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Hey all

I am restoring my Prophet 5, and was looking for a forum similar to this, where I could ask questions in regards to synth restoration. Can you guys point me in a good direction?

- Alex

Hey all

Just bought a Hohner Clavinet Duo. I have never owned this instrument before. I know that the ABCD switches regulates how the pickups make the instrument sound. However, if I have C and A pressed down, no sound comes out of the instrument. I am not sure if this means that the bass pickup or the top pickup is dead. From my understanding, any combination of button presses should work on the ABCD buttons - but maybe I am mistaken?

- Alex

Hey all

Did anyone ever find a proper solution to the top pickup issue on a CP-60? Can you take the strings out and redo the press connection, or maybe solder it instead? Or something else? Looking for peoples experiences here.

I have one that needs to be restored in the action as well. When that is done, I presume that the MIDI will need to be recalibrated. Any advice on tools for that?

- Alex

Hey all

Recently I got my Prophet 5 back from repair, and put it on my Rhodes where I should it should live its life. But it awakes an awful hum that goes into the Rhodes speakers. I wonder - I've seen dozens of YouTube videos from back in the day, where keyboard players put their synths on their Rhodes pianos when playing live etc. So what makes the hum, and how did they remedy it? Is it a grounding issue, or maybe the Rhodes need a hum shield of some sort?

The same thing happened when I put my Juno 6 on top of the Rhodes, but my Prophet 08 didnt affect the Rhodes output at all thought...

- Alex

Thanks Tim! You've really been a great help, both here and on Facebook

- Alex

Hey

Just got a new Wurli home, and when opened up, I could see some differences in the preamps, compared to another one I have at home. I am not much of an electronics wizard, so thought I would post a pic here and see if anyone could make something of it? I attached the pics to this post...

- Alex

Thanks for the reply

I cant just put a new plug on the american wire and that will work in an EU outlet?

- Alex

Hi all

I have two Wurlitzer model 200 in my house right now. One of them is 110V and the other is 230V.

Can I switch rails without any trouble? Put the 230V in the other one, and in that way "convert" it to 230V?

- Alex

Hi all

Anybody here is using a loop pedal with their Suitcase? If so, how do you do it? Drag cables from the insert point in the preamp to the floor, or some other more clever (and less cluttered) way? Also, where to you put the pedal? When I was operating a stage piano, it was no problem, but now, the amp is sort of in the way of effect pedals

- Alex

Hey all

I read somewhere that the suitcase with its four speaker units is a full bandwidth amp. I have the 80W amp, which doesn't go that loud to begin with. Would there be anything wrong with blasting my Minimoog Voyager through the external inputs (outputs) in the suitcase amp?

Also, if I put a synth through the Return jack in the Peterson preamp, it should go through the amp, stereo tremolo and all, right?

– Alex

Thanks for the replies. I tried putting in a new pickup, but couldn't make it work for some reason. I dont know - maybe a faulty pickup. For now I have switched the pickup with the lowest key on the piano. As a temporary solution you know...

Thanks for the reply. Was wondering if it was maybe possible to use the metal part of an old pickup on a new pickup, making it the same length. Will try that, and see if the sound changes drastically...

But if I could do something about the distance, would it work then?

Hey

Did a quick search, but couldn't find a definite answer on this - is it possible to use a newer pickup in a stage piano from '71?

Thanks!

– Alex

Hey Ben and others

Thanks for the replies!

Ben, you mentioned the slightly yellowed keys. Is that the normal color, or is the plastic from the flat tops keys more prone to yellowing? My rounded keys on my '72 stage are still white as teeth!

– Alex

NB: It would seem that the extra switch on the suitcase amp metal plate is a switch to turn on or off the speakers, when you have the headphones plugged in. Didn't know the sound bleed were that bad on the old amp, but I guess so... still a little sad they drilled a whole in the metal though. Its kind of a thorn in my eye...

Hey

Thanks for the heads up - I am aware that you can date the piano from the stamp. But on this piano, the stamp is almost gone. I was more thinking if anyone with a keen eye on the structural details on the piano could tell me anything about the piano, as I am not completely sure what to think myself...

– Alex

Thanks for the reply.

I dont know if its that good a deal though. They go for a lot more money in Europe, where I am located. Its 2700$. Supposedly its a 1974 model. It has Fender Rhodes badges, but the gold sticker on the harp says Rhodes. The production stamp is gone (there is some faint leftovers on the pictures, but not enough to decide when it is from). It also has flat keytops and not curved, like the earlier models. But I dont know enough about these pianos to be certain of the dating.

Can any of you guys with more knowledge help me out?

I also attached pictures of the amp mod - maybe some of you have seen something like it before?

Any help is much appreciated, and also advice and opinions about if this could be a good deal or not?



















– Alex

EDIT: Look further down for pictures of my model

Hi

I was offered a Rhodes Suitcase the other day. It looks to be in a really good condition, but the metal plate in the suitcase amp (where the powerplug is etc.) has some holes drilled, probably for an old mod.

Somehow, this bugs me a little bit. If I buy this to keep it, I would've preferred it to be in proper condition. I can fix all the other stuff, except that metal plate.

Since its the place for serial number etc. I guess it is not easily replaced?

What would you guys do?

– Alex

Thanks for all your replies! I am still considering doing it, but will take some time thinking it over

– Alex

Hi all

I am tinkering with the thought of restoring my old Yamaha CP70. It plays great, so it would primarily be a cosmetic restoration. I've done a few searches, but there is not much information about this sort of thing on the internet.

Does any members in here have any experience with this kind of thing?

I of course want to retolex the whole thing. A challenging part could be the metallic front panel with the Yamaha logo on it. It has some paint chipped of, but I dont know if I can mask out the Yamaha logo properly, and then get it resprayed in a car shop or something like that.

I would also have to take all the metallic parts (hinges, handles etc.) and get them resprayed I think.

If any in here have any experience, good or bad, at all, I would love to hear it!

– Alex

I did install new damper felts! As noted above, I also became suspicious that I might've turned them with the grain the wrong way. This is not the case though.

Did you have a theory relating to the damper felts other than that though??

– Alex

I readjusted escapement and strikeline. I am gonna have a go at adjusting the dampers, but did a test on one of them tonight, but not much difference though. If I bend them upwards too much, they dont let the tine ring through on a proper strike, so I tried bending it back little by little, until I could play the note, and then the chirp was still there. Double checked the felt grain, and I installed it correctly as well. I am gonna have another go at it over the weekend, but I dont think its gonna work though :-(

Ben, it is my understanding that your gold Rhodes suitcase was used on Calls, the Robert Glasper track? I realise that it during recording probably went through a longer signal chain, but listening closely to it, I dont hear any chirp at all. That goes for all his recordings actually. Maybe my Rhodes is just doomed to sound like that. Maybe I could try and move the pickups a little further back, and hope they only pick up the tine, and not the dampening chirp?

- Alex

Thanks for your replies everybody.

I made sure that the screws were secured tighly. In retrospect, the distortion actually got a little worse after that.

The explanation that tightning the screws to much kind of warped the speaker cone a bit seems plausible to me. Nonetheless, after loosening the screws and readjusting them, the distortion left, which was nice :-)

- Alex

I have a weird issue with my Wurlitzer. I haven't seen this on anything before.

I thought one of my speakers was broken, so wanted to switch them tonight and see if it was the speaker or the amp.

I then found out that the speaker only distorts when one particular screw is attaching the speaker to the lid (200A model).

Have any of you guys ever noticed something like that?

Is there any way to isolate a screw, or how would I go about solving something like this?

– Alex

Thank you for your reply Ben!

I did mess about with the damper arms to try and find a better stop for them. I couldn't get a satisfactory result. The weird thing is that this happening when I switched from the tapered hammer tips to the square hammer tips. I dont know - maybe they blow with a bigger force, making it hard for the damper to damp it.

Question though - I just watched this video: https://youtu.be/wUkj6BybduI

In here, Vintage Vibe mentions, that if you install the damper felts with the grain going in the wrong direction, it could possibly give a little chirping sound upon release. Now, its been a few years since I installed the felts, and can't remember if I did it right, and since the problem started with the change of hammer tips, I dont know if it relates - but in my recording, it does sound like it could be that chirping sound they talk about in the video.

What do you guys say?

– Alex

Hi

When trying to voice my Wurlitzer a little, I noticed really fast that the pickups are a lot thicker in the bass end and top end of the piano. Even so thick that its kind of hard to move them up and down in the voicing process.

Is this normal? Am I even supposed to move them up and down in the treble and bass?

– Alex

Thanks for the reply!

Just wanted to post a picture of the instrument, so you guys can see the on/off button:



– Alex

So considering that I don't hear this sound on the majority of recordings (even lots of amateur recordings on YouTube and Soundcloud), surely somebody must have an educated opinion as to how I can avoid these metallic sounds?

– Alex

Hi all

Just bought my first Wurlitzer piano. It is actually in a rather good condition, with the exception of the feeds. No sluggish action and all, and it is not noisy. It is a 200A model. Dont know how to figure out when its from though...

Now, questions about the reeds. The top 6 reeds all seem to be bent upwards, resulting in no volume when I play them. I know reeds are sensible, and I know they probably ended up like that because of a strike line issue. Question is, can I bent them back, or will that result in them breaking. Besides them, I got 9 cracked reeds, so replacing all these reeds is going to be a costly affair.

Which leads me to my next question: Do I need a mold to make my own reeds? Or is it possible to do by hand? Anyone has some good tips?

On another note, my piano has a white on/off buttom on the left cheek block. I haven't seen that on any pictures of a Wurlitzer before. I thought the volume knob turned it on or off. My model is a european 220V though, so might be different? It looks like it was professionally installed though.

- Alex

Well, I actually dont mind that much. I like character :-) But when I hear recordings (Robert Glasper etc.) I dont hear the sound. So kinda figured there was some adjustments to be made?

- Alex

Hi all

I noticed (I think after installing the pre '74 hammertips) that when I release a key on the piano, it has a slight metallic sound. I thought it was a damper issue, but after messing around with it for a bit, I couldn't improve it. It's rather distracting. Has any of you had that problem, and how did you go about solving it?

I uploaded a small 15 sec. sound clip for demonstration purposes:

https://soundcloud.com/alexdeckerdk/rhodes-test-recording/s-wkdEy

– Alex

Right now, I have an escapement of 3/8" (or about 9,5mm), which I realise is the maximum escapement. Its the escapement I get when all is set up as per the service manual. So maybe I should work a bit on lowering the tine and sustain bars in the bass section. Right now, they are set to 3/8" as per the service manual as well...

– Alex

I've already removed all the shims, and made sure that no double striking is taking place. Thats what bugs me - I did everything the service manual suggested, mixed with suggestions from this forum.

By all means, the piano plays rather well, in the sende that I have no double striking, I voiced and tuned it beautifully (if I might say so myself) and it has that dark tone from the early pianos that I adore so.

But it also has that heavy action, and it seems I cant do anything about it. I wouldnt even have though this much about it, had I not played on a '71 that had light-as-feather buttery smooth action. Now I have action envy, and my own piano will never get the same love from me, unless I get closer to that beautiful action...

*sigh*

- Alex

It's really hard getting in there and taking decent pictures. This was all I could manage, and I dont know if that will help you guys in determing if the bump mod is placed correctly.

I just installed the square hammer tips, where as before, I only had the tapered tips (only ones available a few years back when I restored it) and I gotta say that helped the feel and sound somewhat. But the action, especially in the bass feels like I have to hit with some force to get the tip to hit the Tine. To me, that doesnt seem dynamic and right. But I dont know - maybe thats the only Way a Rhodes can feel. Just wondering, when I hear recordings of Rhodes played soft and beautiful, how they are able to play that quiet on a Rhodes.



- Alex

Thanks for the reply Ben. I do actually feel like the action gets a little lighter by using the sustain pedal.

When a piano is set up perfectly, why is it that the earlier ones had heavier action? To me, it seems that the plastic hammers are the only difference in the actual action (provided that you have done the bump mod etc.). It just amazes me that the difference is that Big!

- Alex

I would probably qualify the action as heavy. I am not completely sure how to differ between sluggish and heavy, as it seems everybody has their own definition of it.

What I do know is that I had a '71 piano with worn damper arms, and the action was light as a feather on that one. Granted, the worn damper arms presented a whole bunch of other issues.

By upgrading the damper arms, I was hoping for something in between, which would be a nice compromise to me

– Alex

Hi all

My '72 Rhodes still suffer from heavy sluggish action, even though I have changed parts, installed bump mod and all that. The sustain pedal is kinda heavy to depress as well

So my last option is replacing the damper arms, as I've heard that the early piano damper arms were much stiffer than the later ones, which contributes to the heavy action.

So just wondered if the Vintage Vibe reproduction damper arms is a little softer, and would benefit the action. Does anyone have any experience with this?

- Alex

Hi all

I am trying to get a hold of a Peterson preamp. If anyone has one to sell, please contact me. I live in Copenhagen, Europe...

– Alex

Thanks for the heads up, but I am located in Europe :-)

- Alex

Thanks all for your replies!

I certainly get many of your points. I already play my Rhodes through a Fender Blues Deluxe, but as some said, my main motivation was that I love the sound of the Peterson, and also, I love the way a suitcase looks. It is supposed to stand in my livingroom with all my furniture, and the suitcase look is to me more fitting in that setting.

The idea mainly sprung from the fact that I have to opportunity to buy a suitcase cab only, so I wouldnt have to split some other piano apart. Also, I live in Europe, where suitcase pianos are almost no where to be found.

So there, that is the main motivation for me so far...

I get the argument against a Buz Watson piano. To be perfectly honest, I am only buying into the hype because of a few articles around the internet. I dont have the experience that this piano plays any better than another piano, to be honest... but its the Rhodes I have right now, and therefore the only one I would be able to pair with a suitcase cab

- Alex

Stage piano case is thicker than suitcase.  This means it requires modifying sustain dowel in piano to get pedal to function... normal suitcase pedal screw won't reach.
Leg flanges can be easily unscrewed in the back.
Are you getting a preamp for the stage piano?

Hi Ben, and thanks for your reply.

Okay, so a modification of the sustain dowel. Have you tried something like that, or are you guessing (educatedly)?

Leg flanges lie flush to the bottom of the piano, so they shouldn't get in the way when I place the Stage piano on the suitcase. Although I can't remember if there is any mechanism that is supposed to secure the piano to the suitcase? I am thinking that the weight of the piano alone would secure it enough to the suitcase, as this is going to be standing in my livingroom. But please advice if you think elsewise?

And yes, I need to get an amp. I was thinking about the VV Stereo Amp, but preferably I would love to have the original Peterson preamp, a namerail that fits, and then install it. Just dont have any idea where to find it - yet

So tell me straight up - this whole idea of a Buz Watson on a suitcase - am I committing Rhodes blasphemy for thinking about trying this? I have always been all in on keeping things original. Seeing as this wouldn't actually interfere with the original construction of my Buz piano, and that Rhodes pianos have historically always been tinkered with, I am thinking that everyone should be ok on this one :-) But still can't help feeling that it is not completely right, what I am up to...!

Any ideas or anything else, please write, any of you :-)

– Alex

Hi all

I have a '72 Buz Watson as my livingroom instrument. I am considering buying a suitcase amp to put it on, and play through that.

I have a few questions:

Have any in here paired a Stage version with a suitcase before? And with success? I heard that the wood in the bottom was thinner on the suitcase models, but can't remember if that only related to Wuritzers or also Rhodes?

Is it possible to put a Stage on a suitcase, or would the leg flangers get in the way?

Is there any big difference between the power amps in a Mk1 suitcase and a Mk2 suitcase? If yes, can you expand on them?

Thanks all! Hope somebody can give a little perspective on this

– Alex

Hi all

I always read and hear a lot of which Rhodes Mk1 is the best.

Rarely do I see a discussion on which Mk2 model is the best. To my knowledge, there was models with wooden keys, plastic keys, Torrington tines and other tines.

I would love to hear some of your opinions on the Mk2 models only - which ones you prefer, would you ever buy and keep one yourself and so on

I am restoring a Mk2 from 1980 right now with wooden keys. Not completely sure about what tines are in it, but the action as very nice - completely different to my Buz Watson model!

– Alex

You started your question about the leg department in the top case of the suitcase piano. I must have been too enthusiastic as I made my remarks. 

Keeping your Rhodes original makes me happy. Best of luck! 

Haha, I'm sorry, you're right! I totally forgot about that, as this topic has spun out of control, and is now (to see) a general suitcase restoration three (specific to the suitcase I acquired anyways)

Thanks for the replay though!

- Alex

I dont know where you picked up that I want to put the piano on legs? On the contrary, I want to keep it as original ad possible, and overhaul and restore the original power amp and supply...

- Alex

You are absolutely right. I did exactly what you said, and it seems that the power amp is the problem (although I still don't know why I don't hear it in the headphones then).

Can anyone guide me to a complete list of components needed to haul over the power amp (and maybe the power supply)? I dont know much about electronics, so wanted to use this opportunity to learn a bit. If I fail, I can always purchase a brand new power amp instead of using the old ones, so thought they would be good training

– Alex

Okay, update on my progress. I am operating the rhodes on only two speakers now – one in each side, pointing towards my knee. It plays beautifully – when it plays. Problem is:

Sometimes, I get distortion in one side. One of the speakers will distort, either lightly or heavily. And sometimes it just plays as it should.

I am having trouble finding out what makes the speaker distort. When I plug in my headphones and listen through them, I don't get any distortion, so it should be a speaker problem.

Now, I have read some suggestions that it could be an impedance mismatch. Since I use 8ohm speakers, and only have one coupled up on each side, theoretically the power amps are needing 8 ohm more in each side. But since it is only one side that is distorting, I dont know if that is what is going on. Shouldn't both sides distort if that were the problem?

Other thing is that one power amp has the old germanium transister, and the other has new silicon transistor. A professional did the replacement, and he told me he rebiased it so everything should work. So I guess that can't be the problem? And if that were the case, the audio problems should also appear in my headphones, which they dont. Am I right?

Please let me know of any suggestions or possible solutions you could have to this problem!

– Alex

Great, thanks for the responses! I'll get back with more questions when they pop up!

- Alex

Hi all

I have a few questions about the rhodes pianos that I hope you guys can help me with. Would be nice to further my understanding of these wonderful pianos even more

1. I've always wondered – when the harp is securely mounted with two screws on each side, why the need for the harp hinge as well?

2. What is the general consensus on pedestial mod vs Marcel curve?

3. I heard that the tine metal is really hard. Is it possible to file it down with a metal file, or what would be the best way to go about that without power tools?

4. Is it possible to LOOSE tension in the damper arms?

Thanks!

– Alex

Nobody has an opinion wether or not the suitcase amp will still be full range if I decouple the two speakers facing away from the player?

- Alex