Topics

Hey everyone, first, happy new year to all! I just received my MkI refurb kit from Vintage Vibe. While the Rhodes is apart I'm thinking of replacing the original backrail felt with new thicker one - or maybe a combination of red felt and green felt on top - in order to quiet the action.
Now, if I bring it up to a height similar to that of most acoustic pianos, that will reduce keydip and hammer travel significantly. So, I would have to shim the action rail accordingly, and the harp as well. Is there any other major problem I'm not thinking of? Am I going down a rabbit hole??

(also posted on the facebook Rhodes fan page)

I'm building a buff stop (could also be called marimba stop I guess), here's what it sounds and looks like: https://youtu.be/oytWYirsE9o
I first tried putting downward pressure on tonebars, and downward pressure on tines, and this version is sideways pressure on tines, so in a way, similar to a harpsichord buff stop.

Hi everyone, I made a video with Bach's Goldberg variations, featuring my electric clavichord, Rhodes, Clavinet, Hammond organ and Juno106. I hope you will enjoy it!
Martin

https://youtu.be/qbTuuKfuVew

Hey guys,
I've been working on this for the last few weeks and wanted to share with you.
I still have a lot to do on it, and with all the stuff that's being cancelled these days, I think I'll have plenty of time for it!
So far I'm pretty happy with the result, the tuning is extremely stable thanks to the welded steel frame. The keyboard came from an old discarded piano. Until yesterday I had some trouble with the damping, after trying, among others, the traditional Clavinet yarn method which for some reason didn't work very well. I ended up using wedge-shaped piano dampers tied to the strings. It's single-strung for the three lowest octaves, and then double-strung, and double and triple-fretted (each pair of strings is used for two or three notes).
Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy.
https://youtu.be/LzgVNZ7FYTU
best regards,
Martin

Hey guys,
I had this old organ pedalboard lying around and decided to do something with it. Don't worry, it's not from a Hammond. I also had the switch assembly and at first I thought of midifying it (I've built two midi pedalboards in the past with furring strips but they were pretty crappy, and I've now destroyed them and kept the encoder) but then I thought that turning it into a giant monophonic clavichord would be way more fun. So, I still have some work to do on it obviously, but this will give an idea of what it sounds like:
https://youtu.be/AKbk6APYE6w
Martin

Hey guys,
I came across this today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGXgVcnvWYI

From what I read, the composer, Weldon Irvine, was playing the Rhodes, and this was the first recording of the song.

Listen to that "b flat" in the middle octave!!

Martin

Hey guys,
I've been working on this project for a few weeks. At first I intended to make an electric clavichord, but in the meantime I got myself a real clavinet, so I decided to make a piano instead. It still has a long way to go before being gig-worthy, but anyhow, I just uploaded a little video, I thought I'd share this with the EP community.
Best regards,
Martin
https://youtu.be/CrXiU48pr8U

I stumbled on this article about Ernst Zacharias and his inventions, some of you guys might enjoy it.

http://www.soundonsound.com/people/ernst-zacharias-hohner-clavinet

Hi everyone,
I've been the owner of a model C for a few months, used it on a gig for the first time last week and had a blast.

I can't help but think that thicker gauge strings would give more tone and sustain. If the plain strings went from 008-009 to, say, 012, and maybe 015 for the lowest plain strings, that would make playing melodies more convincing IMO. What do you think? Could the harp take the added tension??

Hi everyone,
something that bothers me about my Mark V is the difference in tone I get from G above middle C going up. Those hammer tips (black) have a much brighter attack with more treble, and I'm thinking that these harder tips might have something to do with the hammer combs breaking on the Mark V. I can't tell whether they hardened over time or if they were always that way.
I want to replace these tips, and from what I can see on Vintage Vibe's site, for that part of the keyboard they have either yellow or white tips. I'm thinking of ordering about a dozen of both and experiment until I can get a smooth transition up to the wooden cores. Can anyone comment on this? Also, has anyone noticed something similar on their Mark V?
Martin

Greetings everyone,

I'm the proud owner of a Mark V and Mark I. I regularly use the Mark V for gigs. I started having a problem with one of the hammers on my Mark V travelling sideways. Upon inspection the hammer comb was cracked. And so I wonder, couldn't this hammer comb system be replaced by individual flanges with center pins and felt bushings? I mean, ALL of the hammers have a bit of sideplay. I see that my Mark I has the individual flanges, does anyone know why the hammer comb system was used on later pianos? Also, does anyone sell replacements that fit the Mark V?

When I look at how the action works in this piano, I notice that after the hammer strikes the tine, the key never hits the down felt, and what actually stops it is the hammer cam against the pedestal. Then, when additional pressure is applied, it is transferred to the hammer and hammer comb (which then bends very slightly). This happens to some degree every time we hit a key. Am I getting this right? Somehow this doesn't seem as obvious in my Mark I, maybe because of different pedestal or hammer design. Wouldn't this cause the wear on the hammer pins / flange that we see in Mark V's?

Am I just thinking too much?!

best regards to all
Martin