Fitting Both Pins from the Damper Release Bar into my Rhodes Stage Piano

[Jimmbo]

Exciting news! I'm near completion on my bumbling effort to trick out my Rhodes Stage 73 with the advanced ability to sustain, which I've heard is much-prized by elite performers!

A new sustain damper rail pin has flown to me all the way from the country of England, and it fits beautifully. I've installed it - without your help! - as seen here:

Now all I need to do is seat those pins in their respective holes.

The right pin went in like a champ! But then there's the left pin. Doh!



Please don't tell me I need to massively disassemble the innards to complete this. Please tell me there's a simple trick.

Danka, all

[gacki]

I got a good chuckle out of this.
First , it looks as if you would try to install the damper bar "upside down"; the felt needs to go towards the dampers.
Second, it's really easy. Loosen the screw that right now holds the pin (one side is usually sufficient). Push the pin towards the inside of the damper rail (remember how I asked you on the other topic if perhaps the pin had slipped inside?). Position the damper bar, slide the pin with a small screwdriver back into position, fasten screw.

[Jimmbo]

Oh, yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah (porno moans).

If the damper thingee is upside down, the channels become available for tinkering. Ok, I'm going in. Will report back.

[Jimmbo]

PROGRESS IS PROGRESSING.

Hitting sustain pedal no longer produces clunking sound. All notes sustain perfectly.

Problem: when I release the sustain pedal, all notes remain sustained. I've tried slightly raising and lowering the telescoping rod that connects pedal to piano, with no effect. This photo shows the thingee directly moved by that rod (in case it helps):

[Jimmbo]

Wide shot, just to determine whether other massively stupid things might be happening on my end:

[rhodesworks]

Now you're right side up, but reversed left to right. You're getting closer!

[Jimmbo]

Kill me now.
Time for an adult beverage.
Continue later.

[Jimmbo]

That was a surprisingly difficult extraction, requiring a small Allen wrench (i.e. its 90 degree crook) to push the pin back into the track so I could flip the goddam damper bar to its rightful position. It's not like there's leverage to PULL the pin from the other side in the track.

But it is done. Abundant thanks to all. Please sing along with me from page 98 in the hymnbook, "O God, Do Thou Sustain Me".

Sole remaining problem: one single loud note (not just on the attack...it's just LOUD, period). Any chance it's something easy?

[spave]

Sole remaining problem: one single loud note (not just on the attack...it's just LOUD, period). Any chance it's something easy?

Have you tried moving the pickup back yet? Take a look at this section of the service manual and see if that fixes it

https://www.fenderrhodes.com/org/manual/ch4.html#4-7

[Jimmbo]

spave, wow, great, plenty of useful adjustments in that diagram.

The pickups on my piano don't seem to be the shape as depicted in the manual. Can you please tell me if I'm on the right track, per photo below?

[spave]

You have the arrows reversed. Pulling the pickup away from the tine makes the sound quieter.

A good way to adjust that one loud note would be to repeatedly hit it and slowly move the pickup away from the tine until the volume matches its neighbors.