I think I need a preamp for my Rhodes

[dzlvs8]

I have a Rhodes Suitcase, but I don't like the sound of the bottom speaker (muddy).  So I just bought a 1974 Fender Twin Reverb with JBL D120F's.  Its awesome now.  I usually play with the Rhodes going to a Crybaby Wah 535Q and then into the Twin Reverb.  The problem I am having is that I have to either have my twin reverb gain up high or I have to turn on the boost function on my Crybaby.  Both apply too much white noise because I think the boost (in both cases) is boosting the signal AFTER it goes through the wah pedal.  I play with the wah pedal setting all the way forward, which as you may know, creates enough white noise as it is.  I really dont want to be boosting that. 

I think my solution is to get a preamp for the rhodes and then run the preamp to the wah, and then the Wah to the Twin Reverb.  This will boost the signal before it gets to the wah pedal, which I think is a good thing.  Any opinions on this? 

My main concern is, which preamp should I get?  Should I just get a simple vintage vibe coverter that allows me to use the suitcase preamp signal with out beign plugged into the suitcase amp?  Or should I buy a Stage model preamp that is a tube preamp.

I am not even sure if the stage model tube preamp will easily hook up to my Suitcase model.  But here are the two preamps I am looking at.  Please share any opinions on whether hooking one of these up will fix my problem of too much noise.    Thanks. Steve

Stage Tube Preamp (Tine Bomb)
http://www.vintagevibe.com/p-773-vintage-fender-rhodes-stage-piano-tine-bomb-pre-amp.aspx

Suitcase Cheek Block Power Supply.  (I'm not that concerned about being able to use the tremolo on the suitcase because the twin reverb has it too.
http://www.vintagevibe.com/p-553-suitcase-cheek-block-power-supply.aspx

[leon-]

I have a stage rhodes not a suitcase one so can't really comment on issues you may have with installation.

[dzlvs8]

Ok.  i found the answer to most of my problems.  I have a 100 watt Janus amp.  So I can use the preamp out on the power amplifier for added boost.  It sounds GREAT and is just what I am looking for.  BUT i get an annoying buzzing sound when playing certain notes.  It hapoens only at certain frequencies and usually when I am hitting more than one note at a time....and I have to be hitting the notes fairly hard.  The preamp can be down all the way and I still get the buzz with the note. 

ive already did an electrolitic cap replacement on my rhodes preamp. And a while back that helped get rid of a lot of the buzzing.  So did retunning/tonning the rhodes.  But there is still some of that buzz there.  The best qay to describe the buzz is thst it sounds like a blown speaker or a speaker with the cone comming loose from the frame.   I am stumped on what I should do to elimibate this noise.  Its definitely xoming from the rhodes and I assume that it is coming from the preamp because I THINK the preamp out on the janus rhodes power amp bypasses the poweramp all together.

HEEEEELP!

[dzlvs8]

I guess I will still post here just for documentations sake.  So, I found out a lot of the problem.  First, the buzz.

The buzz is in the preamp.  I replaced all the op amps today (already did an electrolytic cap replace a long time ago).  This didn't help.  Eventually I will be replacing all of the parts in my preamp.  Tomorrow I am going to order everything that hasn't already been replaced.

My extreme hiss from the wah pedal.  Well this is all due to low volume output of the rhodes.  But I am talking too low.  I while back I pulled all my pickups back from the tines in order to eliminate the bad buzzing sound (not bark) that I was getting.  I thought the buzz was because of the tines too close.  So I backed them off to about a 1/4-1/8 inch away.  This helped to lower the amount of buzz.  But I just figured out that the pickups are too far away. 

You see, I have one note that sounds WAY more awesome than all the others and the pickup is really really close to the note.  It is close because the pickup is bad.  So today, since I realized that my recap never fixed my bad preamp, I was able to finally put two and two together and figure out that I needed all my pickups closer to the tines.  I did this.  Through the passive output my rhodes now sounds like an AWESOME Rhodes and my initial gain level going into the twin reverb is a lot better (less white noise due to having to crank the amp to get good volume).

My only problem now is that I have to replace the one weak pickup and fix my preamp.  Because now with the pickups back where they should be, the rhodes sounds terrible when I use the rhodes preamp.

Some day my rhodes will sound right.  Someday.  Now I just need to find out what else is wrong in my rhodes preamp.  non electrolytics?  LDR? the reverb transistor?  diode?  I get the terrible buzz when I hit any notes hard at any volume, no matter if the reverb is on or off.  So first I am going to try to replace everything outside the reverb circuit.

[4kinga]

when I hit any notes hard at any volume

Sounds like a cracked solder joint.

Visually inspect all solder joints on the board.

With the Rhodes on, use the back of a pen to tap the components.

[dzlvs8]

when I hit any notes hard at any volume

Sounds like a cracked solder joint.

Visually inspect all solder joints on the board.

With the Rhodes on, use the back of a pen to tap the components.

Thanks, I will try that.  But its only happening on certain frequencies.  For instance, all G and C keys are worse than others.  I think something else is bad.  I bought another cap replacement kit.  Even though I just recapped the thing.  I may have already messed it up again, by unplugging the cord with it on. 

This kit I bought also comes with the transistor and the LDRs.  I didn't replace those the first time.  My vibrato is weak again.  It wasn't when I first recapped it a few months ago.  Now its bad again.  But still, I have the buzzing problem with or without the vibrato on.  I will get it fixed soon.

[pcmancini]

I have a stage rhodes not a suitcase one so can't really comment on issues you may have with installation. But I will say that I purchased and installed the Tine Bomb pre amp and its a great bit of kit. Makes a genuine difference to the sound.

never heard of this, looks pretty cool though, works well with the Stage?  Where do you get one.

Thanks
Paul

[leon-]

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