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Messages - jimmymio

#1
As for a partial list of clients that I can remember coming through our San Francisco shop I remember these-

Burt Bacharach
Bee Gees
Robbie Buchanan- Whitney Houston/Saving All My Love
                           Al Jarreau/I Will Be There For You
                           James Ingram/Just Once
Tom Canning- Al Jarreau
Tom Coster- Santana
Dennis DeYoung- Styx
Larry Dunn –EWF
Russel Ferrante- Yellowjackets
Rick James- Stone Canyon Band
Tee Lavitz- Dixie Dregs
Greg Phillinganes
Jeff Pittson- Maynard Ferguson
Patrice Rushen
#2
I am a former Dyno tech. The thing that is often overlooked is that the Dyno sound was the preamp/EQ combined with the mechanical adjustments which were what we termed "tone and volume", damper, and tuning. I saw several hundred pianos go through our shop and not once did we install an EQ or any of the other electronics without these adjustments being done first. There would be no benefit to boosting frequencies in a piano where the sonics were wrong to begin with.
#3
Still looking so I thought I'd give this a bump.
#4
If that screw is broken, you can safely leave it there. Get a replacement and drill another hole.
#5
Not that uncommon for that screw to snap. Location is not crucial just as long as it is somewhere near the center of the KB.So you can just drill another hole. It should hold the rail in place loosely- not so tight as effect the movement of the rail. While you are in there, check the felt underneath the T-bar. If they are too worn it could cause noise when using your sustain pedal.
#6
I have done this mod many times and have never seen that rod. I don't think it came from the factory like that. IIRC those blocks are solid maple and should not need extra support. I would try to remove it.
#7
Agree with all you said. However..... the case was really chewed up and I had a woodworking friend rebuild the case but one dimension is slightly off. I am just able to barely squeeze the guts into the new box but now the lid no longer fits securely. I may resort to having a custom lid built which would be about a 1/2" less wide than the original. Sucks.
#8
At DMP we definitely worked on suitcase pianos and did not encourage anyone to try to convert it. Probably the main reason is that the bottom of the case on a suitcase model is thinner than that of a stage model. The suitcase piano is meant to be placed on a firm bottom (like the suitcase speaker cabinet). If it is placed on legs, and I have seen people make this modification, there is a tendency for the top to flex. This makes it  unlikely to hold any adjustments and could lead to other issues.

Over the years, many suitcases have been "converted" into stages. My advice would be to use some kind of stand that firmly supports the keyboard across its entire length, like the original speaker bottom did.
#9
This is from Barry Carter re Robapov's Rhodes:

Several things: Yes I am familiar with this piano I designed, built and installed all of the electronics.
First off, I see no power supply and connecting the wrong supply to the power input will either not work correctly or worse blow every thing up!
Second: a correct tone & volume and tuning is absolutely necessary.
Next: The EQ will need re biasing of the field effect transistors and possibly some new capacitors. The Tri-Stereo Tremolo  probably could use bias adjustment of the four channel voltage controlled amplifiers.
All in all, to power up this piano with out correct voltage and electronic alignment is a really bad idea, not to mention without proper tone & volume and probably damper adjustment this piano would not perform as great as it really is.
#10
Just giving this post a bump.
I know its a long shot but....
#11
Very likely that I worked on that piano when Dyno-My-Piano was in SF. (Prior to their relocation to Burbank.) However I only worked on the mechanics and someone else handled the electronics. To the OP- send me a PM and I can try to hook you up with the designer of the Tri Stereo Tremolo.
#12
Quote from: David Aubke on May 25, 2016, 01:43:26 PMIn the past, I've tried and failed to restore harp covers. But since the cost of aftermarket replacements have gone up significantly, I think I'll need to revisit it soon.

I'm hoping to try some products from Eastwood.
1. Plastic Resurfacer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-oMcu3Fkro

2. Graining Cards - included with their dashboard kit, these are for restoring the texture in small areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YyNVHFiCxg

I'm not holding out much hope for a flawless restoration but I don't know what else to try.


Yeah I know its been a few years but.... has anybody tried either of these products for the lid? The replacements have gotten very expensive especially when shipping is added.
#13
As a follow up- I had a friend cut it using a Milwaukee grinder. Even with that powerful tool it wasn't an easy task. Even drilling that center hole was a bit of a chore.

But all is well that ends well. And with some finagling, the client has a working sustain system.

Thanks for the help.
#14
Thanks so much forfor the suggestions.

I'm debating whether to do a single cut and then have to drill a new hole for the center pin, or preserve the existing hole and make a cut on both ends of the rail.

I will probably do a practice cut towards the end of the rail before doing the final cut(s). Not sure the Dremel would be up for the job but I will certainly use it after the cut to smooth the edges.

Yes I did talk to Vintage Vibe. They had a 73 and 88 rail for the modular style actions but only an 88 for the pre-modular actions. I even discussed the possibility of using the 73 key modular rail but that would involve modifying the piano itself. So I ordered the older style 88.

Also Vintage Vibe doesn't carry the little spring that hooks over the back of the rail. They said it probably isn't needed. I guess I'll find out.

The rail should come Monday. Any other tips?
#15
As a follow up, my client has decided that he didn't want to wait for a 73 to show up so he will buy an 88 damper rail from Vintage Vibe. I'll have to cut it down and make whatever modifications are necessary.
I'll probably just hacksaw it unless someone here has a better suggestion.
#16

You won't need any special tools. However you will have to replace the hammer tips.You can remove those from your broken comb and reglue them or buy new tips entirely which will be easier but more costly.
#17
I'm repairing a 1971 73 key stage piano and for whatever reason it has no sustain rail. Vintage Vibe has all the misc. parts I need but not the rail itself (at least i don't see it on their site) . Anyone know where i can find one?
Thanks
#18
I recently posted this to the "general" section but I realize it might belong here instead.

I'm considering selling my 1972 Stage 73. The guts are in stellar condition but it is technically a
"student" version. It is in a cabinet with no closing lid and I don't think I'd be able to sell it this way. If I'm not mistaken the guts are identical to a Stage 73.
Does anyone know where I might find a new cabinet or a used one in decent condition?
#19
The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Strobe tuners
January 30, 2023, 03:39:14 PM
To answer your specific questions....
(These are my opinions and methods, others may vary)

Yes it is completely normal to have the pitch swing like that. It would be abnormal for it to behave otherwise.

And I would not tune using the first swing of the tine but rather try to find a concensus of where it spends most of its time.

Unless you are using a tuner that creates a stretch for you, I tend to let the lower notes swing a little lower and allow the uppers to swing a little higher. This helps to achieve a "stretch" tuning.

And yes both the angle of the tine and its distance from the pickup can effect the tuning and amount of swing but I would strongly recommend against using either of those to assist your tuning. Tuning should really be the last thing done after all of the adjustments are complete.

And lastly I used a Conn strobe for years until it eventually died.
I replaced it with TuneLab and have never looked back.
#20
I second the advice given by Richart Tee. Check back and let us know how it went.
#21
I'm considering selling my 1972 Stage 73. The guts are in stellar condition but it is technically a
"student" version. It is in a cabinet with no closing lid and I don't think I'd be able to sell it this way. If I'm not mistaken the guts are identical to a Stage 73.
Does anyone know where I might find a new cabinet or a used one in decent condition?
#22
I couldn't imagine giving a stranger a blank check to adjust your KB. However, I will say from experience that... by this day and age, these pianos are getting old and you never know what you are going to run into until you actually start doing the work. For instance, I can only give a very rough estimate of how many tines are bad, (and they can sound bad without being broken) until I actually start doing the work. And we know how expensive tines are.

I would think there should be some middle ground where they could spend 15 or 20 minutes poking around and be able to give you a range of possible scenarios and costs. If you decline to have them service it for you, of course you should expect to compensate them, and probably the person who transported it, for their time.

Obviously it would be preferable if you could find someone local but obviously you wouldn't want that to be your main factor in selecting someone. Good luck.
#23
Its tempting to assume that this is a strike line issue but....its really difficult to diagnose without having the instrument in front of me. You can also get this same sound from an instrument with the correct strike line if the tine is sitting too high (or low) in relation to the pickup.

As simple as the Rhodes may seem, all of the action adjustments are interrelated. So changing one dimension will effect several other aspects.

I would not recommend addressing escapement issues by adjusting the tone bar mount screws. This adjustment alone will alter the strike line. Excess escapement is best addressed by lowering the entire harp either by removing harp shims or, on older pianos, shaving the maple harp mounting blocks (not for the faint of heart).

Wish I could be of more help.
#24
I think the more common bass note problem is not enough damper pressure. Seems you have the opposite. Damper pressure can be relieved or increased as needed. BUT....  you can get into trouble if you don't have experience here. 

I think adjusting dampers is one of the most challenging aspects to servicing a Rhodes. Once you change the damper pressure you also change the damper escapement and also the relation between the individual damper and the damper sustain rail.

I wish I had an easy solution but the short answer is that an adjustment would fix the problem but it might be best left to a pro.
#25
Aside from the problem with mounting leg flanges....

As a weight saving strategy, the box for the suitcase top was designed to be thin. It worked fine because the top enjoyed the support it got by sitting on the speaker box. To place it on a stand where it is only supported in 2 spots could cause the keybed to sag.

Might be a needle in a haystack but.....
If you could find a stage piano on the cheap where the guts are trashed but the box is clean, you should be able to dump your guts into the stage box. IIRC the guts are identical.