Messages

Kindly remember, I know nothing.

That said, I always verify the NPN/PNP with a volt meter and refer to the original schematic for the pinouts.

It was quick and I haven't looked again, but....
I thought I saw a Mark I face place and a Mark II lid.  But, it did have a cable coming out of the front.

-found

Since it is a neat piece of history, and the face plate has already been drilled, you could drill another hole, install a DPDT switch and sum the split?  Then you would have both options.

Leo,
Generally, you cannot unwind the pickup by one loop as the break point is usually at the start of the wind, not finish.  I have seen micro-surgery where you can scrape the corroded wire and solder on an extender to reconnect.  Very tedious and would not hold for long.  Look-up pickup rewinding on this forum.  Plenty of posts.

Careful cleaning out the mouse residue.  (Read: hantavirus)

With that much corrosion, you're going to need a lot of cleaning, but it's easier just to replace those jacks, connectors and fuses.

Finally, if there's sparks when you turn it on, take care of the electronics prior to next power on or you may really loose the remaining if it's not already cooked.  That said, you can generally fix them if the cabinet is not rotted or smells like mice.

First off, you have an awesome friend!

And yes, the date stamp is the 40th week of 1973.

Not mine and a cross-post from another forum, but this awesome!  Could be used for pickups

Hello all!

My CP70M has developed a pronounced 'click' when the sustain pedal is pressed.  Velocity of the pedal being pressed does not seem to effect the click.

It does not occur when the harp is not attached and the pedal is pressed.  I've inspected the wooden 'lifter' and I do not see any issue.   I also cannot hear it when I lift the dampers manually on the hard.

With the top open, it seems to be coming from the bass register.

Does anyone have any ideas on what might be causing it?

Are you sure its the sides? 
Do you have calipers at your disposal to verify?
What about the felts?  Does it need to be eased?

(Just questions, with a boatload if disclaimers and precursors.)

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/msg/d/new-york-musical-instrument/7550866499.html

Not mine.  Just lurking......

Does anyone know if there was ever a cover for the keyboard itself?  There are two hinges on the cover to access tuning, which makes me think it was an option. I can't seem to find anything about it though.

Where'd you go?!!

I was really hoping to see the progress on your 145.

Honestly, I was expecting to see really nasty tone bars and tines.

These aren't bad at all.  You'll only really get better if you have them replated.  There are a few posts about replating if you search.

I would just leave those alone, put the lid back on and play it. 

Looking forward to seeing the progress.   I've been considering doing the same with my 145.  It's not as bad as yours, but needs some attention.  (It was painted baby blue, then poorly painted over with black.  The vibrato of the amp is not quite right.)

I'll let other more knowledgeable people chime in, but that looks very scary.

Wow indeed!
Very thorough.  I'll be watching this more closely for the next posts/videos.

I felt the same way about my Mark II until I adjusted the strike line and added shims in lower register.  It made a world of difference in sound and feel.

That's pretty neat!

You could try by-passing the volume pot all together.   Simply unsolder the wires (audio, not AC!) and twist them together.

There was talk a few years(?) back about using a push-pull potentiometer to by-pass the passive panel components.  I don't recall if anyone ever completed that.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/POTENTIOMETER-PUSH-PULL-SWITCH-POT-GUITAR-10K-LIN-SPLIT-SHAFT-LINEAR-V164L4-/271184505955 possibly?

Nice!
Count me in!

Thanks!
I'll give that a try tonight.

My CP70m doesn't have sustain pedal chains.
Could someone please measure theirs?
I love the piano, but the wandering sustain pedal drives me nuts!

Sounds to me like the hammer tips need to be replaced.

Search VV, Clavinet.com, etc. (I'm not affiliated with anyone)

Not too difficult to replace.  Cleaning can be a mess if they're really gummy and deteriorated, though.

Let us know if the hype is real!

The lead wire (on the first wrap, not the last unfortunately!) closest to the mounting screw corrodes and eventually breaks. It can be hard to see sometimes. 
For testing, I just clipped a lead onto the treble end, played a chord in the middle and started working the other end down the pickups at random intervals until I heard sound.  Then I worked my way backup each pickup from there until I found the open pickups.  Not so scientific, but I found them!

I had this happen when a few pickup coils opened up near the end/beginning of a series.  I used an alligator clip jumper to locate the break and replaced those pickups from there.  (Actually, it was at a gig.  I left the jumper on to make it through and replaced them later.)

It could be the internal battery (Usually a cr2032 or the likes).  I've seen some synths go completely wonky when the battery dies.

They are graduated, with wood core on the treble end.

Sean,
Did you make those face plates?  Those are great!

I wonder, if most prefer running a direct signal off the harp on a Stage Rhodes, why are we not drilling a direct output on the name rail and installing a shunted 1/4" output?  Maintaining stock aesthetics of the original name rail?

With the all of the talk of the Bass or Tone control knob excessively coloring the signal in negative ways, a non-invasive, easily revertible option might be removal of the knob and installing a shunted 1/4" there? (Obviously with washers due to hole size.)

edit: I hadn't seen sean's post here https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=9793.msg54382#msg54382.  I really like the drop-in replacement faceplates!

When playing in a live situation, I don't really use the mute.

When playing at home or recording, I do end up using it to a degree.

I guess this could also be akin to "why do we keep the Bass controller on the face plate of a Stage Rhodes"!

Interesting point.  I'll take a look at that tonight. 

The prior treble distance was very shallow: a little less than 1/4".  (I had to adjust all treble dampers after.)  I'll try removing the shim and see and listen to the difference. (The shims are just washers right now.)

For reference, I had to move the harp about 5/16" back on the bass and 3/8" on the treble.  No shim on the bass (measured 3/8" hammer distance) and a 3/16" shim on the treble.

Thanks for the info, Sean. 
If I'm drilling, I might as well drill four holes and lock it in.  (Although, I don't plan on moving it any time soon.)  Hopefully, I'll get to this next weekend.

Where did you find the black metal rail for the sheet music stand!?

I have a Mark II.  The action always felt nice and tight, but the sound was always dull with little dynamics.  I replaced the hammer tips to no avail.  Adjusting pickups helped a little.

This weekend, I adjusted the strike line. Wow!  It came alive with great dynamics, tone and bark.  I had to shim the treble end about 3/16".  Now that its adjusted, I need to mount the harp.  However, on the Mark II, these are aluminum rails with tapped holes that machine screws go into.  Also, the location of these new holes are close to the original holes on the bass end of the harp.

My questions are:
- Should I make new holes in the harp to get the mounting holes far enough away from the original holes in the aluminum.
- Does anyone have any hints on tapping the aluminum?

Yup, I forgot to verbalize the intended device.  A Clavinet D6 mute slider.

I checked VintageVibe's site and didn't see it.  I'll contact them.

Thanks!
~andy

I was wondering if anyone has any of these for sale.  Or, has anyone created a CAD/maker file for 3D printing?

Or, if you have a mute slider, would you give me the dimensions?  I'll create the CAD file from there.

Thanks!

~Andy

It could also just be a slow motor adjustment or a bad/worn o-ring.  Either way, take the back off and watch the upper stack when switching.

To stretch or not to stretch.....

I play my '73 through a PR-40 at home.  I found an amp from a suitcase and wired that in.  Always said I was going to make a circuit for the triple necklace reverb.  Still haven't got around to that one, yet.

I've seen the tweed ones.  Those are classy!

For comparison, there is a very good MKII in NH for $1800.  Even comes with spare tines and the original vinyl leg bag. 

https://nh.craigslist.org/msg/6187865320.html

That is awesome!
Are you considering selling any?!

Before digging too deep, check the switches again; possibly for continuity this time with a DVM.  If the upper came back with after hitting the switches, I'd check that.  I had one that I chased all around only to find out it was indeed the switch.

Although its not an actual satellite, it was at one time a suitcase cabinet cut down to make it sort of like a satellite.
(No idea why someone would.  But, there you have it!)

http://nh.craigslist.org/msg/5909373168.html

I use Hammond PR40 at home with my stage.    Note: this is furniture!

Hmmm.  This is interesting.  I'm going to pull mine apart this week and see if mine are also farther back from the edge.  If so, I'm going to give this a shot and listen if I get similar results.  Since mine is a gradual decrease through-out the upper register, I may have to remove all of the reads and take it down from there.

While some people don't like the Dyno sound, I really like how you can use the pre to really dial in the sound you're looking for;  It can be bright and sparkly but it can also be warm with lots of tone.

You've nice sounds and some nice voicings too!

Check the RCA cable for corrosion.
Check the pots with a dvm.  At 10 there should be no resistance.
By-pass the tone control (jumper/desolder) and see if the output changes.

And remember, have fun!