Messages

1

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Harmonies for "directions" by zawinul

« on: July 20, 2015, 09:35:56 PM »

I sense a disturbance in the force...

Here's a link that works: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fqqhr219lv25vqq/Directions.PDF?dl=0

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Amps, Effects & Recording Techniques / Re: Recording set up help

« on: April 07, 2015, 09:51:55 PM »

I favor direct off the harp. You can add any color you want once you have the clean signal to disk, but unless it's a performance effect (like wah) I don't want it in the chain for recording. EQ included.

YMMV.

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For Sale / Re: Selling: Rhodes Home Model #24

« on: October 27, 2014, 08:56:41 PM »

What did it bring? Market value on these is hard to pin down.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Audio example: Identify this Rhodes

« on: February 15, 2014, 03:54:13 PM »

80

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 200 Top Restoration

« on: January 17, 2014, 09:28:11 PM »

Armor All will go a long way.  I wouldn't recommend anything in a rattle can.

I on the other hand, would recommend vinyl dye enthusiastically.

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=6079.msg29846#msg29846

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Power Cord suggestion for '74 Suitcase 73

« on: November 03, 2013, 09:20:28 AM »

You figured it out, normal three-prong extension cords are the ticket. I like the ones that go on sale for 75% off after Christmas. They tend to be green, 16 gauge ones for outdoor lighting use. Get a cord now so you can enjoy playing, but stay on the lookout for the clearance offers for your spares.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Just scored an early Sparkletop!

« on: September 27, 2013, 11:16:40 AM »

Was this the one on KC Craigslist? The shots they posted of the hammers looked really nice.

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Classic & Modern Fender Rhodes Artists / US Customs PSAs

« on: September 27, 2013, 11:14:37 AM »

Listen here to some public service announcements featuring Lorne Greene, and some nice Rhodes playing.

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Bassy (muddy) vs Trebly (highs), does this have to do with pickup wiring?

« on: August 24, 2013, 08:03:24 AM »

I remember vaguely from my Electromagnetic fields class (which was a long time ago) that this effect didn't amount to much at audio frequencies. So I tried to find some documentation corroborating that, and here's the result:

http://ecee.colorado.edu/~ecen3400/Chapter%2020%20-%20The%20Skin%20Effect.pdf

Look at table 20.1 on page 4. For copper, at 1000 Hz, the skin depth is still 2.1mm. That's right around 12AWG, like your house wiring.

I'm going to wave my hands a little on the math, and since the skin depth is inversely proportional to the square root of frequency (for a given material, permeability and conductivity are constant), that going up to 4kHZ (4x the frequency) will  give you half the skin depth (1/sqrt(4)), or about 1 mm, which is still 18 AWG wire. Double again to 8kHZ, 0.5mm is 24 AWG.

So for me, I'm pretty convinced skin effect is not a thing at audio frequencies.

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Classic & Modern Fender Rhodes Artists / Re: R.I.P. George Duke

« on: August 07, 2013, 07:14:14 PM »

A great loss.

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Classic & Modern Fender Rhodes Artists / Re: Herbie on Rhodes 2013!

« on: June 17, 2013, 08:41:00 PM »

There's a second Rhodes player on stage--look at 3:28.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: 1972 Fender Rhodes Executone (or is it?) I just aquired. Weird.

« on: June 10, 2013, 09:47:10 PM »

my Home model's bench,

And where are you hiding the pics of this?

13

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Home Piano (heavy on pictures)

« on: June 09, 2013, 10:34:44 AM »

This is looking up at the keybed, yes.



I will see about rehosting that video. I also need to get these pics put somewhere more likely to exist long-term.

14

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Clavinet D6 refinishing

« on: March 18, 2013, 09:09:33 PM »

Well, I sanded and refinished mine. Watch the corners, it's really easy to break through the veneer.

I have a bunch of purple heart in the shop, I have been intending to make a purple case for the thing, but playing it is more fun than doing carpentry so I haven't gone there. Padauk would also be nice.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Mark V with Dyno

« on: March 13, 2013, 08:59:59 PM »

Haha that's cheating. 

16

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 700 restore

« on: March 10, 2013, 07:57:18 PM »

Just let a few drops of the product evaporate, ideally o a glass plate or something that allows you to check the residue (if any) it leaves. If you get no crud after it evaporates, use it.

Naphtha can be purchased in paint stores around here, but in certain areas volatile organic compounds are getting harder to obtain.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 700 restore

« on: March 04, 2013, 07:44:27 PM »

Welcome to the boards--looking good!

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: voicing procedure advice

« on: March 02, 2013, 10:50:04 AM »

Are you still looking for the single note strikes? I don't mind posting such a thing, but my voicing is really just what sounded right to me, for my playing style and musical preference. There's nothing authoritative about it.

My escapement is lower than a factory setup would give by about 0.035" or jsut shy of 1mm. I don't fully appreciate the impact of that on tone, but I pay a lot more attention to dynamic range than to tone in my setup, in that I never had to "search" for a good tone out of mine, it seems pretty nice however it's set up.

19

Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Re: Wah of choice for a Clavinet?

« on: February 28, 2013, 09:04:33 PM »

I modded a Cry Baby, and I also use a modern Morley Power Wah. I kind of lean toward the power wah, but I would like to tune the filter some (which is what I did on the cry baby).

I was looking on this board for a post about what the mod was, but I am not finding it. Pretty sure I did the standard vocal mod as described here:

"Vocal Mod"

Replace the 33K resistor in parallel with the inductor with a 68K. This gives a more vocal quality to the wah.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: voicing procedure advice

« on: February 24, 2013, 04:51:52 PM »

Here's mine for comparison:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25143948/rob-output.mp3

Mine is much less fundamental compared to yours. I tried to level match as best I could with your clip.

21

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Price Rhodes Mark I stage 88

« on: February 10, 2013, 02:25:07 PM »

It's helpful to know where you are. More general info available by clicking the link in my signature.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: voicing procedure advice

« on: February 07, 2013, 05:42:25 PM »

a short recording from yours would be great

I'll try to get that posted.

23

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: voicing procedure advice

« on: February 06, 2013, 09:46:07 PM »

Interesting. I own a 76 suitcase too, and I record direct mainly. Yours sounds nothing like mine, but in ways I'm not sure I can convincingly describe.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: voicing procedure advice

« on: February 05, 2013, 07:20:08 AM »

Not exactly what you requested, but take a look at this and see if it helps:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3264

25

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Rhodes 88 Pickups - wiring modification??

« on: January 14, 2013, 02:22:57 PM »

Also, capacitors in parallel add, so you can gator-clip extra ones in without removing the one that's there.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 200a questions

« on: January 11, 2013, 02:32:56 PM »

Yeah, value is distinct from fitness for a given purpose, however, they do intersect for the working musician.

I'd want two great Wurlis if I needed to tour with one.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 200a questions

« on: January 10, 2013, 06:54:27 AM »

The electronics may be the most difficult thing to repair, but this piano has that all sorted out. That's a big advantage. I'm guessing you haven't priced a damper pedal, but that's a couple hundred dollar item. Tuning is doable at home like he says, but perhaps not ideally suited for someone not a tech. I don't agree that the tines change pitch over time, not sure what he's getting at there.

Music rack is useless. Legs are easily replaced with an X stand, but the damper pedal may be a problem. I wouldn't hesitate to mention that replacing that damper pedal (to make it properly payable) means that you have to put in a couple hundred bucks to get this to be a playable instrument, and see if he is willing to flex a bit on the price.

My bias is that I think the market is overpricing Wurlis somewhat. They are great instruments, and I own one (did own two). I just can see better ways to spend 800-1000 bucks.

28

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: STROBE TUNER - AN ADROID APP

« on: January 03, 2013, 09:36:10 PM »

The lower registers seem not to hold a steady tune!?! Why does this happen?

I'm really interested in this, and I don't have a definitive explanation. I believe the magnetic field is at least part of the answer, but I haven't taken the time to design a proper experiment to prove this. Thinking out loud: a strobe light flashing at around the tine's frequency would be a handy reference--you could tune the tine to the strobe, then remove the magnet and see if stability over time improves.

Now someone go do it, and let us know!

29

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Impedance of 73 Pickups

« on: January 03, 2013, 09:32:02 PM »

Don't believe everything you read in the service manual. See also:
http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3092.msg12510#msg12510

30

For Sale / Re: Wurlitzer/Lyric electric piano for sale or trade

« on: January 03, 2013, 09:28:44 PM »

I sold my impeccable condition 206A for $350 a while back in Kansas, just to give you some additional market data. I sold it fairly quickly at that price.