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http://www.fenderrhodesstory.com/

hi all!  hope everyone is doing well...

i've recently recorded a tune, and after mixing, i've noticed something.  it appears as though the stereo ping pong on my rhodes track has become less prominent.  i am assuming this is due to compression (too much, perhaps?), but i'm not sure.

has this happened to anyone here?  if so, what steps would you suggest i take to avoid losing the effect on future mixes?

p.s. - before anyone asks, yes - i did track the rhodes in stereo.  :lol:

hi all!  long time since i last posted.  hope everyone is doing well.  

i'm working on a recording at the moment.  i laid down the rhodes track last night, and overall, i'm quite pleased with it.  however, in one or two spots it sounds a little distorted (unintentionally).  i've heard a few people over the years insist that a little distortion is not a bad thing and in some cases even desirable with electric pianos.  i'm happy with the performance and would prefer not to recut it.  once i flesh it out a bit, i'll do a rough mix and post it, but for now, i wouldn't mind hearing some general opinions on this matter.

if you hear a little bit (but not an excessive amount) of distortion on a rhodes, are your ears offended by it?

my rhodes has been stretch tuned pretty much ever since i've owned it.  i had heard so many great things about stretch tuning - that it was the way all tunable instruments were meant to sound and equal tempered tuning, by contrast, sounds dull and "wrong".  i had also read an interview with donald fagen in which he revealed that he insists on stretch tuning his instruments and makes every effort to utilize digital synthesizers as little as possible because "they're out of tune and listening to records made with them makes me feel like my head is in a vice."  while that statement seems a little pendantic, i figured that if stretch tuning is good enough for my musical hero, fagen, then damn it, it's good enough for me.  i decided to give it a go.

trouble is, when i play sometimes (particularly with a band), my rhodes still sounds out of tune to me.  no one has told me that the piano sounds out of tune; in fact, everyone tells me the thing sounds great.  nonetheless, i'm a little insecure about it and am considering retuning to equal temperament.

has anyone else dealt with this?  if so, did you try, try again or throw in the towel after a while and retune?  please share your experiences.

been doing a few gigs recently during which i was hearing a lot of the lovely and oh-so desirable cell phone buzz coming from my amp.  not sure what i can do to minimize this.  anyone have a similar experience?  what can i begin to do about it?  

by the way, band members' cell phones are silenced during the set...at least that's what they told me.   :evil:

Do those of you who prefer the Roland JC amps to the Twin actually gig with this setup, or is this just your practice/studio rig? I'm curious because I'd like to know which setup is more ideal for playing live with a band lineup containing a guitarist. As I've read in the various debates on this forum, the fact that we're talking guitar amps can make for some frequency competition with guitarists and their amps. So which amp would be better for my Rhodes in this particular situation?

I'm sure y'all have seen this one by now:


http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Rhodes-Piano-1960s-Tremolo-Pre-Amp-EQ_W0QQitemZ150048135065QQihZ005QQcategoryZ29552QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Anyone had a chance to use one yet?

a great singer / songwriter / pianist.  calling him a cross between donny hathaway and stevie wonder would be appropriate, but he is a unique soul artist unto himself.

plays rhodes at all his live shows (which, btw, are amazing) and on many of his recordings.  he has also rebuilt many rhodes pianos over the years.  he's personally shown me pics of his workroom.  he's worked on all kinds.

here's a few links to check out:

frank's homepage:  http://www.frankmccomb.info/

you tube clips from a recent performances:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol9cI87JxCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-L79_dORLI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nXWt56mRSc

a terrific "rhodes" artist!  

[Speakeasy preamp:]

Hello!  I'm glad to be here, and I hope you all will welcome me to the wonderful world of the Fender Rhodes.

I recently purchased a 1972 Fender Stage.  No frills, but for an instrument this old, it was in about as good condition as I've seen.  I spent the better part of 7 or 8 months searching for the right buy, and this one just seemed right for me.

I have a seperate 1973 model Stage to use for parts.  In addition, I'm planning on building a rig for this thing, and this is where you guys come in.

I'm gonna try to list everything I want to add to my Rhodes arsenal, and I'll let you experienced folk  tell what you think I'm doing right...and wrong.

This is my current plan for the Stage:

1. Speakeasy preamp: the $100.00 one; I don't know if this preamp is powerful enough to D.I. the Rhodes through a P.A./monitor system in a live situation; some say yes, others no way...what do you guys think?  I'm also aware of the problems some of you have had with Speakeasy.  Are there more efficient preamps on the market that are as easy to use (plug 'n' play) as this one?  I'm trying to find something fairly inexpensive, but if I have to spend, I have to spend.  Bear in mind that, for live purposes, I won't be using an amp...just this.

2. Tremolo effect pedal: I was thinking either the Electro Harmonix Pulsar or the new Voodoo Labs Tremolo pedal.  I'm aware that certain preamps also contain tremolo effects, but price is an issue for me, and I thought this would be more cost effective.  Tremolo is essential, imho, to the Rhodes sound, and these two pedals sound about as close to the sound I'm looking for as I've demoed so far.  Anybody have any experience with these?  Any mods I need to make to them before using them?  What about order of placement in the chain...is that an issue?

3. MXR Phaser 90: The previously posted threads on this pedal have informed me of quite a bit regarding this pedal, so I've already felt confident enough to purchase one.  It hasn't arrived yet, but at least I'll know what to do when it does (thanks to you guys!).  Any further tips would be appreciated.

That's pretty much everything for the time being.  I do plan on adding delay, overdrive and possibly a wah to the chain, but I think this is more than enough to get me started.

Any and all comments (including those of the  "what the hell do you call that?" type...lol) are welcomed and encouraged.  Thanks for being around.


-SWANG