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All,

Could anyone help me please, I'm looking for photos of the top face of a suitcase amp, and if possible the underside of a suitcase Rhodes 88 MK1.

There are plenty of photos online of the piano sitting onto of the amp, but I'm looking to improve the 'docking' mechanism between the amp & piano & check the correct position of the folding legs.

Ideally a photo of the amp with the legs folded back would also help.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Kind regards
Julian

All,

I've just finished installing a full set of new damper arms, felts & bridal straps to my 88 (phew!) & just wanted to share the results.

I can honestly say the work has completely transformed the way the piano plays. The damping is spot-on & not even the slightest hint of a 'chirp'. The action feels much, much lighter & infinitley more responsive. Prior to fitting the damper arms, I've been right thru the action & replaced all felts, fitted the miracle mod, new hammer tips, grommets, springs, & set all dimensions according to the Rhodes manual. I've used silicon spray lube on all the felts & bushings.

Out of all the work I've done on the piano, the damper arms have made the biggest improvement, by some margin.

Thanks to Christian at Electric Keys for the excellent products.

Kind Regards,

Julian

All,

After the Bridal Strap is fitted over the prong in the damper arm & the strap is pulled down to the base of the prong, is it necessary to use a dab of glue to secure the bridal strap in place on the damper arm?

If so what adhesive should be used?

Thank you in advance for any advice !

Kind Regards

Julian

All,

I'm just thinking aloud here, has anyone tried changing the 'square' damper felts for ones with a 'V' cut, as per the bass strings on an acoustic piano?

Any ideas or opinions very welcome!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grand-Piano-Damper-Felt-Single-Note-Dampers-27-5-strip-/110588007500?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bf8f144c

Has anyone tried one of these?

http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/ep101-echoplex-pre

Just curious :0)

Kind regards
Julian

Fellow enthusiasts,

Re my 1974 '88 stage piano, I have recently spent a lot of time carefully 'blueprinting' the key dip, escapement, tuning and timbre adjustment according to the dimensional standards in chapter four of the Rhodes manual. The many hours have paid off and my piano feels & sounds far, far better!

However I am struggling with the damper settings. The main problem being a 'chirp' when the damper comes back into contact with the tine following key release. I believe I have eliminated the possibility of hammer bounce as a possible cause, as I get the chirp even with a very slow key release.

My bridle straps have a small amount of slack in them when all is at rest, is this correct?

Secondly, the felt damper blocks are 'parallel' with the tines, however in diagram 4-1 the felt is shown at an angle to the tine, is this relevant?

Thank you in advance for any ideas or opinions!

Kind Regards,

Julian

All,

Was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the way my pickup wiring has been altered? As you can see from the enclosed picture, a number of pickups have had additional connections soldered on. TBH they all sound fine & work OK, but it just looks a bit 'scruffy' to me. Why would anyone add these extra wires?

Secondly is there anything that can be done about pickups that amplify too much? I have a couple of keys that are way louder even tho the pickup is adjusted to the maximum distance from the tine?

Thank you in advance for any input!

All,

Have just started re-tolexing using Vintage Vibe Tolex & glue. I've searched their website for instructions but found nothing, altho I found a few threads on this forum, perhaps someone could help with some advice please?

Do you coat both  the wood and the underside of the Tolex with the glue, or just one surface??

I left it to dry for 30-40 minutes before bringing the surfaces together but it's really not sticking very well at all. It seems to adhere to the Tolex but not the wood. If I try to reposition the tolex, the glue pulls off the wood in a 'rubbery' fasion... what am I doing wrong?

I would have thought that a contact adhesive would bond much better on contact??

Any advice greatly appreciated!!

Kind Regards

Julian

All,

I am partway thru re-furbing my Stage 88 & am wondering about the case latches. My piano has four latches on the lid, two on each end of the case.

The Complete Hardware kit from Vintage Vibe comes with two latches, presumably to be fitted on the front??

I'm a little concerned with the weight of the 88 lid that two catches might not be strong enough to hold the lid shut. What is the norm on these pianos?

Kind Regards

Julian

Hi All,

I'm partway through refurbishing my 88. After re-fitting the hammers & testing the keys I noticed a loud knocking/clicking noise, especially on the top octave. After some closer inspection it became apparent that the end of the damper arm is hitting the back of the wooden hammer.

One of the vintage vibe videos suggests simply snipping a sixteenth of an inch off the end of the damper arm. However on the higher notes, the damper felt only just touches the end of the tine & if the damper arm was any shorter it wouldn't reach the tine at all!

I figured one option might be to shave the back of the hammer away, but then I came up with the idea of gluing a small piece of felt to the underside of the damper arm, which acts as a little cushion and stops the annoying 'CLICK'.

I'd appreciate any ideas, comments or opinions on this! Thanks in advance!

Kind regards

Julian