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1

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Restoring 1972 Fender Rhodes Mk1 Stage, need help with key replacement

« Last post by square_wave on January 19, 2021, 05:33:00 PM »

Thanks so much, this is what I needed to know!

P.S. my name is also Sean. 

2

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Mark 2 difficulties

« Last post by sean on January 19, 2021, 01:15:57 PM »

First, slow down, breathe... take a pause, relax.  (although not in all caps, you sound out of breath)
You have come to the right place.  If we can't help you, there are Rhodes techs in LA that will chime in.

I assume you have a seventy-three key Mark II stage piano.  Is this correct?  It looks like this:
or

The stage piano does not have a power supply or amplifier beneath it.  Just a piano top on four legs.  The Stage Piano will have only one 1/4" jack on the face panel... oh, I forgot the obvious... It will have the words "Stage Piano" on the name rail.  Ha.

[If your piano has a built-in preamp, then you have either a Rhodes Janus Piano (missing the amp), or you have a Suitcase model Rhodes (also missing the amplifier base).  These two model pianos require a power supply for the internal preamp.]

I will assume you have a STAGE PIANO.

In a perfect world, if you plug a guitar cable from the output of the Rhodes (deceptively marked "Input") to the input of your guitar amp, you will get music.  If you don't, there are a few things that could be wrong, but it is almost always this: some of the pickups in the piano are dead.  If there are three dead pickups in a row (a whole group-of-three is dead), you get no output from the Rhodes.

(There are other things that could be wrong too:  maybe the RCA jack is corroded, maybe the cable from the RCA jack is unplugged or defective, maybe the controls on the name rail are defective, or maybe the 1/4" jack is screwed up, or maybe a ground wire is broken, or ....)

The method of finding all the dead pickups is reasonably well-discussed here: 
           https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=10307.msg57408#msg57408
           (This post has links to other similar posts at the bottom.)

Take a good look around inside your Rhodes, and send us some pictures if you can.

Of course, you should read the service manual a bunch of times:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/manual.html
See also the technotes at:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/technotes.html

Sean


By the way, I completely disagree with your assertion that you have search all over the internet.   :-)

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Mark 2 difficulties

« Last post by Coolestdudest on January 19, 2021, 10:09:42 AM »

Hi! I'm new to this website and all the information so please have patience with me! An old Rhodes Mark 2 happen to fall into my hands (for free too!) and I'm having difficulties getting it to work. I've searched all over the internet for information and I can't seem to find anything. Basically I can't get any sound to come out of my amp. I know that I found a lot of info on the suitcase amps that they were designed to work with or something like that and my amp is simply just a cheap modern amp but I don't know what to do. I also found a lot of info on wiring and the power supply dying but I'm certainly not an expert on any of that stuff. Thank you so much for your time! If you think it might just be a wiring issue, if you could reccomend some place or someone in the LA area who could help me out that'd be great. Thanks a bunch!

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by Christian Clarke on January 19, 2021, 06:06:23 AM »

Sadly there is no shim on the bass side of the piano to remove.

Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I can see a shim on the harp support on the bass side.

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by sean on January 18, 2021, 07:58:48 PM »

Oh, by the way, read the service manual a bunch of times:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/manual.html

See also the technotes at:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/technotes.html

Sean

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by sean on January 18, 2021, 07:56:22 PM »

Do you see those two flanges that stick out from the aluminum harp support to create a slot?  The screw to hold the back end of the harp support goes in there.

A #8-32 screw will fit loosely, and a #10-32 screw will be very snug.  I think you want a self-tapping #10-32 screw about 1/2" long.  If the screw bottoms out in the slot, add washers under the head of the screw.

See photo below.

Sean 

7

Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by suitcase'81 on January 18, 2021, 03:03:37 PM »

some more pics of keylevel en keydip.
and the "hollow"harp supports.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/6QKZNARPrFYXAXFT9  (how do i attach the pivot links to this ?!)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/scCR2YJG3F5w6q6e8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pBsCP5BrBYA5W3zV9

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by suitcase'81 on January 18, 2021, 02:53:54 PM »

escapement:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/y8cDpB3P5ndutWvp7


harp support :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6v267MZ1yy8nDr857

thanks!

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: impossible escapement

« Last post by suitcase'81 on January 18, 2021, 02:34:33 PM »

Are there wood shims on the top of the harp support on the left side?  You can lower the harp by removing shims.

Are your new hammertips a different size than the original hammer tips?

Did you remove a ton of felt or paper punchings from the balance rail when you played with the keylevel and keydip?

Is your key dip too small?


I hope that you have the thick factory-installed shim on top of the harp supports.  If it is glued on, try heating the glue to get it to release cleaner.

Is this a stage piano with wooden keys or with plastic keys?

Sean

Thanks for the reply.

Sadly there is no shim on the bass side of the piano to remove.
I didn't mess with the balancerail punchings as the keys are perfectly straight/alligned and keydip was within standard spec. (If it ain't broken don't fix it).
The piano is from '83 and has plastic keys and aluminum harp supports.
replacement hammertips are exactly the same as the ones i took off.

also, to add to my confusion. the harp pivot links were missing so i ordered a couple to make working on the piano easier, but i can't for the life of me figure out how to connect them.
My aluminum harp supports are "hollowed out" if that makes sense? ..

i will try to post some pictures asap..

thanks in advance for any help

 

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Parts, Service, Maintenance & Repairs / Re: Restoring 1972 Fender Rhodes Mk1 Stage, need help with key replacement

« Last post by sean on January 17, 2021, 08:13:49 PM »

Do not modify the balance rail pins in any way.

If you are lucky, you may be able to find a key from a higher octave that will work.

If that is absolutely impossible, you could modify the key by sawing a notch in the bottom of the key to remove the existing hole.  Fill that with nice dry basswood or other white wood.  Drill a new hole after the glue dries.

See the attached drawing.

Sean