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Hey guys, I have to tune a stage 73 tomorrow with a date code of 3163. What does that translate to? I know they weren't making these in 1963...
Thanks in advance,
Steveo

If anyone here has a photo of the piano end of the butterfly grand pedal assembly, please PM me, or attach photo here.  I have a buyer for my piano, but I still can't attach the pedal. It has been like this ever since I bought it, the person I bought the piano from claimed they knew nothing about the problem.

Please see the old thread titled "270 Butterfly Grand" started by Steveno. (that's not me) I have a detailed explanation of the issue, plus Cormac attached a photo of my pedal rod end on that thread to help show the issue better.

Thanks in advance. Buyer is picking up the piano this weekend.

Hey, I finally found a potential buyer for my butterfly grand, but I seem to have misplaced the bag with the mounting bolts for the legs and the pedal. Does anyone know for sure the exact sizes (including length) of these bolts? I need to know this week if possible.  Thanks in advance!

Are these amps supposed to be as loud or louder than the original amps? I worked on my first 200 with one this morning (it only had mechanical issues) and the amp was pretty low volume even when turned up all the way. The owner didn't know any different because the previous owner installed the amp. The amp looked like it was installed professionally. I didn't want to mess with the trim pot, because it looked like it had a dab of glue on it to prevent turning and I didn't want to be responsible if it broke.
Any idea how many watts these are? I think the original amps were somewhere between 15-20 watts...

No, I don't own it, but I did work on it once about 6 years ago. (Cleaned it, and freed up a sticking key or two)

Just curious- it's almost like brand new, complete with bench. I don't have pictures, but the owner called and asked me the other day what it could be worth. He knows it has value, so no, he won't sell it for a few hundred ( I tried... lol)

The new Lowe's ad regarding giving military discounts shows a 140 or 145 that is 1/2 painted, and has no sustain pedal. It's funny how they painted the piano but not the legs. There are 2 knobs on the left cheek block, so it's not a 120 or earlier. Silly place to pile books and ukuleles.....

I have a Wurlitzer that I am fixing up and there is that "clank" noise on the F below middle C. I know this has been discussed before, I think someone found the cause of this noise. I've heard it on several Wurlitzers.....

It's almost the same sound as if you try to play a note when a reed is loosened, but that is not the problem.
It's possible I may even have helped find the cause of this noise in the past, but I can't for the life of me remember what causes it.

This noise happens all the time, but is more noticeable when the amp is off.

Any help would be appreciated!

Does anyone here own either of these digital pianos? If so, do you love it, hate it, are so so about it?

I was playing a CA79 @ the piano store that I do service for and liked it a lot. I can't plug headphones into my acoustic piano obviously, so I'm seriously considering replacing my acoustic with one of these.
I know, a piano tech going digital, but I just can't use my acoustic anymore with everyone working from home. It's very loud.

Thoughts?

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)

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...

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?

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?

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.

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..

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.

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)

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.

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...

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.

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?

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.

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. (Very poor eyesight)

Joe is in his 50's, and was once a world class drummer, a decent lead and rhythm guitarist, a basic keyboard player, 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

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?

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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....

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)

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.

I searched all over but could not find this answer. I use a later Mark II suitcase bottom with that who can not be mentioned.  (yes, the pedal even works with it) I also am using my Hammond through it and it sounds phenominal! How many watts per channel RMS is this amp? 50? 80?

Having sold my XK2 a couple of years ago when money was tight, I have often looked for an XK3 or XK3-c slightly used and at a decent price.  Found a nice XK3 (not c) today for a great price. (I think) Before I reveal the price, I am curious if anyone here knows what a reasonable price would be for this keyboard. No box, pdf manual,swell pedal. Has minimal scratches.

Any thoughts?

My sister has a Wurlitzer  model 700 with bench for sale in Upstate NY.

If anyone is interested, PM me. I can not post pictures on this site.

***SOLD***

I just wanted to share this- I did a service call on a Mark 1 the other day, and one of the complaints was extremely sluggish keys in 2 areas of the keyboard.
I brought along my easing tool, but quickly discovered the real problem.

A previous owner replaced the tolex, and when they wrapped it around the keyslip (the wood in front of the white keys) they did not glue it down well enough, and also did not trim it enough. The tolex curled up, and was touching the keys.

I've never encountered this before- just thought I would share in case anyone else has a similar symptom and easing didn't help.

I am thinking about selling one of my Wurlis, if the interest is there,and the right price is met.

Anyone looking for a late model 200A? Legs,pedal,music stand. No original bench. PM me if interested.

I just listed my barely used Tascam DP-01 FX/CD on ebay if anyone's interested. It has less than 4 hours use,and is complete w/ box,packing,instructions,power cord. My reserve is lower than the other one's Buy it now  that's listed.

Sorry,I don't know how to add links...

Does anyone here know a realistic value of this late model suitcase bottom that is in real nice shape? Allegedly it is in perfect working condition and is complete with pedal,rod, and legs.Tolex even looks nice. Speakers are original.

What would one expect to pay for this? (not including shipping)

I was going through my old parts and I found that I do still have the name rail from a 1975 suitcase 73. (6 holes) There is no nameplate, no jacks ,no electronics, just the rail and strip of red felt. Anyone interested can PM me. I did have one person interested in this at one point,but I forgot who you are.

The holes are for the 2 accessory jacks, DIN jack, Volume,tone and tremelo.

It is in very good condition for it's age, no major scratches, gouges, etc. No mods.

Does anyone know what these usually go for? I don't need top dollar.

The recent thread asking about prices on the new models got me thinking- does anyone remember what the original models retail prices were when new?

Most of us bought used pianos and I was just curious. I know a Wurlitzer 200A was around $500-$600 new...

Hi all, I bought a Quadrapuss unit some months back (just before they were discontinued) to install in my 73 stage that I was rebuilding, but the guy who ended up buying the piano did not want the Quadrapuss.

I was thinking about rack mounting it and using it with my wurli and/or other keyboards, but I'm also thinking that I may want to sell it if someone out there has been looking for one.

It works great and is in perfect condition.Used maybe 2 hours tops.

PM any questions or offers if you are interested. I THINk it was around $400?
Thanks

Has anyone here tried out the new Yamaha P-85 basic digital piano yet?? It costs more than the similar Casios,(like CDP-100)  but blows the Casio out of the water in so many ways. I bought it mainly for an 88key rack mount 'grand piano', but electric piano 2 is probably the best Rhodes digital I have tried yet .(but no suitcase style tremelo) The Harpsichord sounds are great too.Not much use for the church organ or vibes sounds,but this is overall far better than my 17 yr old Roland EP-7 which my daughter is taking to college.

I NEVER used the crappy Rhodes sound on the EP-7...

I was able to get a good deal at a local store because I have been a customer for over 30 yrs, plus I had to buy the display model, but most places are selling this for about $600.I think I paid more for the Roland..

I'm thinking about connecting this to my Quadrapuss!!!

I'm sorry I didn;t note the exact item numbers, but check out the red & cream Piano Bass, and the custom WHITE Rhodes currently on Ebay-very interesting what this guy did on the white one.I don;t think I would ever do it, but it's neat to see.

Does anyone have the sheet music for the Taxi theme song? If so, could you please either post the names of the chords in order,or somehow upload the music in the pics file? I am having trouble locating the music.

Thanks

Steve O

When setting the escapement and timbre adjustments on my Mark 1, every key works well now except for the C and B in the bass just below the harp brace. If I set the escapement so that the hammers drop down below the tine, then the tine is too high too the pickup and the volume is weak. If I set the tine in the correct spot in relation to the pickup, the hammer tips (barely) block against the tine causing poor sustain and poor tone.

In acoustic pianos, adjusting the let off and /or adding paper punchings under the key fronts would solve this, but what does one do in a Rhodes? Shim the pickup up higher?  Cut the hammer tip down? The hammer tips are not longer on these keys, but when the hammer drops back down, they don't drop as far as their neighbors, and the pedestal bumps are in the same place as the other keys. I have no idea what could be causing this...

Any thoughts?


Steve O

I am progressing slowly on my Mark 1 ressurrection from being a very much dead,stored in a  barn unit to now being a working Rhodes. I have changed the tone bar grommets, washers,and screws, and now I am attempting to voice the piano the way I like it.The problem I am having is that the middle of the piano is too 'clanky' sounding.I'm ok with my bass and treble, just the middle is off. I am suspecting that maybe the hammer tips have hardened with age. Is there any way to soften the tips,or should I change them to the softer bass tips to get the sound that I want?  I want the real soft,warm sound. I have tried adjusting the timbre and volume, and these are not helping this problem at all. Some people may like the way it sounds now, but I seem to remember that when I had a 1975 suitcase, the hammers had a softer sound. Of course,the piano was only 6 years old at the time...Any advice would be appreciated.

Steve O

Does anyone have any idea what a set of original Mark 1 Suitcase  control knobs (the concentric ones) are worth? I understand they are rare, and I would like to sell mine on Ebay, but I don't want to ask too much or too little.

thanks
Steve O