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Hey y'all,

I'm working on chopping a 1978 suitcase 73 down to 49 keys to gig with. The suitcase was missing speakers and the amp was broken. I've chopped everything and it's back together.

The part I haven't tackled yet is the pickups. It had a bunch of dead ones to start so first I need to test them. Am I correct that you can just measure resistance with a multimeter to see if the pickup works?

The second part is, how would I go about wiring them together? Because I know wiring patterns are important and there's no information on wiring patterns for 49 keys.

Any help or advice is welcome!
Wesley

Yes I guess the headphone out is what I was calling amp out.

I just discovered though, that the aux out has a good line level output that's not distorted if I put a dummy 1/4" in the headphone out. I'm guessing this takes care of the amp resistance issue. I'm not sure why the aux out is line level (it can drive headphones with plenty of volume), but it is working well for what I need.

The headphone out is still totally distorted and is not affected by putting a dummy jack in the aux out.
I'm just going to use the aux out for now. Not a complete fix but fixed enough. Unless someone has advice on how to actually fix the issue in which case I will fix it.

Update:
So I got a new (old) amp installed and the terrible cracking firework noises are gone but the output on the aux out and amp out are too hot. The aux is usable and only sort of distorted but the amp out is way too distorted for general use. My guess is that I need a resistor on the speaker out (I'm not using speakers) but I don't know where the speaker pins on the amp are because there aren't any labeled. Can anyone confirm my theory of the amp resistance or have any other ideas why the sound is too driven? It sounds like it was gained up way too much and is distorting/clipping. I have checked the scrolling wheels on the the amp and set them as low as possible. Thanks anyone who has advice on this.

Hey everyone,
I'm working on chopping a student Wurlitzer 214 and was almost done but I ran into an issue. Got everything out back together but now the output is crackling really bad. It wasn't messed up before the chop so I must have done something wrong. I did put an 8omh resistor on the speaker wires. Does anyone have advice on how to fix this before I have to go and buy a new amp? Thanks!

Here's a video of the issue:
https://youtube.com/shorts/3_GLNDtlbhM?feature=share

Edit: I found a good deal on an original but good condition amp so I'm just going to replace it. Hopefully that fixes the issue.

I've contacted Avion. They're not sure what it is yet but I'm guessing it was damaged in shipping. I was running out of the power amp into a PA and also tried headphones.

I bought the Peterson power amp box from Avion. Haven't been able to find  a suitcase yet.

I ended up taking a small risk of not knowing exactly what to do and I just cut the 1/4 out. That seems to have worked. I'm still getting some ground noise and the volume doesn't work on the preamp so I'll have to figure those out but I successfully got rid of the 1/4" out.

Ok here's an update and some more questions. I have been working on the restoration process. I have everything put back together and it's playing well. The key noise is very quiet now after new hammer tips and replacing all the felts. I got the preamp serviced by Avion Studios and it sounds great. Still haven't done anything about cosmetics but I'm very pleased with how it's sounding.

Ok here's my question, sorry if it's dumb I just don't know about this. The person who owned the piano before me added a 1/4 out in addition to the rca out. I want to remove the 1/4 out because I don't need it and I think it is adding noise. Also the volume knob on my preamp isn't working and I think it because of how the 1/4 plug is soldered in. Can anyone explain what I need to do, like where each wire is supposed to go? I added a picture, the black wire going off to the right is the 1/4" and the grey wire on the left is the ground which goes under a screw on the damper rail. I've never soldered but I have a friend who can help me. I just don't know where each wire is supposed to go. Thanks for the help.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dgfBnRgcc95orXL4p0mMjAPw28emOo84/view?usp=drivesdk

Ok thanks for the explanation. I may end up sending it to VV for service because I don't have any local techs and I don't think I can do it myself.

Thanks for your responses. I'll keep my eye open for speaker cabs but I'm going to worry about that later. I would like to have a complete suitcase (my other is a 1978 stage) but I have a lot of work to do before I get to that point anyway. I think you are right about the key noise to, I'll see how it is after new hammer tips and front and back rail felts.

I'm sorry I don't fully understand what you mean about the preamp. I know very little about them. Could you explain it a bit more? Did the later Peterson's have build in power supplies and that was added to mine? I don't have a modified cable for it. I could always just install a new preamp if this one is unusable but I would like to get it working.

Thanks for the help!

Hello again,
I'm back with more questions after purchasing my second Rhodes yesterday. It is very beat up on the outside but the harp is in great condition (besides being 50 years old - needs to be adjusted and voiced). Needs re-tolexing, it's missing some handles and a logo, and the harp cover is cracked. All easy enough fixes, I'm just glad it has almost zero rust and only one broken tine. Needs some action work too. It is a 13th week 1972 and seems to be a suitcase top without the speaker cab. The interesting thing is that it has "Buz Watson" stamped on the harp, and according to VV, Buz only stamped stage models. I'm fairy certain its a suitcase because the bottom of the case's wood is thinner than my stage and the sustain pedal hole is different (see pic) and it has a preamp. Has anyone heard of a Buz Watson Suitcase? I don't know if it matters much, but VV made it sound like Buz pianos are more sought after than other years or models. Mostly just asking out of curiosity.

A few other questions:

Is there any way to test the preamp that only has a 4 pin connector output without buying a power amp like the ones VV sells? I'd like to figure out if it works without spending $150-250 on a power amp.

Is it worth trying to find a speaker cab to pair with it or should I just fully convert it to a stage model? How hard are the cabinets to find, or is it possible to build one myself?

Is there any way to make the key noise quieter? It's not a problem if I'm running the amp loud but I'm not always able to crank the volume at home.

For re-tolexing, does anyone have an opinion on buying precut vs rolls? The precut is much more expensive but I don't know how difficult it is using the roll of tolex.

Thanks for the help again, you guys are super helpful
Wesley

Thanks for the advice,

So I might be happiest with the vintage vibe stereo vibe preamp? Is this usually paired with an amp or just a speaker cabinet? The stereo headphone jack seems nice because I play a lot through headphones. It's a little pricy for a preamp but it seems high quality.

Hi everyone,

I just got my first Rhodes about a month ago and have finished working on it. It plays nicely now and sounds decent but I'm looking for amp to improve the sound. Right now I'm playing it through a Studio V3 tube preamp and a Champion 100, both of which I already owned. I'm not in a position where it is logical to spend $1000 on a twin reverb (which I couldn't push above 1-2 on volume in my house) so I'm wondering what I can do to get a better sound. The champion sounds muddy for my liking and I can't EQ the low mids out while keeping a clean full sound. The effects are also terrible.

Here are the options I have compiled - I'm having a hard time deciding:

- Keeping the tube preamp and the Champion but adding an MXR 10 band EQ and maybe some effect pedals
- Upgrading to small fender tube amp such as the hot rod deluxe or blues junior (around $500)
- Vox Tonelab - I've heard good things about this but I can't find the vintage keys edition
- An amp sim on my computer - I would prefer hardware but it's still an option

I'm leaning towards the Tonelab but there is almost no info on it paired with a Rhodes. It's small and affordable. It has a nice effects section too. Does anyone have experience with the Tonelab and is there a best model for the Rhodes?

Thanks for the help
Wesley

Thanks for the advice. If I use evaporust on the tone bars, will I need to re-coat them with something for protection? I've seen your posts on using krylon acrylic paint. I don't really mind how the tone bars look but if I'm already taking off the tines to clean them I might as well clean up the tone bars.

Wesley

Thanks for the reply Sean. I didn't realize that key escapement could be adjust by both  the tone bars and the harp supports so thanks for clearing that up. The refurb kit comes tomorrow so I'll be busy with that for a few days.

A few questions on rust: How much rust does it take to actually affect tone/longevity of the Rhodes? I'm not worried about how it looks but I do want the best tone possible. I attached a photo of the rust on the tines and tone bars (sorry about quality- had to heavily compress it). It just looks like surface rust to me. Should I try sanding it down with very light sandpaper soaked in kerosene? I've seen some posts about that.

Thanks for the help!
Wesley

First, thanks to everyone on this forum for the posts and information. It helped me know what I was getting and the value when I picked up my first Rhodes. I found a good deal on a 1978 Mk 1 73 and picked it up a couple days ago. It is in great cosmetic condition but it hasn't been servicing in a long time if ever. I can't find anyone locally who services these so I'm going to do what I can even though I have no experience. All the keys and pickups work, no broken tines, and it's in tune. That being said, the action could use some work and I'm sure it needs new grommets, hammer tips, damper felts, etc. The issue with the action is that it is not sensitive to light key presses. I'm guessing this is due to the key escapement but there could be other issues. Is key escapement a difficult thing to adjust for a beginner? I watched Vintage Vibe's video on it and it seems doable. One issue is that my model has metal harp brackets (if that's what they're called) where as the video's are wood. There is a thin piece of wood (1/8 inch) on top of the metal that I could trim down or totally remove but I don't know if that's okay to do. The distance from the hammer to tine when the lowest key is fully pressed down (but not to aftertouch) is about half an inch. Beyond the action, I am planning on getting Vintage Vibe's refurb kit to replace the grommets, hammer tips, and damper felts. After that I will voice and tune. Last question, I'm confused about what tonebar escapement is and how to do it. I've seen a couple vintage vibe videos where they put a measuring block under the tonebar and tighten the screw to that height. Is this necessary and if so what height is it? Any advice on these procedures would be greatly appreciated, especially figuring out the key escapement. I can attach pictures if anything wasn't explained well. I also might have been confusing because I don't know all of the parts and their names. Thanks for any advice!