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I have something similar happening on my MarkII Suitcase with sliders. I believe in my case the potentiometer is probably the culprit. I too replaced the LDR's on mine to stop the insane popping and clicking. I have a situation where one channel disappears when the intensity is above four. If I turn the dial back and fourth, I can hear it come in and out a bit. Unfortunately, I have not yet replaced it to verify for sure. It's nice and quiet now with the new LDRs and I have been happy enough to put off the potentiometer for a while. 
Maybe if you turn the dial back and forth a bit you could see if it intermittently works?

I had a Crumar Toccata organ. It had a pretty cool sound to it and a fairly realistic rotary speaker simulation. The letters were written in a block style and not cursive. Maybe some earlier models had the name in cursive, but all the ones I recall were in a block style.  Tine-E has a very solid suggestion. I can't think of much else that could fit.
Although, Crucianelli seems to fit the cursive outline pretty well. I saw a random label for Crucianelli guitars that has the same style writing. Maybe this was before Crumar?

I had a 1972 stage very similar to your Rhodes, and I regret very much selling it. I would vote for taking the time to bring it to life. I would be extremely surprised if you were disappointed after you invested some time and a little money in it. You have resources at this site that you will simply not find available for other instruments. Rebuilding your Rhodes will enable you to make it perform feel and sound just the way you would like it to.

Just saw you post your keeping it, I don't think you will regret it.

Don't know if it helps or not, but I noticed on pictures of a MkV harp and one I saw on what I think was a 82 suitcase, the upper tone bars don't appear to have (escapement?) screws at all. Probably not much weight saved at all, but interesting none the less. Maybe they are not necessary, or have some type of brace that compensates for the missing screw.

What a cool and unique find! Very interesting how that amp was incorporated into the piano. Hope to see some more videos of it soon.

Just saw your listing on eBay. It would be interesting to know what you get for it. I would be tempted myself, but at 25k, I don't even think selling a few of my battered internal organs would get me there.  It is unique, and who knows, you might even be under what someone would pay.  Best of luck!

Goldphinga, your video makes me want to try the harder hammer tip mod you applied to your suitcase. It definately won't help me play as well as you, but, I would sure like to hear/feel the difference for myself. If only it were a quick and simple thing to do..... 
Must sound amazing through that peterson!

If the keyboard sounds great, that is the most important feature you could ask for! Maybe the two holes to the left of low E are for convienient storage of an extra tonebar/tine:-). Each of these instruments have their own unique  stories and history wich adds to my fascination and addiction.  From what I have learned from this site, it sounds like you might need to take on restoring the bushings in your keys. I can't figure out why the tone bars/tines would be shifted except some kind of cheap and( quick?) fix from parts the owner had on hand? Maybe the configuration is more boot friendly? Anyways, congrats on your new instrument! It will be interesting to hear what others might know about your setup.

I'll take a newbie stab at it and say it's a 4pin preamp to a 80w peterson amp. I have a 75 suitcase I picked up as a project that looks just like that.

Great videos! I really dig the cigar box guitar, especially with the drumstick attachment!

I didn't even think about the electronics. I took a lot of pics inside the amp when I replaced the power cord. Maybe I'll stumble across something there.
It is good to know that it is in the 69-70 ballpark at least. That narrows it a lot closer than I would have ever guessed myself.
Thanks to both of you for the great information!

I should have stated that I had replaced the tonebars with VV tone bars. Here is a pic of the original ones. Thanks for the information. The only thing that resembles a date so far to me is the green wooden harp support stamp "0721".

Those pictures of the inside of the cabinet are insane! I can't believe how much is going on in there. Can't wait for the video!! The two 1/4" jacks and switch on the right look kind of like someone added those later?

Thought I would mention my scenario with the power cables on my unit since I saw lots of power cable going on in your pictures. Hopefully yours doesn't have this issue, but it is worth checking out just in case. My piano had burn marks in the foam in some places where the power cable was resting. The power cables were badly deteriorated and extremely cracked. I replaced the cables immediately when I noticed the marks inside.

I looked under the harp of the fr7055 after reading bjammers post, but it was also blank. There are a few stamps on the keys, but I don't know if they have any useful meaning. There appears to be an aux out in the back, but I am suspicious that this might have been added after it left the Rhodes factory (Made from a light fixture bracket?).

The only stamp I could find on mine is on the harp support below the harp to the right.  I too think this must have  been a prototype.

Here are some pics of my fr-7055 student for your comparison. I took one of the lower front where there is the amp and a shelf on the student model. Mine is missing the original tape recorder on the right unfortunately. The amp label is also blank on my sticker. There appears to be an aux out tapped from the upper most tine of the student as well, maybe for the tape recorder.  I was curious what kind of hammers, tines etc. were on your piano.  Are there felt hammers, square tone bars etc.. ? I am definitely jealous of the tube amp, must sound amazing. Anyways, hope the pics help.

That is a very cool unitt! I have a similar student model, but there is only one pedal for sustain. The amp is located under the left side of the keys  just right for destroying your knee. The rail preamp on your unit looks really slick.

Great points. They are from an older piano and have lost some of their original luster. I might just try one or two for grins and giggles, but i agree that new felts, like Ray has chosen,would probably be a better route..My hammers are not the teardrop on this piano. They are basically the same hammers as the more modern neoprene tipped rhodes, only with felt cubes. 

That's very strange. Especially when you rotate the harp 90 degrees. Fluorescent lights are notorious for creating noise in audio circuits, I try to keep them away from my stuff. I was going to say tone bars not grounding, but you already covered it. Sorry, but I am out of ideas. I don't understand how a working pickup that is properly grounded could be the culprit. I am sure someone here has your answer. Best of luck,
Vance

That should be an amazing piano when you are done. I am also very interested in how your felt tips work out. Audio clips and pictures please!!
I contacted a local piano dealer who was nice enough to donate an older set of hammers to me. I thought I might be able to use their felt for my 7055. Hopefully I will have some time soon to try them out. Nothing as clean as or precise as what you are doing, but maybe a cheap solution to worn tips?
Vance

Did you check continuity from the pickup bars and the foil strip? My best guess...

Your D6 looks very nice, great job! The grey gives it a really cool and different look.

Deepest sympathies to what must be a totally devistated owner

At least the mod appears to be done fairly well. The ability to switch between modified tuning and unmodified tuning for each key with the switches is interesting.

Maybe a loose or cold solder joint? I have run across many of these on the amps. Look carefully, they are sneaky little #$#$#!

 My guess would be either look at the preamp cable or the connector on the amp that interfaces with the preamp cable.

They look really clean. I also thought of a Clavinet C. I would be very tempted to refinish the wood in a gloss white, personally. Seems like a fair deal at $80.

Well, I think I spoke too soon. As Bjammers and Steveo stated, it appears that they were adjusting the density of the tips as they crossed the keyboard. I lifted the harp and examined the tips closer. They are definitely different densities across the board. From left to right, the tips are fairly soft up to key 29. From key 30 to key 65 there appears to be some type of hardener used (I can barely compress it with my fingers). From keys 66 to 73 there are wooden tips covered with a little piece of thin felt. I have included pictures of keys 29 and 30 next to each other. You can probably make out the darker felt with what I would believe to be hardener applied. I also included a pic of the tips with wooden cores.

I was hoping a video clip of this would be posted soon. Great job and well played!! Thanks for sharing your journey with us all!

I have very seriously considered the neoprene tips as a replacement. They would probably provide longer lasting results with a brighter sound. I just can't bring myself to do it. I do have ridiculous grooves worn into some of the felt hammer tips and I know that can't be good for the tines. It is time for new tips(probably been for years), but if I can get close to the original tip replacements, I really like the idea of sticking with the felt for originality sake. Something about the feel of the piano, I guess.
Steve is most likely right about the felt I was refering too. I wish I had extra tips to send to Max. I may try ordering a small quantity of some felt that appears similar from a vendor I found on line. If we could determine a specific weight or density of the felt tips, I would think that a felt supply company could make them to order.
I would be interested in what Ray finds out from his newly found Canadian hammer guru. Maybe he would be nice enough to share some specifics about the materials he is using and where one might find these materials. The tips on my keyboard do appear to be the same density across the piano as Steve stated.
Vance

I would be very interested in re-tipping my hammers with new felt too. I wonder if you could use the felt sold from felt suppliers that is sold in strips? I have seen wool and synthetic varieties sold in different thicknesses and densities, but I have no idea where to start and what would work best. It would be very helpful if someone had information on the specifications of felts originally used.

If you are refering to the jetsons style student, mine has only one speaker. looks like a 10" as well. I am not sure if the other hole might just be a port for the speaker?

Good to hear that it is up and running again!
I am now very curious to know if there is much of a sound difference between the Elepian and the Maestro due to the difference in pickup design.

From the pictures you posted, your piano appears to have a powered pickup system and not a passive one like the elepian. You might have to turn on the power to the piano to get a signal. Maybe the preamp will let you get a signal out of the rca aux plug. If you power it up and still can't get an output from the aux rca out, you might have to start looking for a blown fuse. That's my best guess.

I don't have one of those pianos myself, so I can't say for sure. It does look like that would work. Also, be careful if you are working on the yellow wire if it is directly tied into to the piano's amplifier. I would definitely unplug the unit while working on it. The Rhodes is very easy to amplify this way, but you might want to verify with a senior member or someone who has one before attempting this.

It looks like the ground is actually the black wire and the connection to your pickups is the white. I would definitely be careful soldering close to the pickups as they usually have very thin wires that can be damaged by a soldering iron. You might be able to tap off of the yellow wire further away from the pickups to aviod damaging them. I have had an interest in these pianos for a while now and that is the first really clear picture of this instruments action I have seen. Thanks for sharing OZDOC. Looks like a Wurlitzer and a Rhodes had a baby!!

Greetings,
I could not find any info on this subject from my searches, so, here goes.
The fr7710 amplifier (board #012835 assy #012838a) has a capacitor C1 listed as 5Uf 25v on the schematic that I referenced from the supersite. On the other 012835 board from the same amp, capacitor C1 appears to be non polarized of the same value. The one I just pulled from my bad channel appears to be polarized?!? It appears to be an original capacitor. Does anyone know if this is supposed to be non polarized or not?
I understand I am working with dangerous and possibly deadly voltages/currents at my own risk. I waive any rights to hold anyone accountable for advise given to me from this site. If I hurt or kill myself working on any piano and or it's electronics it will be my sole fault (probably from my old shaky hands) and I will have lived a happy life doing what I love.
Any info will be appreciated very much!
Thanks,
Vance

Their FB page is now suggesting a gel bed for the strings that eliminates re-yarning. Very curious to see how well this works and sounds.

Wow!! Looks and sounds amazing! I can't wait to find out the details on this! Props to the people at Vintage Vibe for bringing these exciting instruments into the music scene.

Julian, 
I am new here and just know enough to be dangerous. I have a student model that has a similar connection to the pickups at the high end. It appears to be a tap for a line out to an amplifier. I believe mine is ,or was, a factory installed tap, I am not sure why you would have a wire soldered into the pickup in from the far end. My unit is soldered at the end of the run of pickups. Don't know if it helps any, but I am now curious myself as to what you have going on there. 
Vance

Greetings,

Before I start, I just wanted to state that I have great respect for this forum and the people who have contributed to it's wealth of information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I can only imagine how many of these instruments have been saved because of this site. This is my first post, so I hope I am placing this in the right area.

I am currently trying to bring back to life what I believe is a 1978 Mark I suitcase 73 (1083 stamped on board with tines) . It was sold to me as a parts unit, but most everything is here and in what I would consider pretty good shape. Oh, yeah, that amp didn't make any sound on power up, and the preamp is missing the 5 pin connector entirely and of course the 5pin cable is mia. Opening up the preamp revealed a radiosh*** metal screw driver, penny, and odd piece of metal wire floating around inside. I have heard of many revisions of the preamp, but I don't believe these items were part of the overall plan. The power amp had a very tarnished headphone jack. I cleaned up the headphone jack and its contacts with some inox and I was suddenly able to get sound from the aux inputs!  One channel is nice and clear and the other channel is distorted. I ,of course, played it to death with the distorted sound until I was finally craving a clean sound. This is where my questions come in.
I am seeking information on what type of non polarized capacitors people are using for the audio amps mainly the 1uf (c2) and 5uf (c1) and some good suggestions on where they can be purchased, possibly, reasonably priced.
My next question is where can I find a 5pin receptical for the preamp. I see the cords everywhere in the $60 range, but never the receptical.
Thanks,
Vance