Here's a few shots of my KMC I:

This is how it looked when I picked it up. Got if off craigslist here in Nashville for $350. Most of the plastic trim was cracked and peeling, and the walnut veneer on the sides was torn and chipped. The grille cloth was frayed and stained, and somebody had duct-taped the metronome knob to keep it from being turned on, which left a bunch of residue.
I thought about leaving the outside alone and just fixing the guts, but decided that if I'm going to have it sitting out in my home and studio, then I want it to be functional AND look nice.
I completely dismantled it and filled in as many cracks and chips as I could. Then I sanded and painted it, and replaced the plastic trim.

I pulled out the action, and found that it had plastic/wood hammers with the original square felt tips on most of them. Some in the middle octave had been replaced with neoprene years ago. I replaced all the damper felts, all the pedestal felts, and the namerail felt. I also found a small stamped date code on the bottom of the harp:



Then I moved and it sat for about 6 months before I could get back to it. Last week I replaced the tonebar grommets, screws, and washers, and fixed some of the upper damper felts (thanks to this board) that I had installed wrong. It plays great now, except I think I need new bridle straps on about 3 notes.
Oh, here's what it looks like now:

I added a parallel direct out from the harp in place of the mic input and replaced the orange neon bulb with a bright red LED. I also replaced the rotary power switch/source selector with a giant toggle switch and put new knobs on it. I also had to order a new "Seventy-Three" logo.
Here's it's cousins, my chopped/modded Wurli 206A:

And my refinished M3:

This is how it looked when I picked it up. Got if off craigslist here in Nashville for $350. Most of the plastic trim was cracked and peeling, and the walnut veneer on the sides was torn and chipped. The grille cloth was frayed and stained, and somebody had duct-taped the metronome knob to keep it from being turned on, which left a bunch of residue.
I thought about leaving the outside alone and just fixing the guts, but decided that if I'm going to have it sitting out in my home and studio, then I want it to be functional AND look nice.
I completely dismantled it and filled in as many cracks and chips as I could. Then I sanded and painted it, and replaced the plastic trim.

I pulled out the action, and found that it had plastic/wood hammers with the original square felt tips on most of them. Some in the middle octave had been replaced with neoprene years ago. I replaced all the damper felts, all the pedestal felts, and the namerail felt. I also found a small stamped date code on the bottom of the harp:



Then I moved and it sat for about 6 months before I could get back to it. Last week I replaced the tonebar grommets, screws, and washers, and fixed some of the upper damper felts (thanks to this board) that I had installed wrong. It plays great now, except I think I need new bridle straps on about 3 notes.
Oh, here's what it looks like now:

I added a parallel direct out from the harp in place of the mic input and replaced the orange neon bulb with a bright red LED. I also replaced the rotary power switch/source selector with a giant toggle switch and put new knobs on it. I also had to order a new "Seventy-Three" logo.
Here's it's cousins, my chopped/modded Wurli 206A:

And my refinished M3:
