A Buz Watson Suitcase? And Other Questions

[Wesley]

Hello again,
I'm back with more questions after purchasing my second Rhodes yesterday. It is very beat up on the outside but the harp is in great condition (besides being 50 years old - needs to be adjusted and voiced). Needs re-tolexing, it's missing some handles and a logo, and the harp cover is cracked. All easy enough fixes, I'm just glad it has almost zero rust and only one broken tine. Needs some action work too. It is a 13th week 1972 and seems to be a suitcase top without the speaker cab. The interesting thing is that it has "Buz Watson" stamped on the harp, and according to VV, Buz only stamped stage models. I'm fairy certain its a suitcase because the bottom of the case's wood is thinner than my stage and the sustain pedal hole is different (see pic) and it has a preamp. Has anyone heard of a Buz Watson Suitcase? I don't know if it matters much, but VV made it sound like Buz pianos are more sought after than other years or models. Mostly just asking out of curiosity.

A few other questions:

Is there any way to test the preamp that only has a 4 pin connector output without buying a power amp like the ones VV sells? I'd like to figure out if it works without spending $150-250 on a power amp.

Is it worth trying to find a speaker cab to pair with it or should I just fully convert it to a stage model? How hard are the cabinets to find, or is it possible to build one myself?

Is there any way to make the key noise quieter? It's not a problem if I'm running the amp loud but I'm not always able to crank the volume at home.

For re-tolexing, does anyone have an opinion on buying precut vs rolls? The precut is much more expensive but I don't know how difficult it is using the roll of tolex.

Thanks for the help again, you guys are super helpful
Wesley

[Alan Lenhoff]

Regarding Buz, I think there has been a whole mythology built around him, probably because his name sounds cool.  The Vintage Vibe blog about him concludes:

 "Many years of studying Buz Watson pianos have led me to believe that it was in fact the magical era of Fender Rhodes and not the man who stamped the pianos that made the Buz pianos so sought after. Although he certainly contributed to the greatness of this era at the factory, in the end it comes down to Fender hitting their optimal stride in 1972."

I agree with this. Beyond that, over 50 years, a Rhodes piano has wood and rubber parts that can swell, harden, wear-out, break,crack, contract, etc. Techs and players may have made all sorts of adjustments, for better or worse. It's not the same piano today that it was when it left Fullerton. Buying a Rhodes piano because Buz did the final inspection of it is like buying a used car today because a good mechanic cared for it in the 1970s.

But that said, with the right parts and adjustments, your '72 has the potential to be a great piano. Take your time. Read the Rhodes manual carefully. Make it sing!

Alan

[spave]

The Buz stamp definitely makes it cooler to those of us who know what it means but Alan is right about how much it changes the sound of your Rhodes today. Personally I've seen a few Buz suitcases but they are less common than the stages (or they just come up for sale less often).

Here's another good in-depth article on Buz: https://reverb.com/news/the-true-story-of-buz-watson-mythic-rhodes-piano-tech

Regarding your other questions,

It looks like your preamp's 4 pin has been modified and replaced with one from the power supply side of a later Peterson. If you have a modified cable then you should be ok but you might need to replace it if you don't.

Yes, speaker cabinets do show up occasionally but depending where you live you might be waiting awhile or need to drive a bit to pick one up. Also, the general consensus is that a suitcase top cannot be converted to have stage legs. You can put it on a normal keyboard stand though.

Key noise can be lessened but it's hard to tell what the problem is without a sound clip. My guess would be that the hammer tips are probably dried out originals which would be a lot more percussive than new replacements.

I can't comment on the tolex question but I'd recommend getting your rhodes sounding as good as you want it to before dealing with cosmetics. Re tolexing is huge job that VV quotes at taking 12-15 hours for just a stage model.

Hope this helps 

[Wesley]

Thanks for your responses. I'll keep my eye open for speaker cabs but I'm going to worry about that later. I would like to have a complete suitcase (my other is a 1978 stage) but I have a lot of work to do before I get to that point anyway. I think you are right about the key noise to, I'll see how it is after new hammer tips and front and back rail felts.

I'm sorry I don't fully understand what you mean about the preamp. I know very little about them. Could you explain it a bit more? Did the later Peterson's have build in power supplies and that was added to mine? I don't have a modified cable for it. I could always just install a new preamp if this one is unusable but I would like to get it working.

Thanks for the help!

[spave]

I'm sorry I don't fully understand what you mean about the preamp. I know very little about them. Could you explain it a bit more? Did the later Peterson's have build in power supplies and that was added to mine? I don't have a modified cable for it. I could always just install a new preamp if this one is unusable but I would like to get it working.

On your preamp, the socket that sticks out from the faceplate is the one that should be on the suitcase.  I've attached a photo of what it should look like. It's probably an easy fix for a tech. Also, the easiest way to test the preamp without buying the cable and power supply would be to send it to a rhodes tech. Even if it currently works, it would benefit from a servicing as the components are 50 years old.

Heres a link to the part from VV. You want the preamp version: https://www.vintagevibe.com/products/fender-rhodes-4-pin-round-socket?variant=899452691

[Wesley]

Ok thanks for the explanation. I may end up sending it to VV for service because I don't have any local techs and I don't think I can do it myself.

[spave]

Ok thanks for the explanation. I may end up sending it to VV for service because I don't have any local techs and I don't think I can do it myself.

Avion Studios also has a mail in service for preamps. I had mine fixed by them and I'm very happy with the results: https://www.avionstudios.com/rhodes/main-in-service-janus-preamp-recapped-rechipped


Hope this helps 

[Wesley]

Ok here's an update and some more questions. I have been working on the restoration process. I have everything put back together and it's playing well. The key noise is very quiet now after new hammer tips and replacing all the felts. I got the preamp serviced by Avion Studios and it sounds great. Still haven't done anything about cosmetics but I'm very pleased with how it's sounding.

Ok here's my question, sorry if it's dumb I just don't know about this. The person who owned the piano before me added a 1/4 out in addition to the rca out. I want to remove the 1/4 out because I don't need it and I think it is adding noise. Also the volume knob on my preamp isn't working and I think it because of how the 1/4 plug is soldered in. Can anyone explain what I need to do, like where each wire is supposed to go? I added a picture, the black wire going off to the right is the 1/4" and the grey wire on the left is the ground which goes under a screw on the damper rail. I've never soldered but I have a friend who can help me. I just don't know where each wire is supposed to go. Thanks for the help.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dgfBnRgcc95orXL4p0mMjAPw28emOo84/view?usp=drivesdk

[Wesley]

I ended up taking a small risk of not knowing exactly what to do and I just cut the 1/4 out. That seems to have worked. I'm still getting some ground noise and the volume doesn't work on the preamp so I'll have to figure those out but I successfully got rid of the 1/4" out.

[spave]

How are you powering the preamp, did you find a suitcase or get a power supply?

[Wesley]

I bought the Peterson power amp box from Avion. Haven't been able to find  a suitcase yet.

[spave]

hmmm, I'm not sure why the volume isn't working then. Maybe something got damaged in shipping when you got it back from Avion?


I would ask Avion and see what they say. I don't think the line out would effect the preamp (but I'm not an electronics expert). You could also try plugging a guitar into the Peterson and see if the volume works then.


Also, where are you running the line outs from the power supply?

[Wesley]

I've contacted Avion. They're not sure what it is yet but I'm guessing it was damaged in shipping. I was running out of the power amp into a PA and also tried headphones.