Messages

When you say the output is low, are you referring to the output of a particular key or from the F# board?  Or do you mean the output of all the keys? (If the latter, there is a gain trim pot on the preamp board.)

Alan

Your tool may work well over much of the keyboard range. But in the top octave or so, the tines are so short that even a very small movement of the spring will change the pitch considerably, making tuning more difficult.  I find it much more effective for the highest notes to prop-up the harp assembly and use my fingers to move those top register springs very tiny amounts. Try gripping the spring between your thumb and forefinger and rotating it a bit while exerting a little pressure in the direction it needs to go. Actually, I prefer to use this "harp-up and use your fingers" method across the entire keyboard.  You don't have to "remove" the harp to do this. Just remove the two screws on either side of the harp, and tilt the harp back on its hinges until it stands up vertically on the harp blocks.

I can't advise on the best procedure for cutting tines, but I have found that rather than replacing "dull tines," often the issue is not the tine itself. Sometimes adding an extra spring to the escapement screw (the tonebar screw closest to the keys) works. Sometimes the pickup is weak or too far away. The strikeline can be off because a hammer tip has been glued slightly out of place. If the troublesome tine is in the top octave, a tonebar clip that adds a little mass may solve the issue. Sometimes the hammer tip is damaged and needs replacing. There are other possibilities, too.

If all that sounds mystifying or dizzying, I guess I'm just trying to warn you that replacing the tines may not be necessary -- or may not even solve the problem.

Want to learn something?  Swap one of the "dull" tine/tonebars with an adjacent one that works fine. Does it still sound dull in the new position?  Does the "good" tine still sound good?

Alan

One possibility: Suitcase pianos of this era are prone to intermittent failures caused by cold solder joints where plastic Molex connectors are soldered to the amp boards.

Take a look here and in the other threads mentioned in that discussion: https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=10048.msg55968#msg55968

If this is the problem, a soldering iron will fix it, and using a little hot glue to keep the connectors from coming loose again will keep the problem from recurring.

Alan

I have a '74 Stage with full wooden keys and a '72 Piano Bass with the "hollow" keys.  I can't say I really have a preference for the feel of one or the other. They are both fine.  Part of this may be that I have a studio full of vintage keyboards. Each has a different keyboard feel. So, I guess I've developed a tolerance for the variation among them.

However, I definitely have a preference for the look of the "hollow" keys.  My "hollow" keys have remained beautifully white over the years. The wooden keys turn yellow over time (either on the key fronts or the entire key, depending on the year). You can whiten the yellowed keys with several methods, some of which involve a substantial amount of labor (sanding and polishing the keys). Better to spend your time playing!

Beyond that, the feel of the keys is determined by more than the style of the keys. The design of the piano changed over the years, and how the piano is set up and maintained can make a big difference, too.

Some of the most celebrated Rhodes players of the 1970s made fabulous music playing pianos with the hollow keys. You can, too!

Alan

I think it's unlikely this is going to be an electro-mechanical piano. They sent out an email in which they mention the source of the "modeling" they are using. I suspect that the D in the 250D model name stands for digital. Don't forget that this tease is not coming from the US company that built the classic electric pianos. It's from a German company that acquired the Wurlitzer name long after the US company stopped building instruments.

Alan

That module does include a filter circuit, which may or may not be to your tastes. (It's described on the VV web page for it.) A friend who installed one ended up removing it.

Alan

Congrats on your new Rhodes!

You have the right instincts: Keep as much original as you can! Some of the modern replacement parts available are not high quality, and can change the character of the instrument.

If the grommets are original, they definitely need to be replaced. (And you should replace the grommet screws at the same time.) The rest is a matter of inspecting what you have. If the hammer tips are deeply grooved or deteriorated, you should replace them. (Just for guidance, my '74 still has its original tips. Mine has the square tips that you likely have, too, and they can be rotated 90 degrees to present a "new" surface to the tine if a few look heavily grooved.)  Are the damper felts in good condition, and do they do their job of stopping the tine when a key is released?  Do the keys have excessive side-to-side motion, which would indicate the need to replace the bushing felts? Do the pedestal felts look like they are in decent shape?

But beyond replacing parts, you'll want to make some adjustments, perhaps to the strikeline and the escapement. The Rhodes service manual can help you do this. If, after cleaning and making escapement adjustments, you find the action very heavy, you can consider adding a pedestal bump mod to lighten the action.

'72s can be great pianos. Enjoy yours!

Alan

Your "skirted" key caps (plastic on the sides of the keys, unlike the later keys which have bare wood on the sides) and what you call "hollow" keys are consistent with a 1972 Rhodes. But there were no factory pedestal bumps on '72s, so someone altered those keys. I believe this slanted pedestal is what Rhodes was using at that time: https://www.vintagevibe.com/products/fender-rhodes-keys-vintage-slanted-pedestal  I had those pedestals on a 1973 I owned, and the action was very heavy. So, adding a bump to the pedestals was a good idea, unless it was done poorly.

I don't think you'll ever know why someone drilled those extra holes.  There have been a lot of aftermarket preamps people installed over the years, which may have been installed on the right side of the name rail on yours.  Or the drilling might have been for do-it-yourself mods. Who knows?

Alan

'74 is an excellent year for a Rhodes. Some unfortunate changes to the design were made later -- in roughly the end of the summer of '75.You can get replacement tines from Vintage Vibe and other suppliers. On the quiet notes, you can tell if a pickup is dead by tapping the end with a screwdriver. If you don't hear a sound like you hear when you do that to other pickups, you may need to replace the pickup. But if some keys are just a bit quieter than others, you can loosen the pickup's screw, and slide it closer to the end of the tine. This is how you make the volume uniform across the keyboard.

The best place to start learning about your Rhodes is to study the service manual: https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/manual.html

Learn about your piano, and enjoy the process of fixing it -- and playing it!

Alan

Simon:

I enjoyed your very thorough review, and I loved the sound of the piano. Thanks for sharing this!

Alan

>>Which out do I use 300mV, 300mV low impedence, or 100mV>>

I use the 300mV (upper left-hand one) with my Peavey KB-100 amp, and it works quite well. But you could try them all, and see what works best for you.

Not sure what the ground plug is. I don't use it.

>>I'm just using a 2 prong extension cord. >>

The original is just a two-prong cord. 

>>Is it worth doing the shielding tape thing across the keys?>>

No. That process was invented by my friend (and Classic Keys co-author) David Robertson to ground the keys to eliminate the nasty static discharges caused when using the silicone replacement sticky pads sold by Clavinet.com.  The pads sold by Ken Rich are like the originals, and do not create a static discharge.  My Pianet N (with Ken Rich pads) plays without any of those stray noises or hum, without any added grounding of the keys or shielding. With the proper pads, the original design works just fine. The tape grounding also makes it very difficult to remove keys for cleaning or other maintenance.

Enjoy your new instrument!

Alan

So you mean my piano did not spring forth from Buz's brow like Athena from the head of Zeus? 

haha!

I had a '79 Stage for a long time. I loved the action, with the "factory bump," but it never had the warm, creamy tone I wanted. I'm now quite happily playing a '74 Stage. Good for you for using your experience on the '79 to work on the '72. Harold Rhodes always encouraged players to do their own work on these pianos.  They are pretty simple instruments!  I just figure that anything I do to mine takes me about 5 times as long as it would for an experienced tech. But with patience, you can achieve excellent results.

Alan

The whole Buz deal is a pleasant myth that refuses to die. Buz didn't build your piano. He was one of the QC guys at the end of the line who gave each piano a quick final check before it went to the shipping department. He might have made a minor adjustment or two on some of the pianos he checked. That's it. Buz-era pianos tend to be nicely built, but not because Buz did anything special. It was simply because Rhodes built good pianos in the early'70s, before CBS Fender went on a cost-cutting spree and pushed its assemblers to work faster.

There is no reason to worry that you will diminish its value by doing the maintenance it surely needs 50+ years into its lifetime. Nor is there any reason to believe that your piano is any better than those of the same year that other final inspectors peeked at before they released them.

Alan

Isn't that a 200 NOT a 200A with the speakers on the chassis not in the lid?

The earliest 200As had the speakers on the chassis, like on the 200s. Instrument manufacturers of the era were quite frugal, and tended to use up stocks of old parts rather than discard them. 

Alan

Good news! It's not supposed to hit the front rail felt. Here's a quote from The Rhodes Supersite from Steve Woodyard, who was a Rhodes engineer:

"Note that unlike an acoustic piano, the key is not to hit the guide rail felt washer or strip at the bottom of the keystroke. That felt is there for excessive key travel, to protect the key from being broken. If the key hits the guide felt before the hammer/pedestal stop lock action occurs, double-striking will occur."

Alan

My two cents:

Buy it if you love it, appreciate how unique it is, and are willing to put a lot of time and money into its restoration for your personal pleasure. Don't buy it as an investment. The lack of the original pedestal stand is a big deal, because it's a significant part of the look of the instrument. I don't think a serious collector would be interested in buying this from you except to use its parts to restore another instrument. The collector would know that the odds of ever finding an original stand for it are exceptionally low. And without the stand, it's not a showpiece.

That said, it's very cool!

Alan

Bob Weigel, sounddoctorin@gmail.com, has a wide assortment of keys and other vintage keyboard parts for sale.

Alan

Thanks for the review and insights...

I'm quite happy playing my beautiful'74 Rhodes Stage, which I bought it maybe eight years ago for roughly the cost of the sales tax on a nicely equipped Mark 8. But my hat is off to those who are building new tine pianos. Given the plentiful supply of vintage pianos, they took on a lot of risk to bring these new models to market. (They are fortunate, however, that the huge run-up in vintage Rhodes prices in recent years makes their new piano prices seem more reasonable than they might have appeared a decade ago.)

Just wondering: Have you also played the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano? If so, discounting the electronics built into some of the Mark 8s, did you prefer one over the other?

Alan

I lifted the resistors a little bit above the board and that helped a lot with the burning smell.  Makes sense that they shouldn't be in contact with anything when they're that hot!

And I'd love a copy of the service manual.  I'll pm you now.

Thanks again, this is super helpful!

Glad to help. I've sent the manual.

Alan

>>There's still a slight burning smell, but I'm thinking that's just the smell of the resistors getting hot, and that I didn't notice it before because the lid was always on?>>

Those resistors get very hot.  I've generally seen them mounted a bit above the board, presumably so they don't burn the board.

>>-The little cap that goes over the coupled LED/photoresistor came off.  Right now I have it taped onto the board, is there a better way to attach it?  >>

The original is an incandescent lamp. Maybe yours has been modified. I know Vintage Vibe was selling an LED replacement mod.  Maybe check with them? 

>>I'm attaching an image of a shield cable at the back of the piano that appears to have been cut.  Should I reattach it?>>

If the shielding on the 720A is accomplished like the 140B, that lid definitely needs a connection to ground. If you look closely at the extreme left of this photo (which is of a different Wurli model), you can see a braided ground cable that will make contact with the left edge of the lid when the lid is replaced. https://paleophone.net/?attachment_id=2035

>>As I mentioned, some keys need much more force to play than others.  Also some keys are not damping properly.  Is there a guide to performing this kind of maintenance?>>

Yes. The official service manual goes through this in great detail. I'd never regulated a piano before, but following the manual's instructions, my 140B now plays like a dream. Lubing the action centers is a great place to start before you start making let-off or lost motion adjustments. I tried to attach a copy, but it is larger than this forum will accept.  If you need one, send me a private message with your email, and I'll send it to you.

Alan

Regarding the hum, I'm not familiar with your console model, but on my 140B, the piano will hum badly when the lid is removed. The inside of the lid is painted with electrostatic paint, which provides shielding. The lid also is grounded by being tightened so it makes good contact with a braided cable under the lid.

Does the lid on your piano perform a similar shielding/grounding function?  Have you been testing your amp with the lid removed?

Beyond that, the 140B amp is an early solid state design. Re-building the amp will improve it, but some hum and hiss is to be expected. If you need yours to be dead silent for recording, you might want to explore a modern replacement amp from Retrolinear.com (their Warneck Research amps) or other suppliers.

Alan

A well-worthwhile pursuit!

(Apologies for the self-serving plug for Classic Keys, but David and I spent more than 7 years working on the book, and are quite proud of it.)

Alan

>>I might be wrong, but I believe the Vivi-Tone clavier was the first ever production electric keyboard instrument. >>

I'm not sure when the Vivi-Tone Clavier was introduced, but Loar didn't form the company until 1933, and did not apply for his first patent on the Clavier until a year later.  Efforts at electrifying pianos go back to the 1880s.Simon Cooper's Crea-Tone was introduced in 1930.  Benjamin Miessner patented his electronic piano in 1930. (His technology would later form the basis for the 1950's-era Wurlitzer Electronic Piano.) I'm not sure you would consider any of these to have been production models. But in 1931, Walther Nernst's Neo-Bechstein, with electro-magnetic pickups, was brought to market. During the 1930's, interest in developing electric pianos really takes off.

(And if your definition of "electric keyboards" would include organ-like devices, there would also be some that pre-dated Vivi-Tone.)

"Classic Keys: Keyboard sounds that launched rock music," a book I co-authored with David Robertson, has a considerable amount of text and photos about the earliest efforts to electrify keyboard instruments, as well as describing the technological, social and musical changes that made those instruments both possible and desirable.

Alan

 

Congratulation on the find.  Looks very nice!

Fred DiLeone, a talented tech who designed the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano, is very knowledgeable about these early Rhodes pianos, and may have parts you need. If you would like to contact him, send me a private message.

Alan

I've wasted so many 9v batteries forgetting to disconnect the battery/turn off the clav after playing.
Vance

Been there, done that, too!

Alan

Thanks Vance. I was quite happily using batteries, but I recently added a noise gate pedal, and the optimum setting of the pedal varies with the preamp output level. I figure that I'll get more steady output levels from an adapter (no battery drain effect) so I can set-and-forget the noise gate.

(BTW, I love my MXR Smart Gate pedal with the Clav. It makes an amazing reduction in the noise level -- and is "smart" enough to allow notes to sustain, too, without cutting them off.)

Alan

I know this is a long dormant thread, but...

I'd like to use a power adaptor with my D-6, but it's clear that the pin in the connecter built into the Clav is a smaller diameter than what you generally find today.  I have five modern, 9-volt, center negative adaptors, that work perfectly with pedals, but are very loose when I try them with the Clav.

Does anyone know the specs of the pin inside the Clav's connector, or have a suggestion for a power adaptor that fits it reasonably snugly?

Alan

>>Those don't look particularly healthy to me...>>

I agree. While they specifically mention some old parts that they say still have useful life in them, they didn't mention the grommets. Perhaps this is just something they are selling-off as-is, and the comments about the useful old parts may simply be to inform a buyer that some of the usual-suspect parts don't need replacement.

Alan   

I'd agree that the damper felts are a good candidate for replacement.

When you replace the grommets, I'd advise replacing their screws, too.  They can get bent, which throws everything out of alignment.

Alan

I definitely prefer VV's damper felts, and have experience with both. The Avion kit has extras, yes, but it's unlikely you have any need to replace bridle straps, for example. I agree with Alan - determine what would actually benefit from being replaced. e.g. Check: are the grommets pancaked and squashed, or crumbling? Are the damper felts floppy and falling off? Are the hammer tips badly beat up? (minor grooves don't count - new hammer tips begin to develop grooves almost immediately.) The attention you pay to optimizing the escapement and then the strikeline are the biggest variables by far, much more than replacing any parts.

David

What he said!!!

For me, it's hard to imagine that any Rhodes with original grommets doesn't need new grommets, and they are critical elements. But for the other parts, I'd encourage you to learn, examine and analyze before you start ripping out original parts.

Alan

A case in point: https://reverb.com/item/59682940-1974-fender-rhodes-mark-i-stage-73-electric-piano

Retrolinear, the seller, does amazing, fussy restorations of vintage keyboard instruments, often for top artists. But if you read the description of this Rhodes, it's clear that they've examined and decided to leave in place many of the original parts that are included in those refurb kits.

Obviously, every Rhodes is different decades after its "birth." But in many cases, sticking with some of these original parts is a good decision.


Alan

I'm not a fan of any of the refurb kits.  You should determine what parts need to be replaced on your pianos and only replace them.  I'm not saying that just because of the cost and time involved in replacing unnecessary parts. It's also because some of the modern replacement parts available today will change the character of your classic piano. As one leading tech once told me, you should have a good reason to replace any original part.

Alan

Looks like a great idea for someone who tunes a lot of reeds!

Alan

Some years ago, I rebuilt my 140B amp, replacing all the original small signal transistors with lower noise MPSA18 transistors. The MPSA18s were recommended to me by a leading EP tech. They do the job perfectly.

For the record, I have the second version of the 140B amp, which started with piano serial number 29091. I don't know whether it would make any difference if you have the earlier version of the amp.

Alan

One suggestion:

Many of the classic Wurli recordings you hear are of the piano playing through a guitar amp. My 140B is a creamy, mellow-sounding piano when played through its internal speaker. But when I play it through my Silverface Twin, it can be a nasty, metallic sounding beast. I used to own a 200A and it, too, was like a different instrument through the Twin.

So, if you've not played yours through a guitar amp, you might want to see if that gives you more of the sound you want.

Alan

If, as you say, everyone goes by the date on the pickup rail, they are simply mistaken. That date, in WWYY coding, is the date that Turbo Jet, a contractor for Fender, assembled the harp. As you say, it is typically several weeks to several months ahead of the final assembly date at the Rhodes plant. It is no more the piano's birth date than any date code you might find on any other component Fender bought from a supplier and installed in your piano.

So, there's no mystery at all: Your piano was assembled on the 14th week of 1976, on the second work day of the week. In other words, Tuesday, March 30, 1976. Bake a cake on that date every year, light some candles, and sing Happy Birthday to your Rhodes!

BTW, the pickup rail date is likely missing because it was often stamped lightly, and could easily have been washed away by a previous owner while cleaning the harp.

Alan

Regarding Buz, I think there has been a whole mythology built around him, probably because his name sounds cool.  The Vintage Vibe blog about him concludes:

 "Many years of studying Buz Watson pianos have led me to believe that it was in fact the magical era of Fender Rhodes and not the man who stamped the pianos that made the Buz pianos so sought after. Although he certainly contributed to the greatness of this era at the factory, in the end it comes down to Fender hitting their optimal stride in 1972."

I agree with this. Beyond that, over 50 years, a Rhodes piano has wood and rubber parts that can swell, harden, wear-out, break,crack, contract, etc. Techs and players may have made all sorts of adjustments, for better or worse. It's not the same piano today that it was when it left Fullerton. Buying a Rhodes piano because Buz did the final inspection of it is like buying a used car today because a good mechanic cared for it in the 1970s.

But that said, with the right parts and adjustments, your '72 has the potential to be a great piano. Take your time. Read the Rhodes manual carefully. Make it sing!

Alan

I'm not aware of anyone who manufactures modern replica reeds for the 140, so I believe you'd have to find NOS reeds, or reeds from a parts piano. Unless someone here has a stash, I think your best path would be to start contacting some of the better-known vintage key tech shops (Retrolinear, Chicago Electric Piano Co., Ken Rich Sounds, Tropical Fish Vintage, Electronic Edge, etc.)  They tend to have parts pianos around, and might have what you need.

Alan

I can't read Harold's mind, but as someone who has worked much of his life as a writer and editor, I couldn't resist a little research. Dictionaries generally do not list "tyne" as an acceptable spelling variant of "tine." But Wikipedia defines "tines" in this way:

"Tines (/ˈtaɪnz/; also spelled tynes), prongs or teeth are parallel or branching spikes forming parts of a tool or natural object.[1] "

The footnote references the Oxford English Dictionary, which I can't access without paying a subscription fee.  Best guess is that "tyne" is an archaic British spelling that the massive and tradition-bound Oxford dictionary still recognizes as acceptable. So, maybe Harold just decided to join the 20th Century.

Alan

These were made in different dimensions in different years. See this thread:  https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5583.0 . So you'll need to get a drawing of the one that matches your piano.

Alan

re: Alan's twin

Absolutely love the sound of a Fender Twin. I used to have one but also have a Dual Showman which is essentially the same amp in a head form. Following Alan, many guitar players are not interested in such powerful amps so the prices are much more affordable. I actually like an "overpowered" amplifier for at home levels because you get a completely uncompressed sound. That said, it is nice to push the tubes a little bit without getting phone calls from the neighbours.

My Twin has a master volume circuit, so I guess that presents some opportunity to get a little tube distortion without blowing my house off its foundation.  But I just love a clean Rhodes sound.

Alan

Here's a kind of unconventional viewpoint on this:

I'm using my Rhodes with a Silverface Fender Twin Reverb, for at-home use only.  Why would I want such a powerful amp? When I was amp shopping, it appeared that prices have been bid up to crazy levels for the smaller, less powerful vintage Fender tube amps that are all the rage for guitarists who want to get an overdriven sound at reasonable volumes.  In their world, a Twin Reverb gets no "tone" until it's at deafening levels. And if you gig, the Twin is very heavy.

I found a beautiful vintage Twin Reverb at a lower price than I would have paid for a comparable, lower-powered vintage Fender amp.  My Twin volume never goes beyond 3 in my home music room. But who cares?  I get the beautiful, clean sound I want, and excellent reverb and tremolo.  The 2-12s handle the bass of the Rhodes nicely. The Twin sounds great with my Wurli, too. So, I am quite happy being grossly "over-amped."

I can't say this is a solution for others, but I thought I'd share...

Alan

Passing along some words of wisdom I got from one of the nation's best vintage keys techs:  Don't replace anything on a Rhodes without having a good reason for doing so.  This isn't just to save you time and money.  There are a lot of bad replacement parts on the market that will change the character of the instrument.  (And for the record, this guy actually manufactures and sells replacement Rhodes parts, so he's speaking against his own financial interests.) 

Alan

Thanks for your reply, Sean. I should have known that VV had a solution for this. The legs and other parts I knew they made, but I wasn't aware of the PS. With a little luck, a can do all of this (as well as maybe a miracle mod) and have the piano on legs with sustain pedal and dual channel trem and vibrato for its 50th birthday. I have a couple years 

If your piano was a 1973 model, the action likely would feel desperately heavy to you, and you'd definitely want to do a bump mod.  But after careful cleaning, lubing and adjustments, my 1974 Stage plays beautifully without a bump mod. Make no mistake: It plays like a Rhodes, not like a synth.  But you might want to get other things in order before you buy a bump kit.

BTW, this 12-year-old post by Sean is still, in my mind, the gold standard checklist for restoring a Rhodes:  https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=5721.msg28106#msg28106

Alan

Your piano was "born"  on Aug. 21, 1974. That was a great era for Rhodes parts and assembly quality.

The 3443 stamp is its final assembly date stamp.  The code is:  week of the year (34); year (4='74) and day of the work week (3=Wednesday).

The transition to the Rhodes-only branding came in '73 for student pianos, but the other models made the transition in '74.  During that transition, they made a lot of pianos with Fender-Rhodes branding on the outside badges and Rhodes-only serial number stickers, just like yours. (I have a June '74 Stage piano that's also branded in that way.)  They were a frugal company: They must have decided to use up their supply of Fender Rhodes badges before making the change to the new outside branding, even though they had already moved on to Rhodes-only serial number stickers.

Another way to verify that it's a '74:  A '73 would have had keys with plastic "skirts" on the sides of each key, and slightly rounded tops. I'm betting yours has bare wood on the sides of the keys, flat tops -- and the front of the keys are more yellow than the tops.  These are the kinds of keys they were using in mid-'74.

It's subjective, but yours is in my favorite era of Rhodes pianos.  Enjoy it!

Alan

Good luck with your project.  Post some photos when you're done!

Alan

The original paint was a unique Zolatone-brand speckled paint, which was often used in car trunks and Airstream trailers in the 1950s. It was sprayed on, and contained little colored particles that "exploded" upon impact with a surface.  The company is still in business. https://www.zolatone.com/  I think it's unlikely that you'll find the same color available today, however, and it takes professional spray equipment (and probably some skill and experience) to get the job done right. For that reason, the leading vintage keys shops tend to send out instruments that need re-painting to piano shops, and typically have them painted in solid colors. I've not ever heard of a Wurli being restored in recent years with actual Zolatone paint, but maybe someone has.

Some hobbyists have tried spray paints like this:  http://www.hobbylinc.com/testors-fx-spray-enamel-texture-sand-2-9-oz-hobby-and-model-enamel-paint-79601?source=froogle&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNiMBhCxARIsAIDDKNXd7C33IwZNWBrc_ZBzr55mGdMDsAXGSRQYqMj70ij-RIEOFR5a0_IaAjKWEALw_wcB  They come in various shades, some of which are sort of in the spirit of the original, but don't match it.  I can't speak to the results you'd get from using a rattle can.

If it were my piano, and it needed a full paint job, I'd probably send it to a pro, and have it painted a beautiful glossy white or black.

Alan

Steve, not very many 145s were manufactured, and not enough sell in any given year to really determine a market price.  (I don't see a single one in the Reverb and eBay sold listings.) I would caution that uncommon does not equal valuable.  The 145Bs, which were a significant improvement over the 145 design, seem to go for about $2,000 to $2,500.  So maybe ask something in that range -- but the seller should be prepared to accept significantly less, especially if it's being sold for pickup only, and isn't in a city with lots of musicians.

Alan

They say they are making 50 pianos per month -- so these will be rare birds (compared to maybe 50 pianos a day from the original Rhodes factory in its heyday).  So it's more of a custom shop approach at custom shop prices.  That also puts pressure to keep the wait time short or build more and risk quality issues, or, if marketing isn't strong enough, suffering even a small decline in orders against their target quota to put their operation at financial risk.

I agree with most of what you've said here. One added insight: In some of the better sales years, with the "benefit" of the CBS bean-counters standing next to assemblers with stop watches to encourage their productivity, the Rhodes factory was producing 100 pianos a day, and working five days a week. So, the production disparity between the companies is even greater than you suggest. CBS Fender was at times producing as many pianos in a week as the new Rhodes folks are planning for their first year. 

Alan

>>A proper restore is easily a 100-120 hour job for a competent tech.
Be prepared to spend, and BEWARE anyone quoting sub $5-7k on restoration costs..>>

Ouch!   

Alan