Messages

Just a note about the tweeter mod:

It's been a long time since I did this mod, but a former member, Rob A., did a good post on it back in the day https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3217.0

Unfortunately the post no longer has the pix; but he did mention the following:

Using the hole saw, I drilled four, three-inch holes, placing each piezo in a vertical line with the 12" driver nearest. One assembly was the left, and one the right side. Each assembly had a piezo in the front and back of the suitcase. I used 1/2" wood screws to attach the piezos to the panel.

I was worried about shredding my grille cloth with the hole saw. It turns out there's a gap behind the cloth, so if you are cautious, you can drill your holes perfectly round with no damage to the grille cloth. (this was an unexpected bonus--I was resigned to replace my grille cloth which smelled of smoke anyway)

I remember his pix showed that he had attached the tweeters to the inside back of the panel instead of taking the grill cloth off and inserting them through the outside front. I am about to replace the tolex and grill cloth on my Suitcase and will do the same thing when I reattach my tweeters, which I originally inserted from the front of the panel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljoG7TaDpv0

Bridle strap 

Number 16 in this illustration:

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/fig2-1.gif

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch2.html

FWIW back in 2006, I responded to a similar thread here about Rhodes prices:

On April 16, 1979 (still have the receipt), I bought a Suitcase 73 in Atlanta (with the silverface slider preamp):

$985.00 + $39.40 tax
$1024.40 total

http://www.soniccouture.com/en/products/24-vintage/g59-the-canterbury-suitcase/

http://www.soniccouture.com/files/pdf/SC-Canterbury-Suitcase-Guide.pdf

David, do I understand your post correctly: you opened up the hole in the pedal shaft with a 3/16" bit and the 3/16" pin [singular] fit fine, i.e., it is a single pin rather than two? I just checked on mine again and would be surprised if I could even get the pin (or pins?) out without some significant effort. A hammer tap has no effect (though I admittedly did not tap hard), nor can I manipulate the pin with pliers. It is seated very tight indeed. - doug

1-3/4"

These were the pdf images associated with an earlier post; I do not remember that the post-Fender version was ever offered. Sorry.

I used some of what Ultimate Support used to call "Thinker Toys" to construct a second tier of the sort I think you're looking for; the "Thinker Toys" were basically just Ultimate Support parts that you chose to build whatever gear you needed; you could construct something as customized as you wanted as regards dimensions, amount of support needed (they also had double-thickness tubes etc.), and configuration. The following pictures are simply what I needed and built:

I also attach an Ultimate Support mic boom (not shown) onto the end that extends beyond the vertical tube.
With the knobs, I can loosen them, detach the top tier, fold the synth supports inward, and put that tier into a gig bag. The two vertical tubes slide down when not in use and make it possible to fold the keyboard stand normally.

To attach the two locking support collars on the stand legs that support the lowest horizontal tubes, I tapped holes into the legs and used screws, but only because the legs were too small in diameter to accommodate the normal Ultimate Support collars. I suspect the same will be necessary for the Rhodes Stage legs, but I may be wrong.

The whole rig is extremely lightweight, and I'm even using the double-thickness tubes (which, however, I didn't really need, but I didn't know that at the time).

In any event, this is just my rig; the dimensions etc. for a tier above another keyboard on the Rhodes will, of course, be different, as may the method of attaching the collars for the horizontal supports. I haven't really looked that closely at the Rhodes legs in a while.

I do not see the Thinker Toys on the Ultimate Support site now, so they may have been discontinued. When I originally did my own rig, I called them and had them walk me through what I needed -- at least at that time they were quite helpful, so that may be worth a try. Or some other manufacturer may have something similar.

Thanks so much; duly noted.

Thanks for the replies. This is a Mark 1 suitcase cover. But, yes, it irks me, too, that there is no definitive solution.

David: Thanks for the pictures. I thought about something similar but was a little unsure about getting clamps into position. In any case, do you happen to remember the brand or type of epoxy?

Not a large crack, about 6" long with a 1" spur (like the letter L), on top (horizontal part) of cover just over the Seventy Three logo. The crack "snaps" back into place smoothly, but any weight on the cover opens the crack again. I thought about some sort of industrial tape on the inside, but that seems a rather inelegant solution. Or is it? I'd be grateful for any suggestions about how to address this issue. My site search did not turn up anything, though I confess I did not search but about this first 100 hits or so. Lots on harp cover scratches, but not on cracks.

Thanks for the comments, bjammerz.

ledzurso,

This post is quite old, and it's been a long time since I went through this setup myself (and remember, I was not the author of the post).

I am assuming step three is to ensure all the dampers will engage -- or be engaged by -- the sustain rail with equal force, making the collective movement of the damper arms at initial engagement more uniform. What the author of the post does not point out is that -- it seems -- there may be little need to relieve that pressure on some of the damper arms, so, again, the point is to make the arms engage uniformly (and optimally).

I use a very small sewing pin to search and gently prod until the tolex gives a little, then gently push it to see if it will pierce through into the hole; even if you miss the first (or even second etc.) time, the pin is so small there is no harm done.

FWIW I inherited my father's 1935 Martin hollow-body (because I still have the invoice, it's still under warranty; for real), which as a very small child I dinged a bit. Martin Guitars in Nazareth, PA, was not interested in getting the dings out and on two separate occasions vehemently discouraged me from having them or anyone else do it. But I think most of us get wanting to re-Tolex a Rhodes. The harp cover is a different story at least for me. Even a couple of deep scratches don't bother me that much after a couple of coats of protectant. Dlux's Krylon Fusion solution is the first I've really seen for scratches. Paint has always seemed iffy to me because the harp cover is so flexible.

Sorry; I misunderstood what you meant by texture; I see what you mean now, but I don't recall any threads on this particular problem.

A couple of coats of Armoral or STP Son of a Gun vinyl protectant will restore the gloss.

Follow-up:

The original site was down for a while but is now back up with a different URL:

http://neosoulkeys.com/

with a written disclaimer at the beginning of the intro video.

A good thread here on Tolexing:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=6619.msg32902;topicseen#msg32902

http://neosoulsuitcase.com/sounds/

I may have missed some development or other along the way, but when I first read this thread I was going to link to Volvoxburger's YouTube channel - and now find it has disappeared. That channel would have addressed a lot of these requests, it seems.

??

Someone used Rhino Liner in the past and even had a picture, but I'm unsure where that thread is now.

Ozite (or a similar speaker carpet) is another possibility
http://kosis.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-42357-123851-ozite_covering.html

FYI in this context:

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-42826/rhodes/rhodesaction4.html

I use a rotary fabric cutter.

Paul Simon's soundtrack "One Trick Pony."

Many thanks; I was looking in the wrong places for the info.

On a Mark II Suitcase, blackface slider preamp:

Can someone tell me which pins power the preamp and the supply voltage (i.e., 12Vdc, 24Vac, etc.) that powers the preamp?  I am trying to check the preamp for no output, and the schematic does not seem to indicate the supply voltage.  Also, from the look of the schematic, the power for the preamp appears to be on pins 5 (+) and 1 (ground).  Is this correct?

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4792&highlight=ozite+cover

You only need to find one hole for each hinge to get the others (after you find the first one, use the hinge as a template to find the rest).

One way to find the first hinge hole after you have put the new tolex on is to use an extremely fine, small needle or pin to gently probe the area where the holes likely are. You will likely notice a "soft" spot where a hole is; push down gently on the pin; if you are over a hole, the pin will go through the tolex quickly. Even if you have missed the hole the first time, the pin hole will be so small (and will not have gone through the other side: the wood will stop it) that you will never notice it after the hinge is back on. It's not that hard to "guesstimate" once you start probing.

Here is a related thread:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5004&highlight=

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4933

I agonized over this forever, but would now never go back.
I assume you've seen this:

http://kosis.blog4ever.com/blog/lire-article-42357-126662-bright_kit_tweeter_mod.html

But even more interesting is Rob A's actual quantifiable analysis of the effect the mod has.

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3217&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Tolex corner template here:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5108.msg25242#msg25242

Some of this may be useful to you as well:

http://kosis.blog4ever.com/blog/article-42357.html

The following will not take the scratches out, but it can mask them to a certain extent:
http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4897

Check out the suggestion for damper push-rod assembly top felt: here:
http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4912
You can find these things in different sizes and thicknesses.

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=4897

There are a few pix at the bottom of my tweeter-mod article, both before and after:
http://kosis.blog4ever.com/blog/lirarticle-42357-126662.html

jibbidyjoe,

after you determine if this Hosa cable is correct, please do post your findings here so I can add this cable to the Generic Parts page (or not).

Thanks
doug

From the yahoo Rhodes group back in 2002 (topic: "Somebody has to say it"; begins with Message #12162 in that group):

On that note, I'm happy to report that my wife and I have been able to sustain our marriage for over 16 years. I've never felt happier. But don't put us up on a pedestal; we've had our bumps along the way. The key is love. Don't put a damper on yours! That's my only tip.

Still trying to figure out how to fit "vibrato" and "preamp" into a message like this,

Yeah, most married people don't use the "vibrato" much after the first couple of years

That must be why someone invented the "exciter". Which works fine until her phase shifting begins.

> All that is after the preamp, but before the power amp.
I *think*. Anybody seen a schematic?

> Oh, by the time you have to resort to the exciter, you've probably forgotten all about what you used to do with the bridal (sic) straps.

>Lock the door and drag out the bridal straps..... Yep! I've been down that rhodes before.

Tell me Rick, what was the pickup line you used to seduce your wife?

>I know what you're thinking, Steven; I did NOT ask if she wanted to see my push >rod assembly!

Sheesh, no, that would have elicited quite a nasty striking line I would think! I bet if you suggested it to her even now, she would just pack her suitcase and leave!

On a lighter note: what's the difference between a pregnant woman and a Damper Release Bar Pivot Pin Locking Screw (see

You can UNscrew a Damper Release Bar Pivot Pin Locking Screw.

I've always been a little frightened of marriage.  If I were at the alter, I'm sure all I would be able to concentrate on would be my escapement

.

Thanks yet again, Dan; I just ordered the same thing.

[extreme]

Many thanks, Dan.

Actually, what I have lying around here somewhere is an email from an extreme pedal-geek to whom I sold a restored Stage a few years ago and who wrote out the history for me, but the site you link seems considerably more thorough. Thanks.

Just googling quickly:
apparently 9v 100ma positive tip?

http://tinyurl.com/csq4d7

I also have this Small Stone but have never gotten an AC adaptor for it.

Somewhere around here I have a mini-history of the Small Stone phase shifter (the different models and changes over the years); I'll post it if I can find it.

[$2,979.27]

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=1414&highlight=inflation

Readjusting the price I mentioned in that thread

On April 16, 1979, I bought a Mark 1 Suitcase 73 in Atlanta (with the silverface slider preamp):

$985.00
+ 39.40 tax
$1024.40 total

What cost $1024.40 in 1979 would cost $2,979.27 in 2009.

I was visiting some people in some apartments in Atlanta on a hot, steamy, sultry summer evening once upon a time, and this tune started up on the stereo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_M9NvaNxoI&feature=related

The intro alone, of course, and the texture of Lonnie Liston Smith's Rhodes utterly captivated me; nor had I ever heard anything like his quirky soloing style -- here it starts at 2:00.

This album also has some pre-acid-jazz vibe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2euyJmDMI

The intro figure he plays here in the bass octaves could not really be played on a different keyboard and come off the same way; here and in general I think he really took advantage of the Rhodes texture. His quirky solo style can be heard starting at about 3:00 on this one.

I had to have a Rhodes after that evening.

I saw Lonnie Liston Smith in concert once during this phase of his career, in a fairly intimate setting; his multi-percussion player took up half the stage. Stunning performance, wonderful textures, really new stuff at the time. (His Solina was on top of his Rhodes; i.e., he did all the Rhodes and string-ensemble parts himself during performance.)

aurezio:
I've posted the template here:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5108.msg25242#msg25242

Turn the pattern over to get the right side.

Note: the more detailed red pattern is laid over my starting white pattern, which is slightly bigger and less detailed (see especially the right side) to allow gradually cutting the pattern down to a custom fit.

I have a template for the sides -- actually, it's a single template one can turn to fit either side, top of bottom -- but only for the units on which those dimensions are the same.

But I had an, mm, accident this weekend, am hobbling around with a sprained ankle or some such nonsense. I will get to this very soon and also post it here:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5084

Note in my post there that it will not be an exact fit, but rather a starting point from which you can custom fit your keyboard.

More anon. Sorry for the delay.

Aurezio,

I have a paper pattern somewhere here for the sides; if I can find it, I will post a picture and indicate the dimensions so you can simply make your own out of a large piece of paper. Then you'll always have something to start from.

I'll see this weekend.

You may find that something more detailed will be less useful than you think, since there can (but must not be) variations between keyboards.

I have found it easier to use the old tolex -- if you can salvage enough of it -- as a general pattern, not an exact pattern, not even for the same keyboard, since I've found that over the decades the material can shrink up a wee bit, presumably from drying out, making the older piece not always accurate once removed.

I generally cut a piece slightly larger in every dimension than the original piece but with the original piece's basic shape, especially for the sides, and then begin fitting it (without glue) and trimming it down gradually when the piano is completely prepped to get an exact fit. This is especially easier if you do not do a lot of tolexing in the first place.

The long pieces are not really that difficult. One can pretty much just measure it a bit longer and a wider and then fit and cut to size.

The video at Vintage Vibe showing them doing the sides will give you a good idea what kind of general cuts you will be making. But by starting large and then trimming to an exact fit you will run much less risk of getting it wrong.