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On every stage piano I've ever seen the entire lid is tolex - inside and out. Sparkletop & piano bass lids were lined with felt, but I believe they were the exception.

Anyone have a source for an early logo from a sparkletop? Seen here with "Fullerton Calif." under the fender insignia.

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/sparkletop-badge.jpg

Does anyone have a parts list for the Jordan amp & preamp? Chasing some weird distortion on my '67 piano and I've already isolated the piano and speakers to verify they're ok. Time to dig in to the electronics.

I have the schematic drawings from the service manual but that's it. I can already see that somewhere along the line one of the big 8000uF caps on the power amp was swapped for a 6000uf unit. The drawings are a bit tough to read in places and I'd like to make sure I've got everything right.

I haven't even had a chance for basic voicing or regulation.

Do your regulation and voicing BEFORE you tune the piano.

The pickups on these old 1960s piano sound great but their magnetic polepieces are a little strong.  They can pull on the vibrating tine and throw it out of tune.  I found out the hard way when I voiced the piano by adjusting the tine position relative to the pickup, and the tine went out of tune.

With the longer tines in the bass end, the magnetic pull is worse.

That's crazy! I've got it torn apart for cleaning right now. 3 of the green pickups replaced at some point with red, already ordered replacements on eBay. Hammers are a full on swap for an early Mark 1 with wood/plastic. Ordered a felt kit from VV to get as close to the teardrop sound as possible. Damper arms are original - anyone got a recommendation on the right felt to use?

Well I went to check it out today and fell in love. All electronics working, clean sound with almost NO mains hum after I plugged in a new 1/4 cable, and the mono tremolo is just so creamy and warm. Time will tell if I end up selling my '73, but this thing sounds magic and I haven't even had a chance for basic voicing or regulation. Up next - hammer tips and I'll need to source new tonebar felts.

First post here in years, I have a dilemma. I have a minty fresh '73 Mark 1A Stage I picked up years ago, it's in great shape mechanically and sonically. Love it, figured this would me my Rhodes for life. Until...

A '67 Sparkletop, complete with all original tonebars, came up for sale near me at a reasonable price. The only thing keeping this from being 100% original is that someone swapped out the felt hammers for neoprene at some point. Otherwise it's in good shape, going to look at it this weekend.

I can't afford both - I'd need to sell my Mark 1A to fund the sparkletop. I've lusted over one of these forever, and never thought I'd find one I could afford. I miss having a suitcase amp, I'm a student of the history of these pianos, and yeah, the Miles/Beatles/Billy Preston connection is fun. I also genuinely love the sound of the early pianos.

I have two concerns -

Will the neoprene hammers really sound THAT different from the early teardrop style? I know most of the sauce is in the raymac tines and larger tonebars.

Is this an idiot move? I know how special the Mark 1A is, but man, sparkletop...

Hey there! "Swiss cheese" guy here. Drilling the holes didn't save a ton of weight, I was more going for every little bit I could find. I was able to get my custom piano down to 64 lbs, but that was after chopping it to 54 keys, building an entire custom case, etc. Took a lot of work and I have a piano I can gig with in my rock band. Not sure what to recommend to you, I saved most of my weight on the case and by losing the two octaves...

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=7306.0

Here's the link to the thread if you want to peek...

I think we're missing the point. That website was obviously designed, built, and hosted on a Rhodes MK III EK-10. Right?

But somebody must have played these?! I'm particulary interested in the action of the pianos. Is it more like the old rhodes or the new ones with the bump pedestial?
Peter

I've played a few at Miyaji music here in Tokyo - what's great about the Miyaji shop is that in a 5 minute span you can play a Wurly, a '66 sparkle top, Mark I with and w/o bumps, Mark II, plastic Mark II Mark V, and... you get the idea. I am amazed at how nice the VV pianos feel. I have played a ton of older Rhodes pianos of all different eras, models, and with varying levels of quality. After playing a few of the VV pianos, I can just describe them as what a brand new 1975 MKI w/bump must have felt like out of the box. The action feels substantial, like it has a little more weight behind it than your average Rhodes, but it doesn't feel heavy by any means.

It doesn't feel any different from a Rhodes, seeing as the action is probably 95% identical, it just feels new and like everything has been set up the right way. If I had to pick one word I guess I would go with "meaty".

That record, along with "The Bill Evans Album", is a rare example of the transition hammers with square felt tips. I haven't seen one in the wild - closest I've come is Miyaji music here in Tokyo, where one of the techs is working on a restoration and is actually going to try and make his own set of the hammers rather than just swap them out for newer rubber tips. I'll swing by and see how it's coming along next week...

Finally finished! Covered the namerail with traditional Japanese washi paper, and wired up a simple volume control and output jack. I never use the bass boost, just omitted it in favor of a cleaner signal path and less things to go wrong. Let me know what you guys think!

First gig last night - was able to negotiate 4 flights of stairs and 2 trains without breaking a sweat. I'll call it a success!

Nice work.

Don;t know what the piano started like before the mods, but wouldn't it have been easier to just get a 54 in the US?

I had that thought, but didn't have the time to find a 54 or the funds even
if I did. I also wanted a lighter piano - the 54 is still heavy and I saved weight by eliminating the huge lid. Plus it was a fun project and now I have a one of a kind Rhodes!

First time posting in a few years! Some of you old timers might remember me from my "Courdorhodes" experiment 3 years ago...  http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=3639.msg15944#msg15944

So since then I've relocated to Tokyo, and the Rhodes had to stay in storage back in the US.  I've been playing out on keys and missing my Rhodes. I can't afford to buy one here, where a busted up Mark II with plastic keys might START at around $2,000. I could't afford to ship/fly a 73 stage to Japan, and certainly wouldn't be able to gig with one when I get around solely by train and taxi. Finally had some time in the states this summer, and decided to take some drastic steps.

Inspired by the stuff the Vintage Vibe guys have been doing, I figured I could chop the piano up and find some ways to save weight. I took the guts of the piano, decided which range was essential for what I'm playing, and went to work chopping things up. It wasn't until later that I realized I had chosen the exact same range as the stage 54...

Made the custom case from scratch out of 1/2" plywood, left out the sustain pedal mechanism out as I'm using this for rock gigs, and avoided a separate lid by eliminating the round top and using the case as the top. Drilled some holes in the pickup rail and harp in an attempt to cut down on weight, ended up saving a little bit.

Weight before - 105 lbs. Weight after - 64 lbs! I removed the tone bars and keys to get it to EXACTLY 50 lbs, and was able to convince the airline to treat it with kid gloves and avoid the conveyor belt and carousel at the airport. Added some ozite-like carpet, and it's 95% done. I need to solder up some stage electronics and I'm going to cover the wood "namerail", but othewise it's in business and plays like a dream...

Wow... I was really torn on my rhodes between tweed and cordouroy - this looks even better than I could have imagined. Great work!

Thanks again! The Mark I was a later model with the 5-pin preamp - the holes on the namerail align perfectly to the Mark II 5-pin faceplate. The only difference is that the Mark II faceplate is black, and is a little longer with holes to screw it to the namerail. The screws aren't needed as the input jacks hold everything in place...

thanks man! the elbow pads etc are just all tongue in cheek... I don't have a matching blazer, but I think that's a must-buy now!

as promised here are the updated pics with suitcase controls from a Mark II namerail and cheekblocks...

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/?action=view&current=DSC_0007.jpg" target="_blank">http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/DSC_0007.jpg" border="0" alt="Cordourhodes II">

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/?action=view&current=DSC_0008.jpg" target="_blank">http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/DSC_0008.jpg" border="0" alt="Cordourhodes II">

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/?action=view&current=DSC_0009.jpg" target="_blank">http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/DSC_0009.jpg" border="0" alt="Cordourhodes II">

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/?action=view&current=DSC_0011.jpg" target="_blank">http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/DSC_0011.jpg" border="0" alt="Cordourhodes II">

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/?action=view&current=DSC_0016.jpg" target="_blank">http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd226/onthegreenline/DSC_0016.jpg" border="0" alt="Cordourhodes II">

interested to see what you guys think... it was hard as hell to do the cheekblocks right, couldn't get straight edges without fraying the material so I went for the folds...

Wow... thanks for all the compliments! I need to upload some new pics, I installed the faceplace from a Mark II suitcase control panel and got up the nerve to do the cheekblocks as well... This all started as a joke at a gig a while back about how the only thing crunchier than a tweed rhodes would be a corourhodes - my wife thinks I should add elbow patches on the corners ala an old college professor's jacket or put a pocket from an old pair of cord pants on the front with my pipe perpetually stored in it... I'll take new pics when I get home!

Keeps getting weirder... thanks to Paul B's excellent post I know my preamp is ok, doesn't need a full rebuild. I was playing tonight and noticed there's sort of a faint "ticking" when the tremolo is on, goes away when I turn it off. I checked all the solder connections on the preamp and power supply again, and discovered that it goes away only when I disconnect the tremolo LED. With the LED disconnected the tremolo is whisper quiet and sounds great... I know an LED can't really "go bad", so I'm guessing this is a symptom of an issue elsewhere... any thoughts?

I remember reading somewhere that the speakeasy "ugly parts" legs are strong enough to work without braces - is this just because the welds are higher quality, or am I missing something?

This, this, a thousand times THIS! I was going CRAZY with my preamp cutting in and out, thought it needed a rebuild, checked it out with a fine tooth comb, couldn't find anything wrong, took it to a few friends who couldn't see anything wrong, and was about to drop $150 to send it away when I managed to find this post! I opened up my cab, took out the amp, and sure enough, found a bad connection right there... while it was out I cleaned up a few other solder connections. Put everything back together and have been using it for a few hours now without as much as a hiccup. This thing SINGS! Somehow in all my searching I'd managed to miss this post... thanks so much!

so... almost a year later, decide to fix up an old stage case and create the Cordourhodes. It's going to just sit in my apartment here in Boston (and hopefully Tokyo soon), so I wasn't too concerned about it being super-durable.. The namerail is a rough cut, going to try it again with better adhesive. Waiting to cut holes until I decide whether or not I'll rebuild my suitcase preamp or just throw in some stage electronics...







Hope you like, the diagonal pattern on the sides reminds me of the seats in my old volvo...

Looking for an idea on what I can expect to pay to get my 5-pin suitcase preamp rebuilt - the more I look at it I suspect it was worked on previously as there are some "interesting" solder joints and some poorly mounted caps. It works for about 10-15 minutes and then the sound either cuts out or gets distorted and the power lamp dims a bit. Anyone in the Boston area or a good mail order service?

I'd also be willing to trade a perfectly good suitcase power amp in exchange for a rebuild or a rebuilt preamp - anyone interested?

cool... good advice from all... is there a set of instructions or basic plans to build one? I'm handy with a soldering iron but not enough of an engineer to confidently pluck the parts I'd need off the shelf...

I'd definitely put it in some sort of box - very dangerous otherwise! My question would be if I could somehow "chop" all the unnecessary circuit boards for the speakers, etc and somehow trim it down to a smaller size. Sadly when I say the cab wasn't worth saving I mean it - the wood was actually gray and moldy, the speakers had rust and mold on them, and even the sustain pedal dowel had warped. I'm taking japanese 1 right now, my wife is a science teacher and hopes to get a gig at a school there so she can teach and I can gig!

Here goes... a few years ago I got a great deal on a Mark II suitcase which I knew going in would be basically a salvage job. It had been stored in a damp environment and the keys and speakers were moldy, harp was a mess of rust, wood was shot, etc. The only thing I was able to rescue from the Mark II cab was the power supply, which I actually had rebuilt a few years ago in the hopes of restoring the whole setup.

A year or so later I come across a -mint- Mark I with the 5-pin preamp, the piano and suitcase cab are in perfect shape. No more need to restore my moldy Mark II.

My question is - can I take my "extra" power supply and somehow chop it down to the bare essentials and use it to power my Mark I when I don't want to lug around the cab? I'm considering a move to Japan in a year or two and it would be easier to bring over my Rhodes and a power supply than the whole cab. Any thoughts on how this could be done?

wow... I can't belive I missed that. apologies to all... thanks! There's a great place outside of boston called "YDI Electronics", I can probably pick all of this up tonight.

Does anyone have a parts list for the 100 watt preamp? (the one with the sliders, not the later mark II) I see rebuild kits for the 80 watt version on ebay all the time, but no love for my 100! Some of the caps are swollen and I can't get the numbers off of them...

wow... I know "The Bill Evans Album" in and out - had no idea that's a square-felt rhodes, although I always thought it sounded a little different. What -almost- ruins this album for me is the fact that the studio never bothered to tune the acoustic piano, when combined with the slightly out of tune rhodes it makes my ears hurt! It's his only album for CBS as far as I know, and I'm sure this and the sub-par recording may have been a reason why. The music is brilliant, but the album has a pretty flat sound, the rhodes especially. Sounds like they had no idea how to handle recording it yet!

Yep, those are the ones... I'd love to hear some sound samples but haven't found any. I wonder how they handle the high notes - no wood cores, do they come through ok?

I've wondered - are the post-sparkletop felt hammertips still available, and do they sound drastically different from the neoprene used from the early 70's onward? From what I've read they were only used for a year or two inbetween the "piano style" hammers and the neoprene tips.

I love the bell sound of the sparkletops and would love to approximate it on my Mark 1, and was wondering if this was at all possible and worthwile.

Hi again, Matt from Boston - I haven't logged on in a while and forgot my username... oh well. An opinion question - just picked up a MINT '79 Mark 1 suitcase, must've been the last of run before they went to the Mark II? Under the lid the piano looks and sounds like it just left the factory - had to replace a dead pickup, other than that it's perfect. The tolex and grill cloth are pretty beat up as it was left in storage for a while and had some stuff stacked on it, etc. My two ideas are as follows -

Anyone ever done a tweed rhodes? Maybe with oxblood grillcloth?

Courodoy? I'm thinking dark brown or black. It's cheap, fuzzy, and easy to deal with - just vaccuum it when it gets dirty. Not sure what I'd do about the grill...

any thoughts? I'll put up some pics soon. This thing needs to be seen to be believed - even the key bushings look new.