A comment by AndyP, in a separate thread ('Embrace my 79 Stage timbre, or start ripping things apart?') about bringing his Mark II up to scratch, prompts me to think again about soundproofing my Mark I Stage. Tinkling from the innards is not a problem when the amp is fairly cranked up; but when family life obliges me to practise with (closed circumaural) headphones, my activity is still not 100% silent.
AndyP reports some success in this regard with some spare Dynamat, applied to the inside of the harp cover. This is marketed as an automotive sound-attenuating product. My guess would be that such a material applied to my Mark I would work primarily by reducing resonance within the enclosed space, rather than damping vibrations in the cover itself. Possibly the Mark II cover behaves differently, but the Mark I harp cover is a fairly loose fit, especially at the ends. There is also an unnecessarily deep cut-out at the front to accommodate the output jack and controls, such that there is actually a tiny gap between the edge of the cover and the top of the namerail here.
I thought, therefore, that I might first try out ways of effecting a better closure around the harp cover, with a view to reducing direct acoustic leakage, if I can do so without making it unduly troublesome to remove and replace the cover for the purpose of occasional essential tweaks. Judicious use of adhesive-backed foam draughtproofing strip might be a good place to begin. I will report in due course.
In the meantime, has anybody here experimented with soundproofing the Rhodes?
I suppose also that, if I make a really efficient seal and thereby reduce ventilation, I must consider condensation. What will happen if, after I replace the harp cover on a warm, muggy day, room temperature drops on a winter's night? Perhaps it would be a good idea to place one or two silica gel dessicant sachets in some accessible location within the piano?
AndyP reports some success in this regard with some spare Dynamat, applied to the inside of the harp cover. This is marketed as an automotive sound-attenuating product. My guess would be that such a material applied to my Mark I would work primarily by reducing resonance within the enclosed space, rather than damping vibrations in the cover itself. Possibly the Mark II cover behaves differently, but the Mark I harp cover is a fairly loose fit, especially at the ends. There is also an unnecessarily deep cut-out at the front to accommodate the output jack and controls, such that there is actually a tiny gap between the edge of the cover and the top of the namerail here.
I thought, therefore, that I might first try out ways of effecting a better closure around the harp cover, with a view to reducing direct acoustic leakage, if I can do so without making it unduly troublesome to remove and replace the cover for the purpose of occasional essential tweaks. Judicious use of adhesive-backed foam draughtproofing strip might be a good place to begin. I will report in due course.
In the meantime, has anybody here experimented with soundproofing the Rhodes?
I suppose also that, if I make a really efficient seal and thereby reduce ventilation, I must consider condensation. What will happen if, after I replace the harp cover on a warm, muggy day, room temperature drops on a winter's night? Perhaps it would be a good idea to place one or two silica gel dessicant sachets in some accessible location within the piano?