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1

Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / Rocketman movie, has anyone else seen it?

« on: June 02, 2019, 10:39:07 AM »

I went to see Rocketman, the other day, and although it did have some good bits, a lot of it was made up B.S., and it is NOT a biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody.

No major spoilers, but I do want to say the way they have Elton come up with his last name is FALSE.

He took Elton from Elton Dean, the sax player, and John from "Long John" Baldrey, the lead singer of the band Elton was in. They got 1/2 right in the movie. There is no mention of John Baldrey, probably for legal reasons.

Elton and Bernie met at least 1 year if not 2 years before shown in the movie. 1969 is incorrect.

The Elton John album was NOT his first album. It was the first to get popular, but he recorded and released Empty Sky before that, plus several sessions when he recorded songs like Lady Samantha, It's Me That you Need, Just like Strange Rain, Rock and Roll Madonna, and believe it or not, MANY cover songs. This stuff was eventually released, but the cover songs are hard to find. At least they did briefly show the Empty Sky LP cover in the movie. This album had 2 different covers, I don't remember which was the original UK cover, but they show the more common one of Elton sitting at a piano (drawing)

There is no mention of Davey, Dee, Nigel, Caleb Quaye, Roger Pope, Ray Cooper or any other band members. There are 3 guys in the background that slightly resemble Davey, Dee and Nigel in a few scenes.

There are other things I have issues with, but don't want to give away too much.

I would appreciate anyone else's take if you've seen this movie too. (Pun intended)

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Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / Re: On a serious note: A plea for help for a fellow musician January 2019 update

« on: January 27, 2019, 12:05:01 PM »

Hi guys, I have an update to report, almost 5 years later.

Joe's widow is in serious financial trouble. (Joe was my drummer and songwriting partner from 1975-2014) If you could at least read her story and pass it along through Facebook, I would really appreciate it. ANY small donation, $5, $10, even $2. Any amount will help her out, but passing it along on Facebook may help more than anything. The more people that see this, the better.

Please go to GoFundMe.com, and search for the campaign called "please help my friend's widow replace her furnace"

The fundabilities fundraiser is long gone, this GoFundMe is a recent fundraiser that Candace isn't even aware of yet. She can't collect Joe's social security for another year, and if you read the story, you will see that her employer has cut her hours since minimum wage went up. She is trying to support herself on less than $150/week....

I urge everyone to please, at least look at the story and click the "share on Facebook" button.

Thank you,

Steveo

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Viscount home digital piano- stopped working (Not mine)

« on: April 26, 2018, 07:06:32 PM »

Does anyone here know anything about Viscount home digital pianos?
My sister bought one a few years ago despite me begging her to buy a Yamaha, or other decent brand.
She called me today and said it stopped working and has all kinds of strange messages on the screen. I told her to unplug it overnight and see what happens tomorrow.
My guess is that her toddler grandson did something to it -like spilled a drink, or stuck something into an opening....

The cheap always comes out expensive...

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Does anyone know the value of a near mint Roland EP7?

« on: October 30, 2017, 07:24:10 AM »

I have a Roland EP7 that I bought brand new, and is in near mint condition. I have the music rack, power supply, sustain pedal, and aim pretty sure I have the owner's manual but have to look. The string sound is great on this keyboard, and the piano is really decent, especially when used with the built in chorus. The Rhodes sound is awful ( that electronic Roland '80's sound) It also has vibraphone and church organ. It has 76 keys. Can be used as a midi controller. The only one on eBay is for parts only and is $99. Can anyone guess as to it's value or should I list it and see what I can get? $200? $150?

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For Sale / Wurlitzer 140 TOP ONLY

« on: October 14, 2017, 05:06:23 PM »

I was cleaning my basement today and found a top ( less music rack) for a Wurlitzer 140. If anyone has any interest in buying this, make me an offer. I will need to ship it as well unless you live near Albany, NY. This does not have holes in left side for mounting the controls. It is from a model that had the controls in the cheek block. I no longer own the rest of the piano. Any reasonable offer will be accepted. Starting to downsize in case we move in the next couple of years...
I can't post pictures unless I send them to Cormac first..

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Yamaha P255 digital piano vs P115

« on: October 11, 2017, 02:48:54 PM »

Hey does anyone here own or use a Yamaha P255 digital piano? They cost twice as much as my P 115 which I was perfectly happy with until one day I tried to connect my vintage keys rack module to it and discovered that it has no midi jacks! I wish that I realized this before I bought it. Now I am thinking of upgrading to the P255 but want to know if other features will help justify the double price tag!

Any thoughts?

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / John Lennon Wurlitzer sighting on NBC news today

« on: August 21, 2017, 06:58:24 AM »

NBC just ran a story about Jerry Lewis and showed a very quick clip of John playing Imagine on a telethon. John was playing a Wurlitzer 200 or 200A, year unknown. It was an earlier model, no Wurlitzer logo on the back. It did have the # 46 and some stenciled on wording, so I think it was a rental from a music store.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / A Rhodes will be on Pawn Stars tonight

« on: April 24, 2017, 07:27:22 AM »

I was just looking at the guide for tv shows tonight and noticed that the second new episode of Pawn Stars (History Channel) will feature a "1980's Rhodes". It will be interesting to see what non experts value this piano at..

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / A funny thing happened at a piano tuning call today....

« on: February 27, 2017, 08:15:18 PM »

I went to a church today to tune an acoustic piano. When I walked into the room, I was surprised to see a variety of organs, a mini moog, and in the far corner, a Rhodes 54. Now I've said many times on here that I just don't see many eps around here anymore, so I was pleasantly surprised. I told the guy who let me in that if they need any mechanical repairs on the Rhodes, I can help them with that. He said, "well, there is something wrong...."  I played all keys, and the lowest 15-20 or so keys were not playing well and making a loud racket, and a couple of the keys were stuck down. I asked him if he wanted me to take a quick look at it when I finished with the piano, and he said yes.

It turned out to have a drumstick laying across the backs of the bass keys, and a piece of plastic found its way under a couple of the keys, preventing them from returning. I removed the items, cleaned the key tops quickly, and he was very happy. I told him that it now works, and if they want me to come back to tune it, I can do that. I just never know what I'm going to find on a service call....

The piano was in very good shape, btw. Needs some TLC, cleaning, tuning and adjustments, but otherwise pretty good. I wish that it was for sale, but it's not.

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Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / I saw Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook last night in Troy,NY

« on: December 17, 2015, 07:38:36 AM »

Difford and Tilbrook of Squeeze played a semi unplugged show near me last night. My buddy scored 2nd row seats. The people in front of us brought their well behaved children, so nobody blocked our view- it was awesome to say the least. Glenn had a home made keyboard stand, and the only sound he used was a Wurli. Being so close to the stage, I knew it wasn't real for many reasons, but the dead give away was that there was no sustain pedal cable in the middle, just the wire from an electronic pedal coming out along with the audio and power cables. We were fortunate enough to meet them after the show, and I asked Glenn if he was using a Korg SV-1 and he didn't really seem to know what it was, it could have been a Nord. He said it was a red digital keyboard.

They played acoustic and electric guitars,a ukelele, the keyboard, and only had one new song with some pre-recorded backing vocals and tambourine track. The rest of it was just the two of them, and they recorded the show and had CDs available at the end! I bought one and they both signed it. I just wish that I brought a camera with me. (I don't own a traditional cell phone)

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / I had an interesting service call today...

« on: October 27, 2015, 08:09:34 PM »

I don't like to "kiss and tell" but I did a pro gig today that some of you may be interested in. I tuned a piano for The Dead & Co. I was told that the Hammond and other vintage keys belonged to Pig Pen. I'm not 100% positive, but they were pretty beat up and the crew member was pretty confident they were his. There was a mini moog ( I think- I've never been into synths) on top of a clavinet, on top of a Mark1 suitcase, next to a Hammond with a Leslie, but it looked smaller than a B3 to me. The piano I tuned was a Yamaha. I have to go back on Thursday to retune it for the show. Today was for rehearsals.

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Keyboard gig bags made by Fusion

« on: February 23, 2015, 01:41:18 PM »

Does anyone here own a Fusion keyboard bag? If so, do you like it? Hate it? Love it?

I am looking at different bags for my small Yamaha (61 key) keyboard just to make it easier to lug up and down the stairs, and the rare times when I need to take it somewhere.

So far, I like the Fusion bags the most, but I am only going by website pictures and descriptions. Gator doesn't seem to have a bag that is in the right size range for me. Either too large or too small...

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Is there a current market for the KMC 1?

« on: June 18, 2014, 05:32:02 PM »

I have a lead on a KMC or 2, and I need to know if they are easy to sell or not worth the aggravation. Also, any idea of what these could sell for?  I am unsure of the current condition.

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For Sale / Wurlitzer 206A now listed for sale

« on: June 10, 2014, 04:23:00 PM »

Hi all, I have listed my friend's 206A on EBay. Item # 221462641001.
Sorry, I have no idea how to add links with an iPad...

Please remember, I have never owned this piano and have not done much other the basic maintenance. It is not fully restored, but all works pretty well. I repaired the pedal.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221462641001

[moderator] Added Ebay link

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / I need a pedal cable for a Wurlitzer 206A

« on: June 06, 2014, 04:25:43 PM »

Does anyone have a stock pedal cable for a 206A for sale, or know how to retro fit a bike cable to make it work?

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Is anyone looking for a Wurlitzer 206A? (pick up in upstate NY)

« on: June 02, 2014, 09:03:21 PM »

As some of you know, my best friend passed away a month ago, and his Wurli 206A will be for sale soon. If anyone here is interested in it, please PM me with offers. His wife needs cash. He had no life insurance.

I know it needs a pedal cable. I do not think it needs anything else. You will need to pick it up in Schenectady, Ny (near thruway exit 25) it is on a first floor. It. Is not quite ready- I need to help his wife move some things out of the room it is in, then I will check it out. It worked fine last I knew other than the pedal cable.

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Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / On a serious note: A plea for help for a fellow musician

« on: March 06, 2014, 08:20:43 AM »

To all members:

My drummer, Joey Fitz, needs help from anyone who can. About 10 days ago, he fell down his basement stairs and broke his arm just below the shoulder, and his BACK. Thankfully, he is not paralyzed. He is still in the hospital, and has a long recovery and very high medical bills ahead. Joe was forced to go on permanent disability a couple of years ago, and he no longer can drive a car. His diabetes is causing him to lose his eyesight slowly, and has caused many other medical problems that have required surgery.

Joe is in his 50's, and was once a world class drummer, a decent lead and rhythm guitarist, a basic keyboard player, ( he owns a wurli and used to own a Rhodes) and he and I have been writing songs together since 1975. Joe's wife can only work part time due to her own medical issues. They do have basic health insurance, but their deductibles are high. They inherited a modest house a few years ago, and their furnace needs replacing also. ( it is too old to get parts for) on top of that, their roof is leaking. Their furnace has stopped working twice in the past week. It is still below zero here at night.

I am setting up two online fundraisers for these fine folks. One for any size donation- $1.00 and up, will be through Paypal. The other will be through Fundabilities.com. I believe their minimum donation is $25. If you can find it in your hearts to help these folks, it would be greatly appreciated. Any amount will help. If you are interested, PM me and I will tell you how to send through Paypal, or snail mail for checks.

These donations will be tax deductible for some people.

Please do not go to Fundabilities yet, it should be set up in a few days. I will try to remember to edit this post when it is ready. Please PM me for more info, and thank you all in advance.

I assure you this is a legit cause,not just people trying to raise money for personal gain.

******OK the PAYPAL donations can now be made!! ********

Send Paypal donations as a gift to: mymerlie@gmail.com



Please PM me for instructions. If everyone here only donated $2 each, they would probably raise enough for their furnace! Please help, $1,$2,$5,$7 whatever you can afford would be GREATLY appreciated!


P.S. I did get permission from Cormac to post this.



Steveo

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For Sale / Wurlitzer tops for sale

« on: June 05, 2013, 10:50:23 AM »

I was cleaning my basement and I have found my last two Wurlitzer 206 tops, that I am willing to part with. One is stock Tan, the other is painted Burgundy.

These do not have faceplates.

It is time to let these go. I accept paypal, and am open to offers, but PLEASE keep in mind that on average, it costs me about $80 to ship one in the continental U.S. about $15 in box/ packing, and around $65 average shipping. I can do local pickup in upstate NY, near Albany.

I honestly thought that I sold the last one a few months back, then found these in the corner.

If you want BOTH, I can fit two in the same package,so shipping would likely be around $100-$110 for both.

I am pretty much getting out if the EP business due to some serious health issues. I just can't move them around like I used to. I also need to get them out of the house so my wife doesn't just toss them if anything happens to me.

I will sell more parts as I find them.  I have a lot of NOS Rhodes parts also. (the kits, but I do not think any tines are left)
These are not damaged, but could use cleaning and/ or repainting.

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Has anyone here tried a Roland V piano?

« on: May 26, 2013, 08:11:21 PM »

I was just curious if anyone has any comments on the Roland V piano. It is very expensive,and looks awesome, but what is the action like?

Anyone know?

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / What kind of pedal would one use to duplicate....

« on: May 10, 2013, 08:40:03 AM »

I am trying to figure out what pedal can be used to make the constant na na na na na na na na droning of the organ on The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Would  this be some kind of wah wah pedal that is automatic? It has a phase shifting sound and that repeating sound together. Forgive my ignorance, I have very little experience with pedals except a flanger and that isn't the right sound.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / What happened on 3/29?

« on: March 30, 2013, 07:25:18 AM »

I tried to get on this site all day on 3/29, from 8:00 AM until after midnight, with no luck. Did anyone else have this issue?

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Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / LEGIT Beach Boys stereo mixes released by EMI last week!!!

« on: August 01, 2012, 10:05:21 PM »

If anyone here cares, EMI/Capitol in JAPAN, released several (12, I think) Beach Boy CDs in stereo and mono mixes on the same disc, like they did with the early Beatles a few years back. The catch is, these have not been released in the US yet, and no date has been announced. I am happy to say, that I found a way to purchase several of these directly from Japan, and they are awesome. Smiley Smile was previously 100% mono. Good Vibrations has finally made it's official CD release in stereo!  (the full 45 version, not just backing track) There have been fan made bootlegs floating around, but this is an official, Mark Linett mix. Also, I Get Around was previously only mono, or fan made stereo, as well as many other songs. I am expecting 2 more CD's, because I stupidly did not order them all at once ( hence double shipping charges on my end)

I can not wait to hear 409 in stereo for the first time...ever.

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Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / My day with the reunited Beach Boys

« on: July 06, 2012, 07:37:31 PM »

I took my daughter to meet The Beach Boys for her college graduation gift a couple of weeks ago. I know they don't appeal to everyone, but I was raised on them and The Beatles,(my 2 favorite bands) and my kids were raised on them also through me. The piano store I tune for did this blog about our experience. And yes, the yellow arrow really is pointing to me....

www.artist-pianos.com/about/blog/?i=65

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / So I worked on a Yamaha CP 70 today....

« on: February 22, 2012, 09:18:45 PM »

I don't have much call for these anymore, it's been almost 2 years since I had to tune one.  Today's call was different, for sure. No tuning involved ( except 3 real sour notes)

Customer complained about the action on the phone. I thought she said it had sticking keys, but when I got there, the piano had almost no key dip! Someone added a ton of front rail punchings for some reason, making it very difficult to play. I just happened to have thinner felt punchings with me, so I traded her extra thick felt punchings for mine, and removed most of the paper punchings. and It felt like it was almost a new action! She was thrilled, and it only took about 85 minutes total. This also included touching up the let off adjustment.

The woman purchased this on Craigslist, I believe, so she did not know how the piano ended up this way, but she was thinking it was trashed and she had made a mistake. I told her within 5 seconds of touching it what I thought it was, and she was thrilled.Especially when it was about $40 less than what I had first quoted her.

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Technics digital organ

« on: February 14, 2012, 10:56:37 PM »

One of my clients is offering me a technics sx ea1 digital organ in near mint condition. Everything functions and it is not beat up. This is very light, I can almost move it myself. It as two short manuals and a 1 octave bass pedal board.

Does anyone know about what this is worth? I want to barter with him but have no idea what the value is. If it is very low, I may donate it to a needy family or an ORGANization ( pun intended) or save it for when my daughter moves out and needs a keyboard- its perfect for an apartment.

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Kustom electric piano

« on: January 14, 2012, 09:01:56 AM »

I have a buddy that is strapped for cash and he owns a Kustom electric piano that I believe works perfectly. These are the pre digital piano keyboards that ALMOST sounded like a piano, but I believe that is the only sound they have. Does anyone know anything about the value of these?

I have not seen this keyboard in about 6 years, but I believe it is in great shape except no legs.

My friend was suddenly forced to retire due to health issues and this is most likely going to be the first item he has to sell.

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Amps, Effects & Recording Techniques / Slightly OT headphone preamp question...

« on: January 06, 2012, 07:23:29 AM »

I have a JVC 5 disc CD player on my main stereo system that is roughly 10-12 yrs old. It works perfectly, except the last two times that I used the headphone jack, I noticed distortion. Not like blown speaker distortion, but enough to notice. I have a long headphone extension and like to sit across the room and listen while others are watching TV. The other night, I had to turn the receiver on and the speakers off in order to do this, but I would prefer not to because my rear channel amp leaks a tiny amount of sound to the speakers when doing it this way.( Not enough for them to complain, but it does)

Any ideas why this could be happening in the CD player? it is not the wires. The jack has a volume control and it is not scratchy.

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Other Keyboards & Software Synths / Steely Dan's 'plastic organ'

« on: November 18, 2011, 07:45:05 AM »

Doea anyone know exactly what organ Steely Dan used on 'Do It Again' ? It sounds lie a Hammond that keeps losing and regaining power, that is the best way I can describe it. I think Garth Hudson of The Band used the same kind on 'The Shape I'm In'
They called it the plastic organ, but I would love to know what it really is....

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Doors spoof on Jimmy Fallon 11/11/11- who supplied the keyboards?

« on: November 12, 2011, 11:54:45 AM »

Did anyone here see the hilarious spoof last night on Jimmy Fallon? The guy playing Ray was 'using' an authentic brown/ gold piano bass and a real G101

Did anyone here supply those for the show? Just curious, because several of us have at least one of these if not both. ( I only have the G101)

Its on youtube if you missed it, but it is dark for some reason (it wasn't dark on TV)

30

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / A word of warnng with cleaning products.....

« on: June 27, 2011, 07:12:49 PM »

Last week, I was hired by an elderly client to repaint her chipping piano that was painted at least three times previously.  (not an EP) Anyway, one previous person had spilled blue paint onto some of the keys and across the key fronts, they apparantly had no idea how to remove the keys.
I normally use Goof Off to remove dried latex paint, but was almost out. When I went to my favorite hardware store, they had a similar product called OOPS! instead, so I bought that. I very quickly learned that OOPS! has acetone in it after I purchased it. I did not read the label, but smelled it right away. Acetone MELTS plastic keytops, and if I had put this onto the keys, I would have at least severely crazed them,if not melted them.

The moral of the story is do not buy OOPS! To clean your keytops or anything else plastic that had paint spilled onto it. Goof Off is safe to use and removes latex paint easily.