Rhodes Mk1 Stage key bounce

[SpiritsGroove]

Hello, I've lurked on here on and of for a few years and now that I'm the new owner of a 78 Mk1 Stage I figured its time to officially join this wonderful forum. So the Rhodes has always been my favorite instrument and after a long time of dreaming of owning one I finally came into a deal that I couldn't pass up. It's in really good shape but hasn't been cared for in a long time so I figured id give it some much needed TLC before I brought it to an expert to have it voiced. I've got a cart loaded up at VV with some new screws and grommets, Hammer tips and some damper felts. What's been bugging me the most though is the feel and noise of the keybed. Its really bouncy and loud so after some reading I came to the conclusion that some brand new key pedestal felts, back rail felts and name rail felts couldn't hurt. I've never sat down in front of a real Rhodes before so I'm not sure if how a well cared for Rhodes is supposed to feel or if this is actually normal for this instrument

Here's a short video of the bouncy and noise I'm talking about. It doesn't sound that loud in the video but unless I crank the volume loud on my speakers the noise from the keybed over powers the instrument and makes really hard to enjoy.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1wmlkagomngbk5j/PXL_20201207_230429342.mp4?dl=0

How much if at all would these new felts help with this issue and is it worth changing all three? I'm in Canada so id rather not have to place a bunch of orders and get everything I need in one go. Any other possible culprits? Looking forward to hearing from you guys.

[bourniplus]

Hi and congrats on your acquisition!

There are many different sources of noise that combine and result in the sound you hear. It's probably a good idea to replace all the felts you mentioned.
Another thing you could do is install a backcheck kit from VV. I actually bought one of these kits a few years ago for my MkV, but after realizing that the parts should be modified to fit on the MkV keyboard, I forgot about the project and I'm now thinking of installing it on my MkI. Not everybody agrees that it's a good idea, but in my opinion it does help to reduce the number and intensity of hammer (and key) bounces when the key is released.
If you want to take it even further, I'd say you could have the key bushings replaced (front and center), but this job should be done with the proper tools, felt and cauls for gluing the felt. It's not terribly difficult, but if you don't want to get too involved with this kind of repair, you might want to have it done by a piano technician. I've done this repair on acoustic pianos, but to be honest I still haven't done it to my Rhodes, however I'm pretty sure it would help to quiet the action and make it feel more firm.
good luck!
By the way I'm with you on ordering only once from VV, I'm also in Canada and everytime I order, the total cost with exchange rate, shipping, brokerage fees, etc. is just crazy. I just ordered a refurb kit and asked that they use USPS instead of UPS, don't know if it will happen...

[SpiritsGroove]

Yeah, I was actually looking at that backcheck kit yesterday but unfortunately, they are out of stock. I think I'm going to start with the usual maintenance along with the felt replacements and then see if I think its worth tracking down a backcheck kit. Do you think you can let me know what VV say's about using USPS? I think I might post on some local FB groups to see if anybody wants merge orders so we can split the additional costs.

[SpiritsGroove]

Oh, I forgot to mention, these 2 pieces were in the cover along with the pedal, legs, and braces. Any idea what these are for? I feel like they might be for another EP? The rod is almost as long as one of the legs.

https://ibb.co/L85nwmD