in fall 2010...

(http://timothyjpreut.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/photo-1.jpg?w=300&h=225) (http://timothyjpreut.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/photo-2.jpg?w=300&h=225) (http://timothyjpreut.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/photo-3.jpg?w=300&h=225)

Story: Buddy of mine gave it to me for $300 plus some piano lessons. He said I could do it more justice than him. He has a Hohnet and a CP-70, so this was excess for him. He text me one day out of the blue: "You want the rhodes? its yours, we can work out everything later..." I responded with "HELL YA!!".

So, it's been in my room for a few days now, looking to get a pedal, top and a strobe tuner to make sure it is in tune properly, sure sounds like it is though. Everything works great. I have always used Rhodes patches(software synth or hardware synth) for my music, now, well I don't anymore :)

Been inspiring me to play a lot more. Feeling so happy :)

Hi all

here photo-story (as a blog) of my complex repair:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042940&id=1169037408&l=e46cea71c5

sorry, it's in Italian laguage.

During repair I recorded yesterday this: http://solyaris4.altervista.org/rhodes-1.mp3
in the clip you can listen a sort of static/ground noise  that appear and disappear apparently random:
last night  I probably discovered the reason: there are pick-ups' screws not correctly tighten up ...

giorgio

(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_1470053189177_1169037408_31380143_1438635_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs927.snc4/74085_1721615198070_1169037408_31972147_41552_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs478.ash2/75186_1721615438076_1169037408_31972148_1020840_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs578.ash2/150001_1721616558104_1169037408_31972152_514838_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1136.snc4/149826_1711904195301_1169037408_31953733_5366807_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs008.snc3/11570_1274579502457_1169037408_30863418_7645721_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs008.snc3/11570_1274577182399_1169037408_30863411_1263399_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs316.ash1/27945_1469382092400_1169037408_31378873_5494295_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs286.snc3/27945_1470053189177_1169037408_31380143_1438635_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs603.ash2/155532_1721616918113_1169037408_31972154_4026432_n.jpg)

There is my Rhodes MK I Seventhy 1971 plugged in a Sattellite Amp, i only have the slave unit but it give enough gain for my house playing. Sound very awsome, smooth and round.
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/RhodesFront.jpg)

And the rest of my stuff

Wurlitzer 200
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/Wurlitzer200Front.jpg)

Vox Continental Mk I Wooden Key with a Silver Sparkle Piano Bass
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/VoxContinental-PianoBass1.jpg)

My Gibson G101
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/GibsonG101-PianoBass.jpg)

My Vox Super Continental
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/VoxSuperContinentalFront.jpg)

My Korg BX3 with a handmade stand, plugged in a Leslie 825
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z110/Manzarek_2007/Gear/Bx3Front.jpg)

Got this a few years ago. The price was too good to pass up ($75.00). I am not sure but I think it is a mix between a suitcase and a stage.
If anyone can shed some light on this I would appreciate it.
(http://cflcobb1.com/jim/rhodes/rhodes4.jpg)
(http://cflcobb1.com/jim/rhodes/pic4.JPG)
(http://cflcobb1.com/jim/rhodes/pic3.JPG)
(http://cflcobb1.com/jim/rhodes/pic1.JPG)
(http://cflcobb1.com/jim/rhodes/rhodes3.jpg)

improvising...
just a sound check of restored rhodes;
two tracks overdub,
passing rhodes through a Digitech TSR24 delay patch programmed by myself.

http://solyaris4.altervista.org/dumpeddelay.mp3

Quote from: solyaris on November 22, 2010, 08:49:40 AM
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs927.snc4/74085_1721615198070_1169037408_31972147_41552_n.jpg)

New guy here, just got my first Rhodes piano a few weeks ago. I've gotten an insane amount of useful info from these forums already. This one's a 73-key stage mark 1, from 1976 according to the harp stamp. Plastic hammers, wooden keys, pedal included and a Stagg table stand serving as legs.

I've been making electronic music for quite a while and always wanted one SO bad, ever since listening to A Tribe Called Quest as a teenager.. I recall someone else on this thread had the same story btw.. So anyway, was I exited to finally get my hands on one of these..!

I live in Finland and haven't seen too many Rhodes pianos for sale around, so I got mine from Klassic Keys in the UK, klassickeysgb.com. They also had the option for custom paintjobs and as soon as I realized I could actually get one in ferrared, I knew it was the piano for me hehe.. The service from Klassic Keys was really good also, emails got answered in an instant etc.

They added the suitcase preamp to this, so it's got stereo outputs (VV cheek block mod I think) and the vibrato effect. This one also has the miracle mod installed, I don't have experience of other Rhodes pianos but I really love the "fast" feel of the keys.

The delivery guys did screw up, and had this stored in their van in a vertical position (argh!) instead of flat so there were some scratches and I had to replace a couple of dead pickups but now it's finally in full working order, whoppee..

The condition is just great apart from a small hole in the front rail, so I put that C-badge on top of it. A small metal badge I got off Ebay over a painted guitar plectrum, to give this thing a bit of a finishing touch haha. :D

I have been playing a bit of keyboards and am a huge jazz fan, but admittedly my playing skills are still at a beginner level - so I'm really going to be playing this thing a lot to improve!

And of course, here are the beauty shots.. It was a gorgeous sunshine as you can see hehe..

(http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/1586/redrhodes1.jpg) (http://img854.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes1.jpg/)

(http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/6747/redrhodes2.jpg) (http://img638.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes2.jpg/)

(http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/1060/redrhodes3.jpg) (http://img855.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes3.jpg/)

(http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/2517/redrhodes4.jpg) (http://img854.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes4.jpg/)

(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8157/redrhodes5.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes5.jpg/)

(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5643/redrhodes6.jpg) (http://img705.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes6.jpg/)

(http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3356/redrhodes7.jpg) (http://img638.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes7.jpg/)

(http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/4066/redrhodes8.jpg) (http://img849.imageshack.us/i/redrhodes8.jpg/)

Quote from: Tehu on January 26, 2006, 11:28:15 AM
There's my 1980(?) Rhodes Mark 1 Stage Piano(lot of work to do), i paid 200$CAN for it 1 months ago. i'll make restoration inside(tuning, adjust..) then outside (brand news hardware, logos etc..) for now he didn't get the perfect sound, but it'll come!! in 4-5 month i'll post other pictures to show  all the work!
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/Tehu_dropuke/DSCF1985.jpg)

Nice Rhodes Stage...but I think it is older than 1980.  By 1980 the Mark II was in production.  Check on the upper right corner of the harp...there should be a 4 digit number in black.  The last two digits will be the production year; ex. 4777  would be 1977,  2676 would be 1976.

Rob

1977 Rhodes Home Piano


(http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4004/rhodeshomepiano.jpg)


Picked this up for a song just outside the city (I live near Vancouver BC), sold as-is because the power switch had stopped working.   A tech had looked at it and managed to pull all the wires off the switch.  I re-soldered the wires and cleaned the switch contacts (I'm sure that was the original problem) and voila! 

I also have the music stand and bench (not pictured).

The harp etc. are all pristine.  I'm the second owner - the original owner worked for the Canadian distributor for Fender during the 70s, and bought this for his daughter's piano lessons back then.  She played for 2 years and basically it hasn't been touched since then.  He says that there were only 10 of these sold in Canada.  I know there's been some discussion here about whether these are truly rare, from that I would say they certainly are here in Canada, dunno about the US.

A few scuffs here and there, but otherwise it works perfectly!  (I might have to replace the switch at some point). 

Another sparkletop piano surfaces!  Terrific sound, but needs some TLC.

http://www.retrosynth.com/~analoguediehard/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/ (http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/)

(http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/fender-rhodes_sparkle-top-01.jpg)

So this is my recently purchased 1978 Fender Rhodes 73
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/jd11193/Fender%20Rhodes/IMG_0406.jpg)
Seems to have an interesting history, was originally purchased as a Suitcase Piano back in '78 as evidenced by the preamp
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/jd11193/Fender%20Rhodes/IMG_0461.jpg)
But somewhere along the line was converted into a stage piano with the original Rhodes case for the bottom and legs. There was no sustain pedal included, but for $400 I didn't think it was too big of a deal.
Here's the date stamp and serial.
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/jd11193/Fender%20Rhodes/IMG_0466.jpg)
And lastly the tone bars to give you an idea of the condition
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x350/jd11193/Fender%20Rhodes/IMG_0470.jpg)

alright- i've been meaning to do this for a while now; here are some pics of my setup.  i play the rhodes for the, well, the rhodes sound.  everything else i use my laptop for.

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29442732/011.JPG)
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29442732/018.JPG)

Here are pictures of my two Rhodes. The first is a 1972 73 key stage. The second is a 1984 Mark V, with stand and sustain pedal. The Mark V had been dormant in someones spare room for 25 years, a great find.

I bought my 1975? Rhodes Mark 1 88 Stage Piano recently locally on Ebay. Internally it is in near perfect condition.
The top has a couple normal scratches, but it plays perfectly and very very nicely kept over the years.
I've wanted one for a long time. Only thing missing is one of the rear legs is missing the screw metal foot which I can't seem
to locate, looked many websites and nobody sells that alone and I'm almost certain it's a 75 but my stamp is small 0852 above serial and my serial is 44195,
the indication is that it is a Rhodes so after 74 but still has wooden hammers so pre 76 so that's how I determined. If anyone has any more info
for me on the age or locating a rear screw leg foot let me know. Oh I attached some of my other keys and I think if anything next I want a Wurly 200.
:D

Ronny

1982 Yamaha DX-7
1982 Suzuki Omnichord :)
1981 Korg CX-3
1968 Hammond T-212 (BI leslie and B3 stage 1 mods)
Newer Yamaha P-85
Newer Yamaha YPT-310

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.vintagevibe.com/p-277-sustain-pedal-feet.aspx

Hey all!

Got my first Rhodes yesterday.

Always loved the sound, but always just tried to emulate that sound with a motif/logic but I have the real deal now. It's a Stage Mark 1 73.

Plugged it in, sounds great, the action on the upper register is a little "clicky" but other than that.... its great. Taking it for a run tomorrow night on a gig.

Couple questions, I plan on using some effects for some gigs but probably an all-in-one pedal such as a Boss ME 70. Any used one with it? Pre Amp on it sound good?

I also plan on using an XK organ with it. Is it cool to sit it on top with some sort of rubber mat or blanket?


Suggestions welcome?

Greetings...

I'm from Vancouver BC, and three years ago I was scouring the world of the internet to find a sweet Rhodes, and what popped up?  A Mark V in perfect shape, bought in '85 for the kids to learn to play on, but they lost interest.  So it sat in storage, in Edmonton.  For those not familiar, that's about 18 hours away.  I payed $1800 for it.  It was totally worth every minute of the drive and every dollar spent.  I play it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb.





(http://i41.tinypic.com/309jz2q.jpg)

(http://i42.tinypic.com/amazp2.jpg)

Cheers!

I love these pianos and looking to add to my collection models that I don't already own. 

 I have a question... First a little background. I purchased a 74 Fender Rhodes Stage 88 along with a 78 Fender Twin Reverb amp that were previously owned and put in storage by fusion drummer Billy Cobham. Billy had put them in storage sometime in the early 80s. I'm not sure when he acquired them but they somehow became the property of the storage company near New York City around 1984-85. My question is, who most likely played this Rhodes with Billy? Any thoughts?

He played with a number of players but one that sticks out in my mind around 1984 & 85 would be Herbie Hancock.  For me it would be fun just to think or know that it was possible for Herbie to have at least played it. My 1973 Eighty Eight Suitcase was said to have been owned by Billy Preston.  It's in very good condition with original tolex at  95.9% and whether it was or wasn't it's still fun having it anyway.   

Herbie Hancock? Interesting possibility. Also, Billy Preston was great for sure! Yeah, no matter who played these Rhodes before... now it's our turn :)

Cobham played a lot with George Duke, but I'm sure all these guys had their own rig... I know a lot of musicians had instruments on hand.  So though he wasn't a pianist, he could have very well just had a Rhodes out of necessity.

Makes sense too... I know a guy who lives in my town who knew Billy Cobham back in the day. He said that Billy was an extremely talented musician who could play multiple instruments. He also said that Billy arranged his own songs for his band too. He also said Tom Coster (also from Santana) could have played it. I wish I could find a picture of it somewhere. It has an XLR out that was added to it back then. So I think I could identify it in a picture.

Hey guys,
Just bought my first Rhodes.

It is a VGC Stage 73 Mark 1... One owner from new, purchased in 1979.

It needs some minor work inside. Light rust on the bars, and one rubber foot missing.

All other original bits are there... Legs etc.

Heres a few pics! :)

Looks great. Congrats!

I love my '79 Rhodes Stage.  With the factory pedestal bump, the action is fantastic. Enjoy it!

Alan

Congratulations mojito.

Seems like there's always the one or two tone bars that are completely oxidized while all the rest have remained in decent shape. Three of the units I've disassembled have been that way.

Thanks guys... It also has a few sticky keys to sort out, so will be on here for advice ;)

Here is a picture of the XLR out mod on my Fender Rhodes Stage 88 that was owned by drummer Billy Cobham. I think the mod was done by Magic Music Machines in San Fransisco. (no longer in business) Their business card is taped to one of the legs. Next to the the card there is a piece of masking tape that says "Billy Cobham re J.M." (John McLaughlin ?) It's a really nice sounding Rhodes (aren't they all :) and is a blast to play.

That's awesome PW and a great story behind the Rhodes.

Thanks Tee! I really enjoy

Here's pictures of the '71 piano bass I got Tuesday. It's in pretty nice shape. It suffers from bouncing hammers (and therefore bouncing dampers) and is missing an entire damper arm. It also needs new hammer tips. It has the dyed ones, and they're all really grooved. It didn't really receive that much playing, so they must have just worn down really fast.

Although, it has great action and nice tone. The bass sounds way better than my 88 bass. It's fast, punchy, and powerful. And the sparkletop only has two scuffs. It also somewhat smells like smoke, but I haven't had a keyboard yet that didn't smell like something.


The guy I bought it from was an older guy who had been in local bands all his life. He used the bass for a little while but decided it was just too heavy and bought a Micro-Korg synth to do bass instead. The piano bass sat in his closet buried under some stuff until he took it out to stick on Craigslist a week or so ago.

a few pics of my stage73:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115155801831460433127/RhodesPics

Jean, Nice videos of you playing... very good!

my seventythree rhodes mk2, my roland JC77 and me

That is probably a great amp to play your Rhodes through. I'll bet the stereo chorus is amazing!

heres my little collection of keyboards

(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1417.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1419.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1418.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1420.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1424.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1436.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x217/oliisfullysick/_MG_1428.jpg)

I don't think you could have found a more appropriate chair for your command center.

Great collection! Thanks for the photos  (not only because I love seeing great vintage keyboards, but also because it helps me with my wife).

("See, I'm not the only guy who has a room full of vintage keys.  And he has even more than I do...")

I'm thinking that if you get rid of that couch -- who needs a couch? -- you could fit a few more in.


Alan

Nice guitars too...what is that one between the SG and the green Strat?

I like the looks of it.....

Quote from: alenhoff on January 22, 2012, 12:55:56 PM
Great collection! Thanks for the photos  (not only because I love seeing great vintage keyboards, but also because it helps me with my wife).

("See, I'm not the only guy who has a room full of vintage keys.  And he has even more than I do...")

I'm thinking that if you get rid of that couch -- who needs a couch? -- you could fit a few more in.


Alan

haha, It all started a couple of years ago with a wrecked 54 that had been sitting in a flooded basement. Havnt been able to stop buying vintage keys since then...... Dont intend to buy anything else until I move out so hopefully the couch will stay, but you never know what will come up for sale.... somethings may be worth sitting on the floor for.. haha

Quote from: pianotuner steveo on January 22, 2012, 04:12:42 PM
Nice guitars too...what is that one between the SG and the green Strat?

I like the looks of it.....

Its an Australian Maton MS500. Amazing guitars and pretty underrated, easily comparable in quality to my Gibson Sg custom at a fraction of the price!

This is the second Rhodes I've bought. It is a 1975 Mark 1. I bought this one last week for $480. I couldn't resist taking a look at it and after noticing the great shape it was in internally and the beautiful action, I bought it. The tines, tone bars, dampers and hammers are in great condition. The name rail shines and all the hardware was included even the pouch for the legs which I've never seen before.


(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii553/futureclassicmusic/5N15V45P13J23N13Hdc1g3988ce933577168a.jpg)

this is my first complete full restoration. I plan on a new tolex, painting the harp cover (obviously) solidifying the wiring and getting the keys to shine again.

(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii553/futureclassicmusic/0119122356-00.jpg)

back to work...

My very first Fender Rhodes a 1975 Mark I.  Bought this from a shop online.  I think I overpayed, but there was nothing wrong with it at all.  Bought it in 2003.  Paid about $550.  She need a little work now, mainly felts.

My 1982 Mark II.  I play this one every sunday in church.  Bought it from a friend for $400.  A church gave it to him for FREE!!!   ::)

There are some rusty tines and pickups, but she still plays like a champ!!!

Well if you felt you overpaid in 2003, I think you're fine in 2012 with it!  :)

just got this for £450 ($714) needs a lube, and the bit that holds the sustain dowel needs glueing, apart from that plays well!

Howdy all!

just got a '77 stage a couple of weeks ago, cheap, but needing work.

(http://i.imgur.com/CWNp4.jpg)

as you can see there were a number of broken keys.

(http://i.imgur.com/ZvQ8W.jpg)

so I took them out and glued them back together. one of the black keys had the top broken off (I tried to buy another one from Vintage Vibe, but for some reason I can't access my account from when I bought some hammer tips for my Duo awhile back) so I carved a new top out of a piece of hardwood and spray painted it black. I installed it as the lowest F# since I figure I won't hit it all that often down there.
I used silicone spray on the felts, even though the action wasn't stiff.

http://www.myspace.com/video/yorgatron/rhodes-test/108615141

I think it sounds pretty good. I watched a bunch of the Rhodes repair videos and read a lot of things here, so I know that it's in pretty good shape otherwise. next project will be to reinstall the damper and rig some sort of pedal. I don't intend to do any cosmetic restoration, except for adding some black tape over the torn tolex on the back, like you see Elwood tearing off Ray's suitcase 88. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN5V-6yCbpg

Though about 20 keyboard instruments have come and gone from my setup in the past 5 or so years, I still have my Rhodes. It's a Mk1 Suitcase Eighty Eight with Torrington tines and (iirc) the Peterson preamp. I bought from a Guitar Center, believe it or not, and paid $600 out the door. It's actually in better condition than the photos show. It had spent it's entire life in the spare room of a childless home. Currently, I'm using it with a Twin Reverb most of the time. The Prophet-5 has it's own amp.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/532396_3570194901643_1476102765_3241481_619641894_n.jpg)

^ nice! always thought I would like a suitcase, but I have plenty of guitar amps to plug into.

to add to my earlier post, for those of you that like to keep track of these things, my Rhodes was built in the 50th week of 1977 as seen here;

(http://i.imgur.com/jvRr4.jpg)

all wood keys with white plastic glued onto the tops and fronts only.
it has felt on the hammers, which are all plastic.
there is no bump on the pedestals.
the rail has a "Rhodes" logo, but the Volume & Bass Boost knobs have a Fender "F" logo.
it also has only one early style latch on each side, like this;

(http://i.imgur.com/cKcdl.jpg)

of course, it may have been modified or had parts cannabalised from other pianos over the years.

it still needs some work, but the action is smooth, the keys are level, and the voicing is pretty close to what I like, although a little more "bark" would be ideal.
all in all a pretty good piano, if you don't count the missing legs and pedal, especially for the price.

I've uploaded the pics from my recently started restoration, here:
http://spradbery.com/blog/ (http://spradbery.com/blog/)

1976 Stage 73, Mark 1.  Needed a new lid and a complete strip-down / rebuild including new tolex.  It's ongoing....!

OK... it's just about finished!! New pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104 (http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104)

Restoration pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog (http://spradbery.com/blog)

Taster for you:
(http://spradbery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/01-IMG_7972.jpg)

Go on... tell me you like it  :o

Man that's a lot of elbow grease.  Looks great!

Congratulations spradders. I'm a traditionalist and insist on original-looking Tolex all around but that red interior definitely has a classy look to it.

Thanks Shadetree keys - I am mostly a traditionalist but I was also a bit tight on cash when I bought the tolex! I think the red looks great although no-one ever sees it anyway.  The purple harp cover was a tougher decision, but I had to do something to the original cover because it was in bad shape; I never would have got the original texture back so decided to do something a little different :-)

Thanks for the advice along the way, not sure if you noticed my new fibre-board harp support rests, 3.4 (ish) mm just as you told me!
(http://spradbery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/IMG00502-20120525-1917.jpg)

I just finished up a 1973 Seventy Three.
(http://www.shadetreekeys.com/32766/Feature/DSCN1276M.JPG) (http://www.shadetreekeys.com/1973-seventy-three-mk-i-32766/)
http://www.shadetreekeys.com/1973-seventy-three-mk-i-32766/

Quote from: ShadetreeKeys on July 27, 2012, 08:34:04 PM
I just finished up a 1973 Seventy Three.
(http://www.shadetreekeys.com/32766/Feature/DSCN1276M.JPG) (http://www.shadetreekeys.com/1973-seventy-three-mk-i-32766/)
http://www.shadetreekeys.com/1973-seventy-three-mk-i-32766/

Superb job, your woodworking repairs are top notch. Out of curiosity what method did you use to clean up the pickups? It looks like you've been using erasers! :)

Quote from: tjh392 on July 30, 2012, 07:32:39 AMOut of curiosity what method did you use to clean up the pickups? It looks like you've been using erasers! :)

We sell those at my day job as "Fret Erasers".
https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Polishing_and_abrasives/Fret_Erasers.html
(http://www.shadetreekeys.com/32766/Pickups/DSCN1272T.JPG) (http://www.shadetreekeys.com/32766/Pickups/DSCN1272.JPG)

I just use them on the pickup tabs. For the magnet slug tips, I use Simichrome with a felt wheel on a Dremel.

Quote from: ShadetreeKeys on July 30, 2012, 07:52:25 AM
We sell those at my day job as "Fret Erasers".
https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Polishing_and_abrasives/Fret_Erasers.html

Excellent, I've tried using metal polish to no avail so I'll definitely give these a go.

Thanks!

Quote from: spradders on July 06, 2012, 04:31:08 PM
OK... it's just about finished!! New pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104 (http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104)

Restoration pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog (http://spradbery.com/blog)

Taster for you:
(http://spradbery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/01-IMG_7972.jpg)

Go on... tell me you like it  :o

Great job! It looks fantastic!

So you simply used steel wool on the tonebars to get them shiny again? Or did you have them replated. I guess the bare metal would start to rust rather soon.

Did you sand down the lid so that the texture was gone before spraying or did you just rough up the surface and then spray?

Dote

Hi - thanks.  I polished the tone bars on a polishing wheel (a buffing thing).  I guess the bars may rust although hopefully it won't get wet again!  I sanded the cover before painting it to remove all the bad scratches and the texture; I wish I'd done a bit more sanding because it's still quite textured in places where the cover is dimpled.

If you don't want to re-plate the tone bars, I've seen it suggested (and tried it myself on the leg brace plate) to spray a couple of coats of clear lacquer over the bare metal. I'm afraid even atmospheric humidity may be enough to cause premature corrosion on untreated metal.

I would definitely put something on the tonebars. Humidity varies with location, but when I was sanding my harm frame to paint, I had to wait 4-5 days before I could finish. In that time a thin coat of corrosion had already started building up, and i had to sand it all over again.

Quote from: spradders on July 06, 2012, 04:31:08 PM
OK... it's just about finished!! New pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104 (http://spradbery.com/blog/?page_id=104)

Restoration pics here:
http://spradbery.com/blog (http://spradbery.com/blog)

Taster for you:
(http://spradbery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/01-IMG_7972.jpg)

Go on... tell me you like it  :o

Great job on the resto. certain to look amazing both on stage or in the studio...

Hi Everybody,

I've just registered with this great site, I'm from North Devon, UK. I've recently adopted a very well used Mk 1 88 Stage piano. Whilst it plays OK (ish) It's had a hard life & appears (to my uneducated eye) to have been repaired/fixed many times. I'd really like to give it a full resto but not sure if I have the skills or time. I'd be really grateful for any feedback or opinions!

If I may I'd like to ask some specific questions about this piano, should I start a seperate thread?

Thank you all in advance.

Kind Regards

Julian

Just got my 1978 Mk1 from Ebay in Germany , combined with 2 Janus1 cabinets.  Its first Hand and not played since 25 years.

Will have to do some finetuning (some Keys and tines) but overall I am very happy with the sound  it produces right out of the box.

The combined Janus Twins are very powerfull but subtle enough combined with the built in stereo- vibrato . For me its just a majestic instrument. 

First post and an introduction! I've just acquired my 3rd Rhodes. The last two were both mk1 suitcases from 76. I've been rhodes-less for the last 15 years, and I was looking around for one. Couldn't afford a full refurb, and living in Spain, I was going to have buy sight unseen so wanted some one with a good rep who  would sell me a piano repaired but not refurbed. I cam across http://www.klassickeysgb.com/ (http://www.klassickeysgb.com/) in the UK who had a 5th week of 78 suitcase. I agreed a (for me!) really good price with a list of what Doug would do - in the end did a whole lot more than he said he would and i got a really good piano - odd bits need doing but it plays like a dream. Got it voiced nice and bright with a hint of bark when I dig in -
(http://www.foundobjectsgallery.com/rhodes/rhodes1.jpg)
I'll be asking some questions later about some bits and pieces I want to do... oh and Doug will be/is importing vintage pianos into the UK I think - not related in anyway just  a very happy punter

This is my '77 Stage Rhodes with the legs and pedal - no braces. I picked it up for a grand and got a Wurlitzer 200 for free. Sold the beat up 200 for a grand!

I just need to find braces for it - this is my 4th Rhodes, the best was a '75 Super Satellite 88, but alas the action was pretty heavy.

The feel of the '77 is great, I did add for $10 my own version of the miracle mod using Plastruct. Works great!

Here's my Stage 73 from what I believe is 1974, there is no date stamp.  It was really beat up looking, tolex all ripped up, some wood missing from an edge of the case, and all the corners were barely connected.  However the inside was pretty decent, everything worked, just some stuck keys and minor stuff.  I leveled the keys, turned some of the square hammer tips around, changed some felts, added miracle mod, tuned it, new hardware, and of course fixed the case and picked out this sparkle blue tolex.  I almost went for the sparkle red, but changed my mind last minute.  The tolex came out pretty nice

Quote from: okdk on January 13, 2013, 10:32:26 PM
Here's my Stage 73 from what I believe is 1974, there is no date stamp. 

Agreed on 1974, those Fender knobs I've only seen on that year.

Quote from: tjh392 on January 14, 2013, 03:16:47 AM

Quote from: okdk on January 13, 2013, 10:32:26 PM
Here's my Stage 73 from what I believe is 1974, there is no date stamp. 

Agreed on 1974, those Fender knobs I've only seen on that year.

I only saw knobs like those on one other piano and it was a silvertop.  Those knobs were used on the infamous solid state guitar amps of the late 60s.

Yeah there was just a short time in 1974 that they used flatter silver knobs, for the Mark I:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/Rhodes74/FenderSilverStageKnobs.jpg)

I do know what you're talking about though, on the earliest 60s Silvertop suitcases they used:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/bjammerz/Rhodes60s/Silvertop65Catalogue.jpg)

Hi Rhodes fans and proud owners!! :)
I´ve just bought pretty damaged (1975?? hammers are wood/plastic) Rhodes stage piano 73! I would like to ask you if it is even worthy a restoration?! It plays but terribly...:D
The first tine (E) is broken, it lacks a wooden case and pedal....from numbering of keys it looks they were mixed from two pianos (73 and 88).  And the worst...it was stored in a place with high humidity so everything (tone bars, tines, pick-ups) is covered by rust!
Could you write me your opinion, please?! Any advice?? :)

here is a link to photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bolece/8534379146/in/photostream

PS: I´m from Czech Republic...so spare parts are quite a problem...:D!

Quote from: Bolece on March 06, 2013, 08:38:17 AM
Hi Rhodes fans and proud owners!! :)
I´ve just bought pretty damaged (1975?? hammers are wood/plastic) Rhodes stage piano 73! I would like to ask you if it is even worthy a restoration?! It plays but terribly...:D
The first tine (E) is broken, it lacks a wooden case and pedal....from numbering of keys it looks they were mixed from two pianos (73 and 88).  And the worst...it was stored in a place with high humidity so everything (tone bars, tines, pick-ups) is covered by rust!
Could you write me your opinion, please?! Any advice?? :)

here is a link to photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bolece/8534379146/in/photostream

PS: I´m from Czech Republic...so spare parts are quite a problem...:D!

Doesn't look that bad to me. The only rust that usually concerns me is any that appears on the tines. It leaves them pitted after cleaning. They still work but I have to assume their lifespan is compromised. Also, rust on the guide pins is will interfere with the keys' movement. You can clean the guide pins but unless you treat them, the rust will quickly reappear.

Quote from: David Aubke on March 06, 2013, 09:03:49 AM
Doesn't look that bad to me. The only rust that usually concerns me is any that appears on the tines. It leaves them pitted after cleaning. They still work but I have to assume their lifespan is compromised. Also, rust on the guide pins is will interfere with the keys' movement. You can clean the guide pins but unless you treat them, the rust will quickly reappear.

Thank you so much for info :)!!! As you say the tines are pitted after some cleaning...and keys move badly...I will try to remove the dust a see how it will react! I´d like ask you a favour...I want to made a new case for it but I can´t find exact dimensions...and how thick should the wood be?! Could you send me the measurements or write me where to find it please?? ;)

PS: I´ve found only this so far: http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/tjh392/AlteredRhodesLid.jpg

Generally, the wood for Stage pianos is 11/16" (~17.5mm) to 3/4" (~19mm) thick. I'm thinking the later all-plywood cabinets were probably 3/4". Earlier cabinets had solid wood sides which may have been closer to 11/16"

I've done some drawings of cabinets on Trimble SketchUp. I need to do one for mid-70's cabinets but for now, the closest I have would be a 1973 with the two-angle split (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=77665892fd019b16d99c40d62b91faf5). SketchUp is a free program. You can load in my drawing and obtain any dimension you need.

Well, this is sooo great!! Thank you very much! When I finish it....I will send some pictures!! :)

New Rhodes Content.

This is a literal barn find.  Little old lady had it and wanted it moved out and gave it to a family, none of whom played piano or had any interest in it.  Word got around, and I was mentioned as a possible interested party, so one of them contacted me and sent some blurry cellphone pictures.  He told me it was in good shape and everything worked, and is apparently pretty rare.  Having owned two Suitcase Rhodes in the past, I did some digging. 

It is now mine.

(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee252/Bad_Jazz/Rhodes/Rhodes_zpsf82dc7e3.jpg)

Much more to come...         8)

Sweet

Wow, an Executone?
http://fenderrhodes.com/html/gallery/executone.html

3 pedals wtf??

(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee252/Bad_Jazz/Rhodes/IMG_6500_zps0556cb43.jpg)

Date looks promising.

(http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee252/Bad_Jazz/Rhodes/IMG_6499_zps01cea2d6.jpg)

No amp?     

More pics please,
I'm curious to see the preamp/amp section! ;)

Here are some pics of the 1977 suitcase 73 I just bought last week. I am the second owner! Completion date code indicates it was finished around Feb. 11, 1977.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25327808@N06/9715841522/
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9715841522_afcc718fd9_z.jpg)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25327808@N06/9715841312/
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/9715841312_6821e78d78_z.jpg)

-Dan

Brought my Roland JX-8P synth to this guy who's supposed to know how to fix synths. When we got to his house, he noticed I was looking around his "shop" since there were some pretty old (read: vintage) stuff like acoustic pianos, a broken Roland RS-202, some digital recorders. He then says he has a Rhodes piano which was used by his dad in the late 70s-early 80s but has since been collecting dust in a room upstairs. At this point, my heart literally skipped a beat! We go in the room and first thing I see is an old vibraphone (I think it's a JenCo graduated 3-octave vibes--I searched the net--without the motor which was stored in another box somewhere). He then shows me the Rhodes that his dad also used to play. When I remove the dusty cloth covering, I discover that it's a suitcase piano. Not sure if it's a Mark II. I opened it up and looked inside. About 10 pickups were missing (mostly for the topmost keys but around 6-7 were in a plastic bag located in the compartment). I wasn't able to lift the harp to see the hammers. The amp and speaker base seemed ok on the outside. It's labelled 220v (don't know why since from what I've seen on the net, they're mostly 110v). I didn't have enough time to inspect more closely and just got the following pics. Wasn't even able to turn it on. Could anyone tell me exactly what model this is? And why it's 220v? I'm hoping it won't be a major restoration since this'll be mostly a DIY project. I was able to date it to the 29th week of 1980. Correct?

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121610_zps81d47bc1.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121629_zps018e63eb.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121643_zps242fc4cd.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121650_zps4f00cf8b.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121751_zps447ab39e.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121817_zps03424352.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121915_zps9344ddce.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_121922_zps275292ad.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_122012_zps6edd2bd1.jpg)

(http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q536/alvincflorentino/Vintage%20finds/IMG_20130929_122028_zpsc89093d5.jpg)

Yep it's the 29th week of 1980, it's a MKII suitcase made for the UK market (220v)

The white pickups wire tends to corrode sooner than their clear tape counterparts which I'm guessing is why 9 have been taken off.
It's worth noting that because of the way the pickups have been wired you might still get sound as they've bypassed all of the last 9 pickups to go straight to the last and complete the circuit, but if there's a break in any of those 64 remaining pickups you won't get any sound from it as its wired in series. You'll need to check if those pickups are working (and the ones in the bag) and replace any that aren't and you should be good to go once they're all connected back together :)

I picked up this 1979 Rhodes 73. It has the cabinet but the whole thing looks like it took a good beating. I looked inside and found it to be in really good shape and in tune. I was told it was on tour in the US and Europe with Tim Curry's band after he did the Rocky Horror Picture Show.http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2600_zps8cb665b3.jpg.html?sort=3&o=http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2599_zpsa8fa600b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

If these 2 links don't get you to the pics, let me know. It's not easy to load photos when you are me and have a mac.

Kevin

P.S. I traded a 2011 Martin acoustic guitar for it that was $1,500 new 2 years ago and in mint condition. 10 minutes of playing on the Rhodes was more rewarding than the 2 years with the Martin. I was always worried about putting the first scratch on the guitar and knocking 7 or $ 800 off the value. I think I got a great deal and definitely agree with all the posters from Europe who say the Rhodes is under valued.

Here's a link for the Martin:  http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2579_zpsbd07e24d.jpg.html.

A couple of people I know thought it was a bad trade until they heard this Rhodes.

Rhodie, you know the top's on wrong in the photo, right?  Congrats on the piano.  A good cleaning, a bit of Tolex repair, and some Armor All would probably get it looking pretty good.  Here's a thread on sprucing up a tired-looking piano:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=7860.msg40643#msg40643

I knew the lid was on incorrectly-that's how I got it. I took that shot as soon as I carried it into my shop.

Thanks for the advice on cleaning it. I don't want to do a total resto on it, I just want to play it and not catch a disease from it.

Well, I firmly believe it's what's on the inside that counts...

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a531/Matt_Becker/eeeada11-8fbd-44d3-8ecd-ca00b3421a25_zps5be7a727.jpg)

I've put a few "scratches" on it myself in the last year. It happens.

It looks a little better from this angle:

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a531/Matt_Becker/9ab07782-ddeb-4996-a3f9-149f5a739bcf_zps7de525d6.jpg)

I found it on CL and bought it off of a guitar player last summer who acquired it from a former bandmate. That was all he could tell me about it, so I can't speak too much about it's history, but I can say that it's destiny now lies somewhere along the same path as my own.

It appears to have been completed around the 12th week of 1980 and was not in too terrible shape, all things considered. Aside from some minor cosmetic blemishes, it was minus a pedal along with one of the hinges and one of the latches on the lid. 

After some consideration, and a bit of guidance from some good folks around here, I opted to pursue the "cleanest" tone possible, figuring that there are myriad ways to color the tone, with or without tubes along the signal path. I already had a nice QSC K12 that I was using for my other keyboards, and really liked what I was getting out of it for the Rhodes. I had a Twin for about a week, and while I really like that too, I felt in the end that it was a lot more than I needed, and more than I wanted to have to deal with as well. I took a chance and went with a VV Stereo Vibe preamp. Much thanks and appreciation to Dave Aubke (a.k.a. Shadetree Keys) for helping me figure out how to rewire the pickups to accommodate the Stereo Vibe, among other things.

I was lucky enough to find a good deal on a second K12, and the end result I think is a bit like having a more portable Suitcase, though on most gigs I only use 1 speaker.

Along with replacing screws and grommets (gromlets?) and a couple of pickups that died in the last year, I also extended the softer shore tips from the mid section up into the mid/upper register in an attempt to get a bit more mellow attack through this range. However, I wanted someone with more experience to give it a proper tuning and voicing (I think that every Rhodes should probably see a proper tech at least once every 30 years or so), and at this point will shamelessly plug Max at the Chicago Electric Piano Company.  If you are lucky enough to be near the City of the Big Shoulders, and can arrange a visit to his shop, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I simply cannot speak highly enough of him.

I've had quite a few keyboardists and piano players sit in at gigs in the last year, some who were/are quite good- better than me anyways. The verdict so far has been unanimous; it is an absolutely wonderful instrument to play. I love being able to get out front and hear it through a large house P.A. where it sounds fat, and warm, and punchy and just plain huge.

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a531/Matt_Becker/3497db6c-2f22-445f-a147-3ced6209f475_zps4bed4afb.jpg)

Anyone traveling through lower SW Wisconsin is invited to stop by and sit in if you like. We can generally be found playing out just about every Sunday, most Thursdays, random Saturdays, the last Monday of the month, and the occasional Friday night as well.

Didn't know Fifty Fours ever had leg braces.

Me neither

This 54 will be going to Louisiana in a few weeks. Same VV preamp with re-wired pickups.

Looks awesome Peter. Nice gams!

When you say "rewired", did you change the series setup?

Quote from: David Aubke on November 10, 2013, 11:01:52 AM
Didn't know Fifty Fours ever had leg braces.

I made the braces out of 3/16" steel flat stock. I felt that the piano had a little too much sway, especially when playing palm smears on the Nord. I'm pretty sure there is some improved stability overall.

Peter: that is a beauty, for sure. I've been wrestling with whether or not to re-tolex my Rhodes. I'm still on the fence about it, but seeing that really kind of makes me think about doing it.

Dave,
Yes. Went from series to parallel.

Dave,
The gams are solid stainless steel. My brother David makes these for me.

If you re-tolex you should match or compliment the Nord.

Yeah the 54s didn't have braces, but they do sway just enough. 

(http://www.piano-rhodes.com/objets/Rhodes%2054%20disc.2004718111420.jpg?PHPSESSID=toe2gg190l3fpnbjj22eqme5v0)

Adjustable legs in the rear? These pictures are blowing my mind.

Here's a shot of a canonical Fifty Four just to bring things back down to earth.

(http://www.shadetreekeys.com/775368/Feature/DSCN1118M.JPG) (http://www.shadetreekeys.com/775368/Feature/DSCN1118.JPG)

ignore the preamp controls in the cheek block

Yes, I agree.  I have the 1968 Mustard yellow and a 1969 alvacodo green student model aka Jetsons models. I love them both.

Quote from: The Real MC on November 11, 2013, 09:49:31 AM
If you re-tolex you should match or compliment the Nord.

Hmmm.....more food for thought. I like it. I'll add that after re-stumbling across pics of your MIDI rig the other day  ???  :o  I've given your thoughts on the matter a little more credence.

Part of the reason I've put off making a decision whether or not to re-tolex is this: making the decision to do it leads to having to make another decision of whether or not to go with a traditional look or something more unique.

Just registered here today, although I have owned my Suitcase Seventy-three for going on 15 years!   

I found it for sale in Hollywood, FL in a newspaper ad.  The guy had two, one a stage and one a suitcase.  Wanted $300 each, or both for $500.    I only bought the suitcase since it had the amp...hindsight is 20/20...I should have grabbed both!

(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/73.jpg)

(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/plate.jpg)

(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/plate2.jpg)

The info on the plate is:

Serial: 54121
Model:  'SUITCASE 73' 

I did find a stamp on the right edge of the tonebar:
(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/end.jpg)

Am I correct that this translates to a 1974? (31st week, 5th day)



The amp has this on the business end:

(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/amp.jpg)

The instrument has fairly stiff action, and several flat sounding tines.  I have never used the 4 pin amp cable because it was frayed and separating from the plug..I have always just run a 1/4" instrument cable from the keyboard to the amp.

(http://www.thefishtank.cc/fishbox/pix/rhodes/controls.jpg)

It plays ok, and I have toyed with it for years, but am getting serious about reviving the instrument.

That being said, it looks like I am going to be getting into replacing the grommets, re-felting, cleaning the tines and tone bars,  adding the bump mod, replacing the cable, polishing the metalwork and hopefully that's it...?

Looking forward to reading this forum and starting my restoration.


Also, I have a couple Noob questions:

1) are the two 1/4" jacks on the amp, labeled 'Ext. Amplifier' intended to be preamp out? i.e. would I run cables from here to a mixer, another amp or whatever?

2) is the 4 pin "Piano Input" the ONLY way to input to the amp?  (nothing else is labled 'input')  In other words, can other instruments (another keyboard or bass guitar) be plugged into the Rhode's amp? (this prefaces #4 below)

3) Am I correct that the two 1/4" jacks labeled Accessory 1 & 2 on the Rhodes are outputs which bypass the tonal controls and preamp on the keyboard?  What are these typically connected to...effects boxes?  (if so, where does the effects return plumb back into the amp?)

4) Did I blow something in the circuitry by plugging the Rhode's accessory output into the Amp's Ext. Amplifier jack? It actually worked like this and I played it this way for a few years, but after it had been stored for a while, it doesn't seem to work that way now.  I can still run a 1/4" cable between the accessory out and another amp I have.


Thanks all!!!

Found mine on Ebay locally here where I live. It was used by a couple of local bands. Brave Combo and Bowling for Soup I'm told. It's dirty and needs to be tuned, but sounds good. It has some paint overspray on the tolex that I need to clean off, but seems in good working condition. The grill cover in front is destroyed and will have to be remade. I got a good price considering what these are going for these days. 
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/11763173773_769e810f88.jpg)

Quote from: notdeankane on January 02, 2014, 02:40:58 PM

3) Am I correct that the two 1/4" jacks labeled Accessory 1 & 2 on the Rhodes are outputs which bypass the tonal controls and preamp on the keyboard?  What are these typically connected to...effects boxes?  (if so, where does the effects return plumb back into the amp?)

gtsberg,
The top (#1) Accessory Jack is the send for an effects loop, the lower (#2) jack is the return. 
I run a Maestro Stage Phaser through there.  Anything sent through there is subject to stereo trem in the Peterson pre-amp.

Ray

Quote from: Student Rhodes on January 04, 2014, 10:17:51 PM

The top (#1) Accessory Jack is the send for an effects loop, the lower (#2) jack is the return. 
I run a Maestro Stage Phaser through there.  Anything sent through there is subject to stereo trem in the Peterson pre-amp.

Ray

Thanks Ray! 

Dear,

Here my fender Rhodes Seventy Three custom by Olivier Grall (France)
Choice is Silver Sparkle tolex...

Amp is a fender Twin Silverface from 1969

All the best  8)

Regards

Nice, Mr. Peel.

Looks like I see a Boss CE-1 on that amp as well.  I've been thinking about finding one somewhere down the line.
Ray

Ray,

Thanks

You see well  8)
One of my effects yes.
The main effect I use with the Rhodes (and other instruments too) is the Roland RE201 band echo.
Incredible sound and creative...

My 1976 suitcase still has the price tag on her. She's from HONG KONG! Not a "Fender!" though. Does anyone know how much
HK$ 10,515 was worth back in the day? Turning 38 this week...

Olav

By today's standard it's $1350, but who knows what the exchange rate was at the time.  It could've been a whole lot less etc.

Hi!

I bought my Fender Rhodes Mark II 73 in 1981 at Steve Music Shop in Montreal. This is the only keyboard that i kept during all its years. It is in good condition but it needs a refresh. I hope to talk with you

1973 Fender Rhodes Stage Seventy Three

(http://i57.tinypic.com/2vxq0hs.jpg)

The Rhodes sound was in my head long before I knew what it was. As a child I heard it everywhere and told myself I'd one day get that sound. Fast forward to this past weekend when I was casually browsing eBay, checking up on Rhodes prices; it was pretty well-"stocked" with them as usual. I then decided to, without expecting anything, check my local Craigslist and lo and behold the very first ad in the entire musical instruments section was for the Rhodes I now call mine. Went to meet the gentleman who was selling it the same afternoon and didn't even bother trying to get it cheaper. He was a professional jazz bassist his entire life and used it for some casual chord work at home. It's in as near-mint condition as is possible for a 40+ instrument to be and came with 15 extra tines, the original manual, all the soft cases, etc. I paid a premium, but am looking forward to a life with it. I'm currently looking to do the Miracle Mod to it as I find the action to be extremely sluggish and stiff.

Here's mine, or should I say "some really bad shots of the guts of mine."
I know it's a FrankenRhodes but don't care - they're all modular to a point. It was bought pretty cheaply from a local small ad something over ten years ago. Soon afterwards I did a Speakeasy key-lift mod that is anything but good and I know I'll be spending the next few months under the hood looking at damper felts and finding out why that mod I did was such a major failure.

Any suggestions/comments are welcome.
DD

Yahoo! After 3 months of work, it's basically done! Still needs a lot of tweaks, a knob and a sustain pedal!

Nice eighty eight! I got a similar one, with the preamp!
I see a MPC1000, do you produce hiphop?

I make a bit of house music and hiphop :)

https://instagram.com/p/4uqQw8rek0/
https://instagram.com/p/4iPpvaLesp/

or

soundcloud.com/laberge

(hope it's ok to post these :))

Here's a pictorial of a Rhodes I restored:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/63737189@N05/dE6Pz0 (https://www.flickr.com/gp/63737189@N05/dE6Pz0)

Is that a piece of the tolex on the name rail?  Looks much nicer than the black.
Great job. 
Ray

Yes, the decal or stencil was damaged. Silver tolex plus a MK I "Seventy-three" logo were used on the name rail. The photos all have captions.

Looks great!! How does it sound and play? Looks like you need to do some key levelling there (sorry dont mean to be picky but couldnt help noticing)

Yep, I had just finished putting the piano together when I took the pix. Now comes the adjustment phase, key shims included. 8)

My Children:

Rhodes Suitcase Mark II 73 - Unbelievable condition. I got this off of a guy on this forum actually years ago.  The Rhodes sat in the original box in a church unused since the 80's. The previous owner before me had bought it from the church a few years before I purchased it off him and it was sitting in his studio the whole time maintaining fantastic condition. My pride and joy with the Little Phatty on top to boot.

Vintage Vibe 44 Deluxe - Got this recently and couldn't be happier.  Obviously it cost a pretty penny and took me a long time to pay off but it was well worth it. Incredible piano. I went with the purple sparkle top and I run it through a pair of Leslie 60 vintage speakers (the vibrato is amazing).

Wurlitzer 206 - No special story... Just got a good deal and its in prime condition

Roland VK-7 - I'm running this through a Motion Sound SRV-112. I believe the SRV 112 is supposed to be used for guitar but it has a great rotating speaker that works great with the Roland for a solid Leslie sound. Circuit bent Furby hanging out on top.

Thanks for letting me share!

I've created a website to show off and track the progress of my Rhodes restoration.

https://januismersite.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/the-buy/ (https://januismersite.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/the-buy/)

Here is my 1973 Fender Rhodes Suitcase 88, and my 1977 Rhodes Stage piano.

I purchased the 1973 Fender Rhodes Suitcase 88 from Vintage Vibe in February of this year, fully restored. It looks and plays so great, it's unbelievable...

The 1977 Rhodes Stage was given to me by my brother, after he bought it in Alabama for $65!  It was not in playable condition... on the contrary, it needed a complete restoration and lots of TLC (see last picture).  I restored everything from the bottom up - including new tines / tonebars.  After a full refurb, it plays like a million bucks.

-Jeremy

NICE job on the suitcase - good year for those pianos.

Nice looking suitcase.
In your third photo, the piano has a flat top harp cover.  Is this the same piano?
Personally, I think a Mk II cover can look pretty good on a Mk I, especially an Eighty-Eight. 
The low line of the flat top over the length of the 88 adds a sleekness that isn't quite there when you put a flat top on a Seventy-Three.

Is this an early '73 Suitcase?  The extra angle on the shell near the cheek blocks would lead me to think that.

Ray

Quote from: Student Rhodes on July 05, 2016, 02:22:16 AM
Nice looking suitcase.
In your third photo, the piano has a flat top harp cover.  Is this the same piano?
Personally, I think a Mk II cover can look pretty good on a Mk I, especially an Eighty-Eight. 
The low line of the flat top over the length of the 88 adds a sleekness that isn't quite there when you put a flat top on a Seventy-Three.

Is this an early '73 Suitcase?  The extra angle on the shell near the cheek blocks would lead me to think that.

Ray

Thanks Ray - yes, it's the same piano! I have two lids: a flat top, and round top.

As for when in '73 it was made, I'll have to take a look around... I can't read the week numbers on the harp, so I'll have to look elsewhere on the piano for the date. Agreed on the possibility of early 73, due to the case angle near the cheek blocks.

We found this little guy in a storeroom at our business.  We thought it was a toy, but it might be a fender Rhodes 32 key Celeste.  There is no power cord, or cord from the speaker to the piano.

What is this?  How do I make it work?  How much is it worth?


ted

Quote from: Bigted45 on November 10, 2016, 11:48:57 AM
We found this little guy in a storeroom at our business.  We thought it was a toy, but it might be a fender Rhodes 32 key Celeste.  There is no power cord, or cord from the speaker to the piano.

What is this?  How do I make it work?  How much is it worth?


ted

Hi Ted,

That's a Fender Rhodes piano bass. Not a toy but used for accompaniment, the Doors used to use one (but that was a gold top)

As for price, I'm not sure what they go for nowadays. Where are you based?

It doesn't use a power cord.  You need to plug it into a guitar/bass amp using the jack on the left side of the chrome front panel.

In the U.S., if it's in reasonable shape, it's worth $1,000+.

Alan

Quote from: tjh392 on November 10, 2016, 12:26:11 PM

Quote from: Bigted45 on November 10, 2016, 11:48:57 AM
We found this little guy in a storeroom at our business.  We thought it was a toy, but it might be a fender Rhodes 32 key Celeste.  There is no power cord, or cord from the speaker to the piano.

What is this?  How do I make it work?  How much is it worth?


ted

Hi Ted,

That's a Fender Rhodes piano bass. Not a toy but used for accompaniment, the Doors used to use one (but that was a gold top)

As for price, I'm not sure what they go for nowadays. Where are you based?

Anaheim, CALIF

I build this little speaker during the weekend... it's based on the Thiele TL806 design featuring an Eminence Delta Pro 12A speaker. It sounds absolutely incredible! I do build a second one at the moment to have real-stereo ;-) For now it's just a passiv box but I want to include an amp soon.

Hello!  I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. 


I've owned my Fender Rhodes for over 10 years, a rash purchase second hand from a music shop in San Francisco circa 2005.  It has since relocated with me to the UK.  I only recently got around to taking piano lessons so I'm only now getting to use it properly.  What a joy to play!  I have actually never properly identified the model or the year of origin - if anyone can help me it would be most appreciated.  At the moment the piano functions fine when I plug it into my guitar amp  However when I try to use it with its own amp there is no sound produced.  I believe the amp is working fine but that there is some fault in the connections within the circuitry in the front panel of the piano.  Any troubleshooting guidance appreciated - I do have some electronics experience and I'm fairly certain I can fix this.  Also any other ideas for general maintenance would be most appreciated.


Thanks very much!  Pics and some more info below.


-Tom


(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%205%2001%2006%20PM.jpg)

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%205%2001%2027%20PM.jpg)

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2039%2004%20PM.jpg)

The serial number on the piano:

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2022%2017%20PM.jpg)


Someone has written 'pre-CBS' on the interior of the piano - but is it correct?


(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2022%2022%20PM.jpg)


The amplifier certainly appears to be CBS:


(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2023%2009%20PM.jpg)


A document accompanied the piano inside the case detailing a preamplifier modification but I'm not sure if this had been performed or not:




(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2041%2048%20PM.jpg)


Here's the interior showing the circuitry behind the front panel:


(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/86034193/Photo%20Dec%2030%2C%203%2022%2042%20PM.jpg)

Welcome to the forum.

I could believe 1970 but it is not "Pre-CBS". According to the timeline on the Super Site (http://www.fenderrhodes.com/history/timeline.html), CBS bought Fender (and with it Rhodes) in 1965.

Hi Tom,

Where are you based in the UK?

It's a nice example of an early MK1 Peterson Suitcase.

Thank you for the replies!  I'm based in London, thj392.

As David mentioned - yes, it's not "pre-CBS" but it's still a rare, early model.  Great piano! 

It's sharpee marked March, 1970 which you should be able to find the actual factory stamping on the underside of the harp for this vintage (if you wanted to go digging, unscrew the large screws holding the harp down at the left and right side, and lift up).  In 1970, they stamped a production month with the year underneath, rather than the more common 4-digit stamps on top.  So that would coincide with someone being able to write on it "March 1970" as opposed to "3271" or something like that.

The red felt lining in the lid also coincides with this vintage, as well as the serial number being hyphenated, the model indicated as well as little indicators like type of knobs and keys.  Definitely a 1970.  This model would have originally come with felt cube hammer tips, but it may have had neoprene rubber tips installed later.

As far as the amp is concerned, this version can be troublesome to troubleshoot as it's two amplified channels in one amp.  On the left side of the bottom power amp, should be 1/4" jacks labeled "External Amplifier" channel 1 and 2.  If you plug some sort of input into each channel like an ipod etc. one channel at a time, you can see if your bottom amp is functioning or distorted etc. but the process is slightly involved to see if the power amp, 2 amp modules, speakers, preamp and cable are all functioning or narrowing down what has failed.

I can't tell exactly what the non-factory switch is to the right of the volume knob.

Hi Ben - Thanks for the reply and so nice to learn a little more about this beautiful instrument.  I might take your word for the vintage rather than digging around under the harp, though!

It does look to me like the hammers have felt tips but they are in very fine condition considering the age.  Is it possible these have survived since 1970 or could replacement felt tips have been installed later?

I could post a couple photos of the interior of the piano.  There is a little bit of corrosion on some of the tone bars.  I can only see a small bit of rust on a couple tiny spots.

Regarding the 'External Amplifier' jacks, am I to understand those are actually inputs?  I had assumed they were outputs!

I was going to ask about that switch next to the volume knob although looking at my photo now I wonder if it isn't actually swapping the channels?

Is anyone able to tell from the photo of the preamp whether those caps are originals?  The PCB looked like it might have been resoldered at some point but I could be mistaken.

Thanks again!

The external outputs interestingly enough can be used as inputs as well.  The felt tips - just make sure you're looking at the hammers themselves, and not the felt dampers that touch the tines - they're often confused.  If they lasted all these years, check for heavy grooves in the hammer tips which could make notes sound dead.

In your preamp - those white Mallorys are original.  I can see a previous repair where dead center of your preamp board pic, at the top, some resistor fried out and browned the board.  Also, if you look at the top right in the pic, there's some browning - the metal slip case that covers the preamp is supposed to have a non-conductive sheet on it, and it appears that the board at one time was contacting the case and arcing.  Some times people slap a little tape over that trace, which is a bit close to the end of the board.

Hello, I'm new to the forum and the world of the Rhodes Electric Piano.  I'm the owner, but not a player, of a newly acquired 72 Mark I Stage Model for my rehearsal room.  It needs some TLC, so through reading at the Rhodes Super Site and here, I hope to learn more about getting this beast playing it's absolute best.  The online service manual at TRSS has already proved invaluable.  I'll likely be in need of a couple pu's and a sustain pedal assembly, so any leads for parts sourcing is welcome.  Thanks to the moderators for accepting my membership here.

Quote from: Mars Hall on February 10, 2017, 07:35:22 AM
Hello, I'm new to the forum and the world of the Rhodes Electric Piano.  I'm the owner, but not a player, of a newly acquired 72 Mark I Stage Model for my rehearsal room.  It needs some TLC, so through reading at the Rhodes Super Site and here, I hope to learn more about getting this beast playing it's absolute best.  The online service manual at TRSS has already proved invaluable.  I'll likely be in need of a couple pu's and a sustain pedal assembly, so any leads for parts sourcing is welcome.  Thanks to the moderators for accepting my membership here.

Welcome to the forum.

The only place I know of that sells aftermarket sustain pedal parts is Vintage Vibe (http://www.vintagevibe.com/products/fender-rhodes-sustain-pedal-rod-combo?variant=899468687).

Bad pickups can be rewound. Sometimes they can even be repaired by just unwinding one wrap of the magnet wire and re-soldering it to the terminal. Otherwise, eBay or just about any supplier can set you up with replacements.

Here's my baby.  Hope you guys like it.  I'm new here and thought I'd share my work on a Rhodes that wasn't playable when t arrived but that I think looks killer in her new suit.  Tell me, what you do think? I re-tolexed her, leveled the keys, tuned and replaced hammer tips and damper pads.

I like the tweed :). Good job

Thanks. Is so fun to work on.  I also put a vintage Vibe time bomb in it. Sounds pretty great to my ear. 

I like the tweed as well.   l've always thought that looked good.
If it were mine, I'd buy a beat up old harp cover, take it to an auto place and have it painted a different color that better lends itself the tweed. Oxblood, tan, cream, red, something other than the black.

That's funny you say that cause I've been thinking of doing the exact same thing.  I think it would look really good in cream but I like your other suggestions!  Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!  :)

I've had a couple done professionally (one pearl, and a couple sparkle) and they looked great, without any issues.  For them it's like re-spraying a bumper, so the cost isn't outrageous.

With your tolex you could emulate these early Rhodes models. For tweed, something like the cream top on the piano bass in the first shot would look great.  From a historical perspective, the tomato soup color from the second photo on the very rare/prototype Rhodes would be badass.  (Jaime Foxx plays a dummy version of one in a scene from "Ray")  The last photo is just something I pulled off the web when I was considering different colors.

One of the things I've enjoyed about modifying my various Rhodes pianos is that if the job is done well, it's not considered a blasphemous desecration,  as such an act would be considered in the vintage guitar world.
Ray

Love that Rhodes 54.

Yeah.   That looks awesome.

(http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/6138ea9bb55df1f72e10d072ba6917f3.jpg) (http://hostthenpost.org)
(http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/e4250e4a3188775709ec4c83060af1df.jpg) (http://hostthenpost.org)
I got this yesterday from a guy who happens to be on this forum. A custom 1977 with Stereo Vibe.
Mr. Garfield had swapped in a 1976 keybed, implanted 1978 bump mod action and did some tine changing. It truly is a custom model.
After a little re-positioning of the keybed, she now plays beautifully!

I have been hunting for a Rhodes for some time. I found this one in my small town of 4000 people. It was right  under my nose the whole time. Got it for $700 and put about 22 hours labor into it. Sounds and plays like a dream. The hunt for a Wurlitzer continues....

Nice score.
Looks like it has an active pre-amp in it as well? Battery powered?

Hey guys! Brand new to the forum. I just picked up my first Rhodes after lusting for one for years. The time was right and it seems like it was just meant to be.

She's a Mark 1 Suitcase piano. I got it without the suitcase amp or legs, so just the piano.
But I picked her up for a grand total of

250 dollars. Believe it or not, lol.

(https://image.ibb.co/meN72F/RKY79J0.jpg)

(https://image.ibb.co/g1p9Ga/RBO8I5Y.jpg)

It's in fantastic shape considering the price, all the tines sound (except for the very first key which is missing its tine altogether. Probably the best tine that could be missing if any) and incredibly it was still in great tune.

Story goes that last Friday I was scouring the list of Craig (as I do on a daily basis). I always set the location settings as "show other locations" and I'll check literally every city in Texas. I found a listing for a Rhodes piano in Dallas (I live in San Marcos, a good ways from Dallas) at the aforementioned price and I called him to find out what was wrong with it. He proceeded to tell me that keys 11-24 don't sound, but he had never plugged it in as he has gotten the piano for free from one of his regular customers (he works in electronics and tubes) without the amp or legs. I told him I'd drive to Dallas that night right after work (7 hours in the car total).

He told me that someone 20 miles from him had reached out to him first, but "couldn't find the time to come down that day, so I'll just check it out tomorrow".

The seller had told me that he couldn't understand how someone couldn't make time to drive 20 miles to see an incredibly priced vintage Rhodes, so when I called and told him I'd be driving clear across Texas he didn't hesitate and told me it was mine if I showed up with the cash that night.

Guy who sold it to me actually used to play keys with Chuck Rainey back in the day. He was telling me how his main setup revolved around a MKI 88 that he used to own. I noticed that his hand was basically mangled, I think that he must have just had surgery on it or something, but the clearly he wasn't playing anymore. I think this has to do with why he got rid of it at such a low price (on top of the "issues" he thought that it had. More on that in a second). We sat and talked a bit about the experience of schlepping around vintage analog gear and how it's totally worth it for that unmatched tone and timbre. Great guy, and hope to hear from him in the future.

Anyway, after a total of 7 hours of driving, I finally got home with the piano and proceeded right away to test everything. I plugged her into my '68 Vibrolux Reverb via the RCA outlet directly on the harp and was extremely pleased to find that not only did the all of the keys that he thought were dead did in fact sound, but they were also in tune

I did find, however, on plugging it in that keys 44-73 had extremely low output, almost no sound whatsoever. Also a very intense and constant buzz from the piano.
Spent a few hours poking around under the hood and found that there was a tiny break in the pickup wiring between keys 47 and 48.

Reconnected and BAM.

The piano almost sounded brand new. I'm sure more veteran ears could point out certain things in the piano that could be worked on, but to me it is effin' pristine.


Anyway, super happy to be here guys. I love my new/old Rhodes and am very excited to be a part of this community!

-Patrick

Welcome to the forum Patrick! That sounds like a score!

Thanks! There's an incredible amount of info on this forum, very happy to be here. I've updated my post with working pics of the piano btw.

You're welcome. Based on the logo and the pre-amp, it's an early '70s suitcase top?

Yes! 50th week of 1970 if I'm reading the date code correctly.

Alright! Have fun with it!!!

Hi!
Im new to this forum as i wish someone could help me out with my piano! My Dad had passed away 5yrs ago and i had unearthed his piano when my Mom and sis moved out from their old house.. i had used this piano when i was a kid and seeing it again after 28yrs does melt my heart! I believed it is a 79 model seventy three suitecase and the condition is not so good due to its being stored since the last time i touched it! I wanna restore it back to its glory however, its a daunting task given that i lived in Hong Kong and nobody here seemed to know this piano at all! For me, this piece is a classic and the value is much more than i expected coz it belongs to my Dad who had taken care and loved his instruments! I hope someone closeby could help me restore it perhaps give me some tips or advise!

Thanks!

Bennflores,

Step one is to download and read the service manual:   http://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/manual.html

Do you have the cable that goes from the side panel of the bottom amp to the preamp on the name rail? 

Pop off the top cover and show us a few more pictures.  Are all the tines there?  Is it rusted?  (Hong Kong humidity might have rusted it out.)

Take a little time cleaning it out, and you will see that it should be easy to get the piano working again.

The keys look like they need leveling, but that may be just felts or paper punchings (paper spacer rings) not sitting down correctly, or random junk in there.

If you take the namerail off (two screws on either end), you can carefully lift out the keys and see what is going on with the felts and paper punchings.

If you have a working guitar amp, you can plug a cable in to the top accessory jack on the namerail.  (That would not require a working preamp or powersupply in the bottom amp section.)

Keep us updated with your progress, and every time you get stuck, just tell us the situation, and we will help you out.

Sean

Great advice from Sean!

By the picture, it is a 1975 piano if all original.  Do the keys get stuck down when you push them?

Sup y'all,

Just joined the forums.  Picked up my first Rhodes today for 1k.  I believe by the serial numbers that it's a 1977.  It'll need some tweaking for sure:  damper timing, escapement, maybe even some key rebushing.  Fortunately I'm a piano technician.  I know it's not the same, but there are so many similarities I figured I would take the plunge and get one.  I don't know the history of this piano, but I'm definitely happy with how it looks and sounds.  My wife though...says that it looks like I brought a grill into the house :/

Evan

Welcome to the forum Evan! Looks like you scored a pretty nice piano from the pic. Being a 77, you might have the felt on the hammers instead of the pedestals wich would only be somewhat of a concern if you decide to do a bump mod. Other than that, looks great! Look foward to seeing what you cook up on your new grill!

Quote from: vanceinatlance on November 13, 2017, 11:14:52 AM
Welcome to the forum Evan! Looks like you scored a pretty nice piano from the pic. Being a 77, you might have the felt on the hammers instead of the pedestals wich would only be somewhat of a concern if you decide to do a bump mod. Other than that, looks great! Look foward to seeing what you cook up on your new grill!

Felts are definitely on the bottoms of the hammers as opposed to the pedestals.  Why is this a concern?

Not so much of a concern but the pianos responsiveness is often not as good as when the felt is on the pedestal.

To improve the playability of the piano a "miracle mod" is often required whereby a small bump is added to the pedestal to help kick up the hammer. You can add the bump by itself on the pedestal (without any felt on top of it) and leave the felt on the hammer cam but sometimes the felt on the cam can lock against the bump if the felt wasn't installed properly by the factory.

So if you find that the action isn't that great, most people would suggest to remove the felt from the bottom of the hammer cam. Do the miracle mod and add the felt on top of it on the pedestal.

For a more in depth write up, check out Ben's sticky on the subject:

The "Miracle Mod" on hybrid wood hammers Pre-1978 (http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4666.msg22681#msg22681)

Sorry for the late response, things got busy. Tim put it very well. I didn't mean to make it so dramatic sounding. Just means you may have a little extra work involved if you decide to do the bump mod.
Vance

It seems by all accounts that the bump mod is the right thing to do.  I might as well get that VV restoration kit.  There's some oddities on this piano that I'm sure aren't oddities at all, but because of my lack of experience I have trouble diagnosing.


First off,
On a soft blow, everything  E3 and above has an audible tone to it.  Once the damper position changes, going down from Eb3 all the way to E1 have really spotty tone where sometimes I'm getting a really soft note, and other times it's not audible at all unless a hard blow.  If I depress the pedal as I'm going down the bass, the notes sound good.  Aside from checking the lost motion in the dampers, what other issues could this be?

Second,
B4 and above have more action noise than the rest of the piano.  Almost like a high pitch knock or a click.  As I'm not too familiar with what the action noise should sound like, I'm wondering if this is even a valid concern.

Either way, I'm planning on installing everything from the VV restoration kit and see where it goes from there.

Evan,

The hard hammer tips on the treble end of the piano make the collision between the tine and hammer tip exceptionally percussive.
That is just the nature of a Rhodes.  You will get used to it.

Take a look at the Service Manual (http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch1.html), and work on your escapement, pickup positioning, and timbre adjustment (voicing).

Escapement:  http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch4.html
Pickup volume adjustment:  http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch4.html#fig4-9
Timbre Adjustment:  http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch4.html#fig4-8


Sean

Thank you!  I'll keep tech questions over if that section of the forum from now on too.

I picked up what I believe to be a 1975 Stage Mark I Rhodes a few months ago for a steal. Only catch was that it was in really rough shape. Always up for a challenge I've taken the last three months to restore it.

As I got her...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4647/39528642912_ea3e6fcdb4_o.jpg)(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4635/39528643932_7b34d5fd81_o.jpg)

Mid-way through the process, here's the workstation I set up for myself in the basement with strict instructions for the kids to not touch anything  ;D
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4739/25687125538_c8135389d3_c.jpg)

Restored...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4613/28315945709_0e75f5273f_c.jpg)

There was obviously MUCH in between all this. I had to have a leg repaired at a local machine shop, replaced some broken bridle straps and one damper comb, screws and grommets, etc. etc. Still working on the voicing and will probably replace the hammer tips eventually. All told, it's been a joy to restore this old gal.

I've got a ton more photos in a Flickr album...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/85422586@N06/albums/72157691982101275

Great job!  Now there's one more beautiful Rhodes in the world...

Alan

Quote from: alenhoff on February 06, 2018, 03:56:28 PM
Great job!  Now there's one more beautiful Rhodes in the world...

Alan

Thanks!

Hello - new to the Forum, but not to Rhodes ownership.. I'm the original owner of a 1979 Mk I Stage 73 Dyno Rhodes, recently tuned and regulated by Nir at FenderRhodesLA.com.  Proud to say that Nir, rated my baby as a 9.5 out of 10, it's an AMAZING instrument, superb action, incredible range of sound, showing minimal signs of age!(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Rhodes%202.jpg)

some additional views:

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Angle%20Rhodes.jpg)

the quaint original Dyno sticker:

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Dyno%20label%20interior.jpg)

EQ controls close up:

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/EQ%20Controls_1.jpg)

And the harp:

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Harp%201.jpg)

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Harp%204.jpg)

(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m139/bfrye55/Dyno%20Rhodes/Harp%203.jpg)

Please use a source other than photobucket.  The pictures do not appear.

Quote from: d-rock on February 06, 2018, 07:51:38 AM
I picked up what I believe to be a 1975 Stage Mark I Rhodes a few months ago for a steal. Only catch was that it was in really rough shape. Always up for a challenge I've taken the last three months to restore it.

Great job! Congratulations. I can tell you put a lot of love into it. Very much enjoyed your Flickr series on the restoration. How do you find the final results in terms of sound and play?

Yes...it's time for an update. I sold the Rhodes Stage Piano from 1978 (the blue one with the vintage vibe preamp), and ordered two other pianos:

- A Fender Rhodes Stage Piano from 1971
- A Fender Rhodes Suitcase from 1973

Both are in good conditions. The Stage Piano from 1971 needs a fresh voicing. But the internals are in good shape.

Here some pics:

The Fender Rhodes Stage Piano (1971)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311588)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311589)

I use it with a TRamp; it's a tube preamp that is built with similar circuits like in a Fender Twin Reverb with an added stereo vibrato.

And here the Fender Rhodes Suitcase (1973)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311590)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311591)

Absolutely classic, with Peterson Preamp and the matching cabinet. Was fully restored by Doug (KlassicKeysGB) and it sounds absolutely wonderful. And yes, it's a perfect pair with a Minimoog.

These Fender Rhodes Pianos are not alone in the room. There are some other vintage pieces of gear in my home studio:

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311592)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311594)

(https://img.audiofanzine.com/image.php?lang=fr&identifier=image&size=normal&module=user&userPhoto_id=311593)

Nice looking pianos.   Is that a Vintage Vibe sparkle harp cover, or did you do that yourself?
Ray

It's not a vintage vibe harp cover. It's the original lid that i gave for custom painting job to a Switzerland-based drum manufacturer.

(https://i.imgur.com/awa2Eb8.jpg)

My first post on the forum!

This is my Rhodes. It was made in the 26th week of 1974. It was sitting un-used in my highschool, and I asked to buy it around 2003, and the music director said "take it home, it doesn't have all the parts." It was only missing the screw for the leg braces and the sustain pedal rod! So yeah, it was free plus like 25$ for parts. Back then there were fewer places to get parts, but I got them I think from now defunct Speakeasy Vintage, which is where I got the stereo vibrato preamp you see in the photo (GREAT piece of gear - with the motion sound it nearly cures my suitcase envy and weighs a whole lot less). I also think I got the repro MK2 lid from Speakeasy to make stacking a nord on top easier (the original lid is at my parent's house in New England). Incedently, the ARP I got a few years ago fits amazingly on the MK2 lid too.

Cosmetically, its pretty bad, but I kind of love that about it to be honest. It's got battle scars. Right around the time I got it, casters were bolted directly to the case and lid...if anyone has any constructive reasons why I should take the casters off (read: practical - save the handwringing about the sacred rhodes or cosmetic concerns), I'm all ears. With the casters, and the right car, I deal with this instrument entirely by myself (and I'm not a big guy at all). I have always gigged with it fairly regularly (less so these days, but still around once a month).

It plays and sounds wonderful. Big fat '74 tone with good dynamics and range between bark and mellow tones. Miracle mod was done recently which was pretty life changing, and I re-did the grommets but will probably re-do them again with retro linear parts because the ones I got from avion studios were so-so. I have learned to do my own voicing and have it where I like it. I also do my own tuning, and I have it stretch tuned which I prefer. I tend to run it from the harp these days rather than the "input" jack. There are lots of other little things I will do when I have the time and money like new hammer tips, damper felts, and replacing some weak tines, but it's very playable as is.

I've played some better Rhodes pianos and I've played a lot that were way worse, but I will never part with mine. It's been mine for too long and I love it way too much.

Welcome to the group. 
I've always liked the way that type of harp cover looks on the MK I pianos.
Nice to see Malcom again.
Ray

Hey guys. Guess I'll hop in. Here it is

great pics!!

and nice keyboards

how do you find that Echolette? a tech told me to stay away from the due to parts rarity & maintenance issues, but I always dug the look of them

never had a chance to try one out though

Rhodes Kill is what happens when you run over an alligator with your Rhodes.
Bought this MKII in unplayable condition. Rebuilt from the ground up.
New Key tops and key bushings. New grommets hammers dampers and pedestal felt. Tolex hardware and painted a sparkle top lid.
Added preamp and that made a big difference. Fun to play.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OePwvpSPgVTQpkn_7IytsxU9gpTZS6gL/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OePwvpSPgVTQpkn_7IytsxU9gpTZS6gL/view?usp=sharing)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16BNsqy1tHZGrY1t05R4j2BzCvE4o1tkV/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/16BNsqy1tHZGrY1t05R4j2BzCvE4o1tkV/view?usp=sharing)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18VbJNHhKVdVDZuK9GHTU3UHavouWIXUe/view?usp=sharing (https://drive.google.com/file/d/18VbJNHhKVdVDZuK9GHTU3UHavouWIXUe/view?usp=sharing)

That piano looks clean!
Nicely done.

Hi, Thanks for having me! My first Mark V story: About 10 years ago bought a Mark 1 from Wheaton College in Mass. for 300. Got it home, didn't love it--sluggish action, dull, lifeless tone, just like my suitcase 88 from years before that I got rid of for said reasons. Sold the Mark 1 in  less than an hour for 400. Went back to Wheaton to try another one---a "damaged" Mark 5 for 350. The only damage was that the shell had popped of, which took all of one minute to re-secure it. I've been in love ever since!

Hi - New to the EP-Forum. First time Rhodes owner (I had a Wurly years ago) and I gig with a digital piano and vintage Korg clonewheels (1981 BX-3 and CX-3). I found a Rhodes 54 on Guitar Center's vintage online site. Posted for under one hour, and I was one of 5 buyers in line (I was #2 and the first buyer fell through!). $1699 and $40 to freight it 1,100 miles!   Just got it this week and it's amazing.  Appears to have been restored some years back by "ursomyrhodes" (who has posted on this Forum).  Probably retolexed with new repro hardware, but in beautiful shape-no rips.  Inside it's minty fresh - all shiny, with red coil pickups now wired in parallel groups (probably restoration) and no rust or corrosion whatsoever on the tines, tone bars or other internal hardware, and a switchcraft 1/4" jack replacing the RCA connecction.   Plays like a dream - nice accelerated action - feels and sounds great, pretty much arrived in tune, and with good balanced output.  A couple of small issues - one latch is broken (new pair on the way) and the tone slider may not be working (need to check out further -- easy fix). I know these are hard to find in any shape and the GC staff vouched for the nice condition, but this is better than I expected.  Super happy to have it ... and to join the Rhodes club!

For many years I've been feeling a low-level but constant desire to get a Rhodes, and this month I finally took the plunge! It's a 1978 mark 1 Stage 73. I don't have any previous experience with actual electric pianos (though I've played lots of Rhodes patches on digital keyboards), so I have no basis of comparison but I think it sounds pretty great!

Check it out, here's my very first recording with it: https://youtu.be/Rns1GSf7MJ8

I had a Wurlitzer 200 in my early 20's, and have missed having an EP for about as long.  I came across a FB marketplace for a 1973 Mark Rhodes Stage 88 needing "TLC."  The piano was originally used in a band, haven't found any heritage to, then acquired by a woman in the late 70's, she loved it, but a giving person and when a family member mentioned interest she let them have it, fast forward a few years she heard it was in the families closet, at which point she took it back.

All the pick ups work, about 4-5 play and stick keys, 4 slow refract keys and overall tone is nice, but pickups need adjusting for distance to regulate volume.  Nothing dodgy on the the pots bass/volume.  Original legs included, missing cross brace, and actual pedal (post was included.)  I'll load more pics apparently there was at least one coke that was sacrificed on bout the 70th -73 key where some keys stick, and there is moderate key height difference around there.  The tolex is shot (back of board is wood spray painted black missing Fender Rhodes badge, and the Eighty Eight is broke,  hardware needs swapping, but overall.... I'm very happy.

I would love to confirm what are the tonebars and harp raw material, I understand they are finished in yellow zinc, but don't know the base material.

Hi all,
I suppose this is my Rhodes Story post. I found mine on craigslist, first one there, and the same old story goes...the gentleman with the grateful dead skull taped to his front door answers and shows me his Rhodes. Says he never once played it since he bought it in the 90's. His house is carpeted and covered in dust, so I believe him when I open it to find not a single speck or dust. Anyway, I brought a little bass amp and didn't bring a cable because there was one pictured. I plug in- no sound. I took a chance and used it as an excuse to bargain the price down to $800. I could sort of tell without amplification that the piano was going to be in at least decent working order, and cosmetically it was beautiful. The hard top has almost no scratches which leads me to believe it really hasn't been used much. Nothing is jarringly out of tune, but I haven't yet made any adjustments to tines and bars. Eventually I might bring it to a place here in Tucson.

From my research, I believe the piano is a 1973 Fender Rhodes from the Satellite Speaker package.
It seems from what I've read that you can date the pianos by reading the four-digit numbers on the harp rack (is that the right term?). My four-digit number is 3443, which doesn't seem to follow that, unless for some reason they substituted '7' for '4'. I know that the story goes Fender dropped it's name so it could sell in more stores. That was reported to be around the end of 1973. Which would make sense, because my gold sticker on the inside just says Rhodes, but the name plates say Fender Rhodes. Before anyone says it's a frankenstein, or that someone replaced the plates-I don't think anyone replaced the plates on this piano. Not that kind of guy. My theory is that it was made in 1973, after they had decided to drop Fender, so manufacturing put the Rhodes sticker on it. However, if this particular piano headed to a Fender dealer before that, or same time, they used the fender nameplates simply because they could.  And what about these other stamps?
The hammers have rubber tips, and are half wood, half plastic. Coils have clear tape wrapped around them.
So a few questions I'd loe to have answered:
-Any knowledge or advice about year it was made would be super appreciated!
-It seems like this was made for the Super Satellite system, because of the amp, and that the bottom has places for legs to screw in to (going to have to buy replacements as there are no legs unfortunately). I haven't seen any photos of that integrated amp on the seventy three's. Only the stage eighty eights. thoughts?
- Since the satellite speakers are expensive and hard to come by, are there any other ways I can get that Left right effect with different speakers? I can play in to my fender amp with the accessory output but really hoping to get that satellite effect one day.
- Why no date stamp? And whats up with the other stamps?

I'm really happy with the Rhodes and hope to have it for years to come. Been enjoying the forums for a few months now, and just finally decided to get around to making this post.  ;D
ReplyQuoteNotify

Here are some photos.

Your piano was "born"  on Aug. 21, 1974. That was a great era for Rhodes parts and assembly quality.

The 3443 stamp is its final assembly date stamp.  The code is:  week of the year (34); year (4='74) and day of the work week (3=Wednesday).

The transition to the Rhodes-only branding came in '73 for student pianos, but the other models made the transition in '74.  During that transition, they made a lot of pianos with Fender-Rhodes branding on the outside badges and Rhodes-only serial number stickers, just like yours. (I have a June '74 Stage piano that's also branded in that way.)  They were a frugal company: They must have decided to use up their supply of Fender Rhodes badges before making the change to the new outside branding, even though they had already moved on to Rhodes-only serial number stickers.

Another way to verify that it's a '74:  A '73 would have had keys with plastic "skirts" on the sides of each key, and slightly rounded tops. I'm betting yours has bare wood on the sides of the keys, flat tops -- and the front of the keys are more yellow than the tops.  These are the kinds of keys they were using in mid-'74.

It's subjective, but yours is in my favorite era of Rhodes pianos.  Enjoy it!

Alan

Alan,
Thanks so much. I ran back to my post after finally running in to the FAQ page, and you verified what I meant to correct myself. Great info about the keys too. You are correct. I think I prefer flat keys to rounded so that's great. So great to have the date cleared up. I was a little jazzed about it a '73 seventy three, but hey '74 is a great year for songs with Fender Rhodes.

The only question I have left unanswered then would be if there are any speakers out there in the world besides the original satellites that could work with this piano to get that left/right stereo effect? Or, who wants to sell me some Fender Satellites?  ::)

LnWR,

Get yourself a 24-Volt power supply for that 4-pin Peterson preamp.  This is the VV cheekblock PS with the cable:
https://www.vintagevibe.com/products/fender-rhodes-4-pin-cheek-block-power-supply?variant=899468355

That is a $216 hefty investment, considering that you can't be certain your preamp is in working condition.  (You might have to get the preamp repaired, but maybe not.  Roll the dice.)  The cheekblock power supply will give you left and right outputs that you can run to a pair of guitar amps, or to a little [stereo] PA system.

If the leg mounts on the bottom of the piano are in good shape, you can buy the legs and cross braces from Vintage Vibe as well.  VV sells replica sustain pedals too (or you can easily build your own).

Sean

Thanks for your reply, Sean. I should have known that VV had a solution for this. The legs and other parts I knew they made, but I wasn't aware of the PS. With a little luck, a can do all of this (as well as maybe a miracle mod) and have the piano on legs with sustain pedal and dual channel trem and vibrato for its 50th birthday. I have a couple years  ;D

Quote from: LongAndWindingRhodes on November 19, 2021, 12:43:59 PM
Thanks for your reply, Sean. I should have known that VV had a solution for this. The legs and other parts I knew they made, but I wasn't aware of the PS. With a little luck, a can do all of this (as well as maybe a miracle mod) and have the piano on legs with sustain pedal and dual channel trem and vibrato for its 50th birthday. I have a couple years  ;D

If your piano was a 1973 model, the action likely would feel desperately heavy to you, and you'd definitely want to do a bump mod.  But after careful cleaning, lubing and adjustments, my 1974 Stage plays beautifully without a bump mod. Make no mistake: It plays like a Rhodes, not like a synth.  But you might want to get other things in order before you buy a bump kit.

BTW, this 12-year-old post by Sean is still, in my mind, the gold standard checklist for restoring a Rhodes:  https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5721.msg28106#msg28106

Alan

I'd agree with Sean except maybe just to say that since you got such a good deal on the piano it might be worth it to rebuild the preamp anyway.

The Satellite speakers are basically impossible to find. There were the "Leslie 60" and "Leslie 70" speakers as well, but those are fairly rare. The power supply kit/stereo out will be a great investment. Back in my performing days I had that rig (with a different power supply) and loved the effect when the speakers were set wide apart!

Interesting. I've read that the bump mods are good for pianos built in this year, but with that being said, the action feels pretty good. It's hard to know if its at it's sweet spot when you don't have anything around to compare to. I was in a band for many years where a later 70's Rhodes owned by another member was used on a ton of songs. I even played it on a song. I lived with them and it was in my house, so I get that it's not going to feel like a synth. I don't mind it having the action that softer action, but it does sometimes take a little heavier touch to hammer the keys than what I'm used to. Maybe thinking of the more bouncy keys on the Rhodes that my friends own.  Like I said, it is in remarkable cosmetic shape. I wouldn't doubt if it was never used. Hardly a scratch on the lid, not a single bit of rust or even dust on the bars (no humidity in Tucson might help). The keys are level, and there are only a few keys that are minutely out of tune, but hardly noticeable when just practicing. I would bet that the preamp is in good working order, knock on wood. Maybe some people have suggestions about what monitors the Rhodes sound good through. For now I use a fender bass amp, but I also have a Fender Deluxe tube amp. I was once told that Rhodes sound better out of solid state than tubes. I never really understood why not. Too hot?
Great link to that restoration info. I will bookmark that immediately.
John- Thanks,  I will look in to those Leslies.
Oh side note, I search for Rhodes on craigslist as it is an addiction I'm sure everyone here relates to whether they have Rhodes or not. A Rhodes M1 student went up last week (only other one I've seen on CL in last yr) that actually had one Rhodes Satellite speaker that came with it. Rhodes and speaker for $1000. But the piano looked like it was really beat up. I emailed to see if I could buy just the speaker and never got a reply. Oh well. Which one of you got it??!!

(I edited later this to make more sense)

Passing along some words of wisdom I got from one of the nation's best vintage keys techs:  Don't replace anything on a Rhodes without having a good reason for doing so.  This isn't just to save you time and money.  There are a lot of bad replacement parts on the market that will change the character of the instrument.  (And for the record, this guy actually manufactures and sells replacement Rhodes parts, so he's speaking against his own financial interests.) 

Alan

Quote from: Alan Lenhoff on November 20, 2021, 12:08:37 PM
Passing along some words of wisdom I got from one of the nation's best vintage keys techs:  Don't replace anything on a Rhodes without having a good reason for doing so.  This isn't just to save you time and money.  There are a lot of bad replacement parts on the market that will change the character of the instrument.  (And for the record, this guy actually manufactures and sells replacement Rhodes parts, so he's speaking against his own financial interests.) 

Alan

Truth.  Years ago I bought a remote power supply from CAE Sound for a Peterson preamp.  It caused 60hz hum in the preamp when I used it.  When I opened the power supply, I found out that it was unregulated - useless.  A proper regulated power supply will not cause 60hz hum.

Here's my Rhodes MARK I Seventy Three key 1979 piano. 
I found it from a gentleman who fixes electric guitars and resells them.  He had gotten this 73 from an estate sale, kept it in storage for a while and decided to sell it.  When I got it, the Tolex was stinky and moldy, there were paint splatters on it, some pickups didn't work and it was out of tune. I was going to have it professionally adjusted and tuned, but there would have been a 4 to 5 month waiting period and I was impatient to be able to play it.  It became my latest COVID-19 project, so I spent a lot of time reading up and watching videos on how to fix it up.

Now, its been cleaned inside and out; adjusted and tuned with new grommets, new pickups were needed, additional tone bar clips, etc.  I'm still tweaking the escapement to get it exactly right.  The top has been buffed and polished up. It got a facelift with funky new red and black snakeskin Tolex.

When I replace the beat up Tolex and hardware on my Mark I Eighty-Eight, I plan to post pictures of that as well. The story of the Eighty-Eight is that I got it from a gentleman outside Dayton, Ohio who had gotten it many years ago hoping his kids would master it.  He got it from a man who work on and repairs instruments for professional musicians like Bootsy Collins, and has worked on Moog synthesizers and the like. The inside is beautiful.  It's in great tune and the electronics look and sound pristine.  The Tolex and corners are very beat up, consistent with a Rhodes which would have been used by a touring musician. I would really like to know the whole provenance of the Eighty-Eight.  Perhaps that's something that this Forum could do?? (Keep a history of Fender Rhodes pianos by serial number, with notable owners & uses on recordings, by venues or on tours?? That could be a fun project for the right person.) 🤔

Like everyone on this forum, I love the mellow Rhodes sound. Getting the actual sound and feel from playing a real Rhodes is so much more fulfilling than from a MIDI.

^^ looks funky indeed, it is something different and I like it.


congrats for getting it "on the road".   :)

and many happy times playing it, very well deserved.   :)

GREEN Rhodes Mark I 88 Stage Piano
Restored with Green Snakeskin "Maneater" Tolex
The corners and hinge hardware are copper.
Its my second Rhodes Piano restoration / COVID pandemic project.
I love it!

Hello all. New member here sharing my find: Mk1 from late 1976, going by the codes. Long time musician, mainly guitar, some keyboard. Been wanting the real deal for years, and finally found one that was about a 3-hour drive from me. It's in excellent condition. I need to work on the sustain pedal a bit, as it only sustains certain keys and not others, but I'm hoping that's a relatively simple tweak.

I've loved scrolling through the other photos in this thread, and am looking forward to exploring the forum.

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrk86m7d3jilmvx/Rhodes.jpeg?raw=1)

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqz16v63fjie024/Rhodes%20tines.jpeg?raw=1)

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/c4cddxqdqc3uxkb/Rhodes%20date%20stamp.jpeg?raw=1)

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/lmbd7cnytd7ekue/Rhodes%20SN.jpeg?raw=1)

Hi!

I happened upon a rather gross, moldy, corroded 1976 Mark 1 Stage 73 with the low-E tine missing and two broken pickups. All screws are white or rusty-red, and the case is so rotten and stinky I will have to throw it away and rebuild it from scratch, also giving it a major modification. Find my project write-up here (https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=10602.0).

Cheers,
Matthias_H

Hi there. I just bought a 1974 Mark I Stage 88. It used to belong to a neighbor of the seller. When the neighbor moved away, he gave his Fender Rhodes to the seller. The seller doesn't play, so sold it to me.

It came with the plastic lid, the wooden lid, all of the legs, supports, support thumb-screw, foot pedal, and pedal-rod.

It seems to be in very OK condition. One of the pickups is dead, and the keys feel more wobbly than they probably should. I just ordered rubber feet for it. I am planning on buying the full "kit" from Vintage Vibe so I can get it playing like it should. I'll put pictures up as soon as I get the feet.

Perhaps one day I'll build a tube pre-amp for it. That would be cool.

So, I may be the luckiest rhodes fan alive. Not too long ago I was contacted by a friend who works as music director of a local college. She knew someone who wanted to get rid of a keyboard they no longer needed. Thry sent a photo and my heart dropped. I asked how much, and she said no charge, they just wanted it to go to someone who would use it. I argued i should give them something but they refused. Alas, i own a rhodes.

I never thought I'd have one of these in a million years. It is my favorite sounding instrument of all time. I don't know too much about them, but i think it is in decent condition. Case has some wear, but internals are clean with no rust. The front controls don't work, so i have the rca jack bypassing them for now. I'm pretty sure it is just a loose wire i need to solder. not sure yet.

i can post better photos later, but i think it is an april 1977 model mk1 88.

20230801_142930.jpg
20230801_143618.jpg
20230801_143051.jpg
20230801_143812.jpg

This was posted on Facebook Marketplace as "Free Organ". It was posted by a friend of my wife.  I immediately drove to her place to snatch it up and I even offered cash, which she refused.  Complete with cover, which needs some restoration as well.  Problem is, I only hear tones from about 6 notes around the lower register.  Still worth putting some $ into, I believe.

re: The video was taken spur of the moment... had to put down my phone to actually play. It wasn't tuned in about 10 years. So not exactly one of those pro shot videos. Ran it though a roland jc 77




I woke up this morning and watched an hour long youtube video on the Rhodes piano. Brought back a lot of ole memories for me... and while I don't visit this forum very often... I still come to read posts every once in a while.

Anyways, here's a video that I shot on my cellphone when I dug out my Rhodes piano this past summer. I bought it off of a musician that worked on Broadway. He lived in one of those apartment complexes in downtown Manhattan. Legit had to climb like 6-10 flights of stairs just to knock on his door. (HA, He was nice enough to help me carry it back down those stairs after I bought it.) It honestly needed a lot of work... and I likely over paid for it.

Nevertheless, it was the perfect beater for me to own. I had no fear just ripping it apart and learning how it worked. I tore off the tolex and sanded it down to zero and stained it. It came with a vintage vibe attachment to get the suitcase features. Glued in the speed bumps, re-did all the grommets, soldered in pick-ups, and tuned it the best I could. For the record, I use a wine cork to plunge the damper pedal.

Long story short, life threw me several curve-balls and all my vintage gear took a back seat in my life. I wanted to post my Rhodes here. It's mine. Like muscle cars... this is my muscle car. I tricked it out the way I wanted it to look, feel, and play.

So as 2024 rolls in... I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and funky year! My plan is to get back into music and finish what I started.

ps. It was forum member Ben Bove (bjammerz) who hosted the youtuber in the video. You sir are one cool guy. The name rung a bell and I logged in here - small world :)