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Messages - Richard Tee

#1
Looks like someone may have spilled some liquid at some point as there is rust at the base of a few of the front rail pins. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on methods to remove and prevent the rust from returning?

I'm thinking of getting a dremel with a wire wheel to remove the rust. Is there an oil/product I can apply after to prevent it from returning/spreading?


Any help would be much appreciated!
#2
The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Damper release bar
December 12, 2022, 09:01:58 PM
I am far from an expert but it seems to me that the sound is coming from the movement between when you start to press the pedal, and when the damper bar actually contacts the damper arms. I would try to reduce the excess play by between the sustain rod -> (wood dowel between) -> damper release bar. This can be done by turning the sustain rod screw head. Take the keyboard off of the suitcase amp to locate the rod head on the top of the amp. You want the rod high enough so that when at rest, its pressing the damper bar as close to the damper arms as possible, but not so close that any of the notes stop being dampened (Some will lift before others if your damper arms are uneven. Damper adjustments should not be done until you've read the manual).

Check that there is decent felt on the top and bottom of the wooden dowel.
You may want to check that the damper release bar pivot pins on each end are secured tight to the damper bar. Check for any excess play in the pivot area.

If you are considering servicing the action/doing a full setup,(key dip, escapement, strike line, voicing etc..) this should be done in a certain order which you can find explained in many forums.

Manual
http://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch2.html
#3
I've gone ahead and tested one of the keys with the bump at the end. While it certainly feels much better than no bump, I'm concerned that the hammer being forward + the bump mod is possibly hindering the responsiveness.

Does this point of contact look acceptable at rest?
#4
With the bump resting against the hammer in stop lock position, it is right at the edge of the pedestal.
This is the case throughout the whole keyboard. 

In all the videos/photos I can find online, the bump is able to be placed further back than that.

When applying the felt, it seems like I would have to wrap it around and onto the vertical face of the pedestal in order to cover the whole bump.

 
There is 1/16" between between the back of the hammer and the back of the pedestal.
- Are the backs supposed to be flush together? Does that difference in pedestal/hammer relationship have an effect on responsiveness?

What are my options here?

- Just do the mod at the very edge?
- Do the major surgery of moving the action rail and harp supports back so that the back of the hammer cams are flush with the back of the pedestal, giving me an extra 1/16" to play with?
Doing so, I would then have to redrill the harp because the strike line will be off right?

Is there something else I am missing here?

Any help/input would be much appreciated!
#5
Quote from: theseacowexists on August 05, 2022, 09:34:55 AMCenter negative is correct. Was this problem happening before you installed the VV plate?
Yes it was. Thanks for clarifying on the center negative
#6
I just spoke to Vintage Vibe and they were very helpful. My Clavinet now works with both the battery and power supply!

It turns out the instructions that came with the DC Jack plate were not correct for this specific model (clavinet C).

From Vintage Vibe:
"I think the issue here is that the Clavinet C preamp design uses PNP transistors and thus it is a positive ground circuit. You need to switch the polarity of the DC wiring to match this."
They provided new wiring instructions.

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#7
I am currently restoring a Clavinet C and have run into an issue.
Please forgive me as I am not extremely well versed in the field of electronics. However, I am always trying and willing to learn and would very much appreciate if anyone has any help they can provide!


I purchased and installed replacement DC jack plate from Vintage Vibe.

I was not getting any sound whatsoever from the unit using battery or PSU. Only a pop when turning it on.
I tried cleaning the switches, disconnected both pickups and checked their continuity (176+205 ohm).

After reconnecting the pickups, I noticed by accident that if I reverse the battery leads I get good tone from both pickups in all switch orientations, however it comes with a loud, constant scratching noise in the background. Here is a link to audio example https://soundcloud.com/rick-demo/clav-c-reverse-battery-leads-audio

If I put the leads back, no sound again.

Does anyone have any idea what would cause the unit to only work on battery with reverse battery leads? And why the accompanied noise would be so loud?

Is it likely that the preamp components have been damaged due to the reverse battery hookup? 
 
Link to more images: https://imgur.com/a/67IX2WV
 
Here is an image of preamp and my PSU, that is the correct PSU right? 9V DC 300ma center negative? 
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#8
All fixed. Thank you!!!
#9
I have just acquired a D6 and it sounds amazing. The previous owner had replaced the strings/re-yarned, replaced hammer tips and bushings. The only issue I'm having is that a few notes aren't sounding fully in certain pickup modes. B3 and A4 are very quiet only when C and A switches are depressed. D1 is very quiet on all settings, except for C and A mode. I'm almost certain its not a hammer strike alignment issue since they sound fine in the other pickup settings. Acoustically, when I play the notes they sound just like the others.  What's going on here?
#10
Thanks for the reply. I don't believe the release from extra force could simply be the cause since the feedback can also be triggered by certain notes more so in the higher register being hit while the damper is depressed. The feedback starts as a low hum that gets increasingly louder. Similar to a guitar that is too close to the monitors on a stage.
#11
Hi everyone. I am looking into buying a 200a from someone. I had them Facetime with me since he lives in a province over from me. Aside from a few notes having short decay and a couple sticky keys when sustain is pressed, we noticed that there was a feedback issue when the sustain pedal is depressed. Not only being triggered by notes, but can be triggered by simply pressing the sustain pedal and holding it. I guess the sound of the reverb from the dampers releasing are enough noise to start a feedback loop.

Is this a common problem/somewhat easy fix?
Any idea as to what could be causing this?

Should I avoid making this purchase because of this?


I appreciate any "feedback" any of you may have,

Thanks
#12
HAHAHAHAHA ;D
I don't think I could be any dumber!
Turns out their was an acoustic guitar "hiding" around the corner, RIGHT next to the amp!
I'm so happy but still, I'm gonna go punch myself in the face now ::)....

Sorry for wasting your time and this thread.

Cheers
#13
As well, It seems that the B exactly one octave under is doing the same thing. It's triggering the exact same reverb tone as the B one octave above it. 
#14
Plugged some headphones into my amp and sure enough the reverb is completely gone. So it turns out its not mechanical resonance! (must be the amp's tone going back into the harp?)
I've checked all the dampers for their tension and they all seem to be properly dampening every tine. Tried playing with the ABS cover on to try and somewhat shield it, but still, reverb. The harp support brace doesn't seem to be the problem either.
This Rhodes is taking me for a ride.

Thanks again Ray,

Rick
#15
Thanks for sharing this scary story!
#16
Thanks Ray,
I will have to see if that's the case when I get home later tonight.
Would it be the physical resonance inside the keyboard that is travelling to the improperly dampened note?(I Can't see it being strong enough to cause that)
Or would it be caused by the resonance/tone coming from the speakers?
#17
A note in the mid range of my stage 73 is giving me an odd "reverb" sound. Im clueless as to what is causing it.
I'm almost positive that it's not the damper because even if I stop the tine with my fingers I still get this reverb that lasts for a good 4 seconds.
I've tried muting all tines/tone-bars near the bad note as well and still theres this "reverb".
I also tried tightening the tone-bar screws thinking maybe it was a bit loose but that's not the case.
What's going on here?!
#18
WELL DONE!! This is awesome man, thank you for posting this.
You aced every tune.
#19
Any one else unable to get onto this site? It hasn't been working for me for a good month.
I get a 404 error with a sad face every time I go on.
What am I doing wrong?

Thanks
#20
Good to know!
I've taken a tooth brush to it and gotten rid of all the grit and now I'm just left with a thin layer of wax.
Any recommendations for removing the wax?
I'm thinking maybe I could lightly warm it up with a heat gun and wipe it off as opposed to scraping it ever so tediously.
Although it's probably best to avoid any heat stresses on the harp i'm assuming.
#21
So I started to take my tone bars off of my stage 73 and I noticed this weird looking "goop" on my ground strip running under the tone bars on the harp.
It doesn't seem to be affecting my ground but it doesn't look too nice.
Does anyone have any idea what this stuff is and if so, should I get rid of it?
If I were to get rid of it what should I do/use?
Any input is appreciated.





Thanks


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