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Messages - 76er

#1
I've purchased the Vintage Vibe Rhodes refurb kit and need to remove the aluminum harp supports and action rail from the frame on my 1976 Stage 88. There are two bolts, on either side, but those don't appear to be the only thing securing these to the wood, as loosened them without being able to separate them from the frame. There are several things that look like bolts held in place with flat, rectangular washers that don't look like they were meant to be removed. However, I don't see any other points of connection. Any ideas? I've checked the service manual and couldn't find anything about it.
#2
The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Non tech person
October 27, 2021, 10:32:44 PM
I am preparing to attempt to get my 1976 Rhodes Stage 88 piano up to speed without having to drive it 3 hours to the nearest tech, who charges $750 for a full refurb (I bought the piano for $250 in 2017, and consider it in good shape for the price.) I have already remedied an issue with sticking keys and am considering purchasing the full refurb kit from Vintage Vibe, but I'm not sure this, alone, will address all the issues. I decided, before ordering it, to evaluate the performance of each key and test each pickup. The issues include: sustain pedal not engaging with the damper system, a bounce to the keys that I understand is normal (and, presumably, what the Miracle Mod is meant to address), some keys with inconsistent key strokes, a few keys that sound an octave higher than they should (dominating overtone?), some keys with rapid decay (even with key pressed), a few keys that sustain even after releasing, a few keys with a bell tone on release (and one with a clang thrown in, as well), keys with double strikes, delayed dampening, slow decay on release, two keys with a slight echo and a weird tone after release, a couple of keys with no sustain even when held down, one key that sounds a slight, zap-like tone after release, and one key that sounds a strange tone that oscillates from soft, to loud, to soft again (almost sounds like a laser sound effect.) I don't know that pickups would be creating any of these issues, as there are no dead notes, and the way they are wired it seems unlikely that only one pickup would be out of phase, at least to my limited knowledge. Also, I can get response from the volume knob, but not the bass boost. I'm a musician, not a tech, but part of the appeal of this instrument is everything really is simple and straightforward so I feel like I can learn to work on it and have replaced the grommets, but am still kind of clueless (despite watching the Vintage Vibe full restoration video five or six times. I know what order to do everything in, but I also know that a skilled tech can make a difficult procedure look like a breeze....one of the few hazards of YouTube DIY. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for turning this into a book....