Post your Rhodes pics and its story

[Ben Bove]

Yeah there was just a short time in 1974 that they used flatter silver knobs, for the Mark I:



I do know what you're talking about though, on the earliest 60s Silvertop suitcases they used:

[Bolece]

Hi Rhodes fans and proud owners!!
I´ve just bought pretty damaged (1975?? hammers are wood/plastic) Rhodes stage piano 73! I would like to ask you if it is even worthy a restoration?! It plays but terribly...
The first tine (E) is broken, it lacks a wooden case and pedal....from numbering of keys it looks they were mixed from two pianos (73 and 88).  And the worst...it was stored in a place with high humidity so everything (tone bars, tines, pick-ups) is covered by rust!
Could you write me your opinion, please?! Any advice??

here is a link to photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bolece/8534379146/in/photostream

PS: I´m from Czech Republic...so spare parts are quite a problem...!

[David Aubke]

Hi Rhodes fans and proud owners!!
I´ve just bought pretty damaged (1975?? hammers are wood/plastic) Rhodes stage piano 73! I would like to ask you if it is even worthy a restoration?! It plays but terribly...
The first tine (E) is broken, it lacks a wooden case and pedal....from numbering of keys it looks they were mixed from two pianos (73 and 88).  And the worst...it was stored in a place with high humidity so everything (tone bars, tines, pick-ups) is covered by rust!
Could you write me your opinion, please?! Any advice??

here is a link to photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bolece/8534379146/in/photostream

PS: I´m from Czech Republic...so spare parts are quite a problem...!

Doesn't look that bad to me. The only rust that usually concerns me is any that appears on the tines. It leaves them pitted after cleaning. They still work but I have to assume their lifespan is compromised. Also, rust on the guide pins is will interfere with the keys' movement. You can clean the guide pins but unless you treat them, the rust will quickly reappear.

[Bolece]

Doesn't look that bad to me. The only rust that usually concerns me is any that appears on the tines. It leaves them pitted after cleaning. They still work but I have to assume their lifespan is compromised. Also, rust on the guide pins is will interfere with the keys' movement. You can clean the guide pins but unless you treat them, the rust will quickly reappear.

Thank you so much for info !!! As you say the tines are pitted after some cleaning...and keys move badly...I will try to remove the dust a see how it will react! I´d like ask you a favour...I want to made a new case for it but I can´t find exact dimensions...and how thick should the wood be?! Could you send me the measurements or write me where to find it please??

PS: I´ve found only this so far: http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/tjh392/AlteredRhodesLid.jpg

[David Aubke]

Generally, the wood for Stage pianos is 11/16" (~17.5mm) to 3/4" (~19mm) thick. I'm thinking the later all-plywood cabinets were probably 3/4". Earlier cabinets had solid wood sides which may have been closer to 11/16"

I've done some drawings of cabinets on Trimble SketchUp. I need to do one for mid-70's cabinets but for now, the closest I have would be a 1973 with the two-angle split. SketchUp is a free program. You can load in my drawing and obtain any dimension you need.

[Bolece]

Well, this is sooo great!! Thank you very much! When I finish it....I will send some pictures!!

[LeonSpinks]

New Rhodes Content.

This is a literal barn find.  Little old lady had it and wanted it moved out and gave it to a family, none of whom played piano or had any interest in it.  Word got around, and I was mentioned as a possible interested party, so one of them contacted me and sent some blurry cellphone pictures.  He told me it was in good shape and everything worked, and is apparently pretty rare.  Having owned two Suitcase Rhodes in the past, I did some digging. 

It is now mine.



Much more to come...         

[Tee]

Sweet

[Dzdpgtehu]

Wow, an Executone?
http://fenderrhodes.com/html/gallery/executone.html

[Abraham]

3 pedals wtf??

[LeonSpinks]

Date looks promising.



No amp?     

[Dzdpgtehu]

More pics please,
I'm curious to see the preamp/amp section!

[Dan Brandesky]

Here are some pics of the 1977 suitcase 73 I just bought last week. I am the second owner! Completion date code indicates it was finished around Feb. 11, 1977.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25327808@N06/9715841522/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/25327808@N06/9715841312/


-Dan

[alvincflorentino]

Brought my Roland JX-8P synth to this guy who's supposed to know how to fix synths. When we got to his house, he noticed I was looking around his "shop" since there were some pretty old (read: vintage) stuff like acoustic pianos, a broken Roland RS-202, some digital recorders. He then says he has a Rhodes piano which was used by his dad in the late 70s-early 80s but has since been collecting dust in a room upstairs. At this point, my heart literally skipped a beat! We go in the room and first thing I see is an old vibraphone (I think it's a JenCo graduated 3-octave vibes--I searched the net--without the motor which was stored in another box somewhere). He then shows me the Rhodes that his dad also used to play. When I remove the dusty cloth covering, I discover that it's a suitcase piano. Not sure if it's a Mark II. I opened it up and looked inside. About 10 pickups were missing (mostly for the topmost keys but around 6-7 were in a plastic bag located in the compartment). I wasn't able to lift the harp to see the hammers. The amp and speaker base seemed ok on the outside. It's labelled 220v (don't know why since from what I've seen on the net, they're mostly 110v). I didn't have enough time to inspect more closely and just got the following pics. Wasn't even able to turn it on. Could anyone tell me exactly what model this is? And why it's 220v? I'm hoping it won't be a major restoration since this'll be mostly a DIY project. I was able to date it to the 29th week of 1980. Correct?

[Tim Hodges]

Yep it's the 29th week of 1980, it's a MKII suitcase made for the UK market (220v)

The white pickups wire tends to corrode sooner than their clear tape counterparts which I'm guessing is why 9 have been taken off.
It's worth noting that because of the way the pickups have been wired you might still get sound as they've bypassed all of the last 9 pickups to go straight to the last and complete the circuit, but if there's a break in any of those 64 remaining pickups you won't get any sound from it as its wired in series. You'll need to check if those pickups are working (and the ones in the bag) and replace any that aren't and you should be good to go once they're all connected back together

[Rhodie]

I picked up this 1979 Rhodes 73. It has the cabinet but the whole thing looks like it took a good beating. I looked inside and found it to be in really good shape and in tune. I was told it was on tour in the US and Europe with Tim Curry's band after he did the Rocky Horror Picture Show.http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2600_zps8cb665b3.jpg.html?sort=3&o=http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2599_zpsa8fa600b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

If these 2 links don't get you to the pics, let me know. It's not easy to load photos when you are me and have a mac.

Kevin

[Rhodie]

P.S. I traded a 2011 Martin acoustic guitar for it that was $1,500 new 2 years ago and in mint condition. 10 minutes of playing on the Rhodes was more rewarding than the 2 years with the Martin. I was always worried about putting the first scratch on the guitar and knocking 7 or $ 800 off the value. I think I got a great deal and definitely agree with all the posters from Europe who say the Rhodes is under valued.

Here's a link for the Martin:  http://s977.photobucket.com/user/keytimekev/media/IMG_2579_zpsbd07e24d.jpg.html.

A couple of people I know thought it was a bad trade until they heard this Rhodes.

[voltergeist]

Rhodie, you know the top's on wrong in the photo, right?  Congrats on the piano.  A good cleaning, a bit of Tolex repair, and some Armor All would probably get it looking pretty good.  Here's a thread on sprucing up a tired-looking piano:

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=7860.msg40643#msg40643

[Rhodie]

I knew the lid was on incorrectly-that's how I got it. I took that shot as soon as I carried it into my shop.

Thanks for the advice on cleaning it. I don't want to do a total resto on it, I just want to play it and not catch a disease from it.

[vortmaxx]

Well, I firmly believe it's what's on the inside that counts...



I've put a few "scratches" on it myself in the last year. It happens.

It looks a little better from this angle:



I found it on CL and bought it off of a guitar player last summer who acquired it from a former bandmate. That was all he could tell me about it, so I can't speak too much about it's history, but I can say that it's destiny now lies somewhere along the same path as my own.

It appears to have been completed around the 12th week of 1980 and was not in too terrible shape, all things considered. Aside from some minor cosmetic blemishes, it was minus a pedal along with one of the hinges and one of the latches on the lid. 

After some consideration, and a bit of guidance from some good folks around here, I opted to pursue the "cleanest" tone possible, figuring that there are myriad ways to color the tone, with or without tubes along the signal path. I already had a nice QSC K12 that I was using for my other keyboards, and really liked what I was getting out of it for the Rhodes. I had a Twin for about a week, and while I really like that too, I felt in the end that it was a lot more than I needed, and more than I wanted to have to deal with as well. I took a chance and went with a VV Stereo Vibe preamp. Much thanks and appreciation to Dave Aubke (a.k.a. Shadetree Keys) for helping me figure out how to rewire the pickups to accommodate the Stereo Vibe, among other things.

I was lucky enough to find a good deal on a second K12, and the end result I think is a bit like having a more portable Suitcase, though on most gigs I only use 1 speaker.

Along with replacing screws and grommets (gromlets?) and a couple of pickups that died in the last year, I also extended the softer shore tips from the mid section up into the mid/upper register in an attempt to get a bit more mellow attack through this range. However, I wanted someone with more experience to give it a proper tuning and voicing (I think that every Rhodes should probably see a proper tech at least once every 30 years or so), and at this point will shamelessly plug Max at the Chicago Electric Piano Company.  If you are lucky enough to be near the City of the Big Shoulders, and can arrange a visit to his shop, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I simply cannot speak highly enough of him.

I've had quite a few keyboardists and piano players sit in at gigs in the last year, some who were/are quite good- better than me anyways. The verdict so far has been unanimous; it is an absolutely wonderful instrument to play. I love being able to get out front and hear it through a large house P.A. where it sounds fat, and warm, and punchy and just plain huge.



Anyone traveling through lower SW Wisconsin is invited to stop by and sit in if you like. We can generally be found playing out just about every Sunday, most Thursdays, random Saturdays, the last Monday of the month, and the occasional Friday night as well.

[David Aubke]

Didn't know Fifty Fours ever had leg braces.

[The Real MC]

Me neither

[Peter Hayes]

This 54 will be going to Louisiana in a few weeks. Same VV preamp with re-wired pickups.

[David Aubke]

Looks awesome Peter. Nice gams!

When you say "rewired", did you change the series setup?

[vortmaxx]

Didn't know Fifty Fours ever had leg braces.

I made the braces out of 3/16" steel flat stock. I felt that the piano had a little too much sway, especially when playing palm smears on the Nord. I'm pretty sure there is some improved stability overall.

Peter: that is a beauty, for sure. I've been wrestling with whether or not to re-tolex my Rhodes. I'm still on the fence about it, but seeing that really kind of makes me think about doing it.

[Peter Hayes]

Dave,
Yes. Went from series to parallel.

[Peter Hayes]

Dave,
The gams are solid stainless steel. My brother David makes these for me.

[The Real MC]

If you re-tolex you should match or compliment the Nord.

[Ben Bove]

Yeah the 54s didn't have braces, but they do sway just enough. 

[David Aubke]

Adjustable legs in the rear? These pictures are blowing my mind.

Here's a shot of a canonical Fifty Four just to bring things back down to earth.



ignore the preamp controls in the cheek block

[Tee]

Yes, I agree.  I have the 1968 Mustard yellow and a 1969 alvacodo green student model aka Jetsons models. I love them both.

[vortmaxx]

If you re-tolex you should match or compliment the Nord.

Hmmm.....more food for thought. I like it. I'll add that after re-stumbling across pics of your MIDI rig the other day      I've given your thoughts on the matter a little more credence.

Part of the reason I've put off making a decision whether or not to re-tolex is this: making the decision to do it leads to having to make another decision of whether or not to go with a traditional look or something more unique.

[notdeankane]

Just registered here today, although I have owned my Suitcase Seventy-three for going on 15 years!   

I found it for sale in Hollywood, FL in a newspaper ad.  The guy had two, one a stage and one a suitcase.  Wanted $300 each, or both for $500.    I only bought the suitcase since it had the amp...hindsight is 20/20...I should have grabbed both!







The info on the plate is:

Serial: 54121
Model:  'SUITCASE 73' 

I did find a stamp on the right edge of the tonebar:


Am I correct that this translates to a 1974? (31st week, 5th day)



The amp has this on the business end:



The instrument has fairly stiff action, and several flat sounding tines.  I have never used the 4 pin amp cable because it was frayed and separating from the plug..I have always just run a 1/4" instrument cable from the keyboard to the amp.



It plays ok, and I have toyed with it for years, but am getting serious about reviving the instrument.

That being said, it looks like I am going to be getting into replacing the grommets, re-felting, cleaning the tines and tone bars,  adding the bump mod, replacing the cable, polishing the metalwork and hopefully that's it...?

Looking forward to reading this forum and starting my restoration.


Also, I have a couple Noob questions:

1) are the two 1/4" jacks on the amp, labeled 'Ext. Amplifier' intended to be preamp out? i.e. would I run cables from here to a mixer, another amp or whatever?

2) is the 4 pin "Piano Input" the ONLY way to input to the amp?  (nothing else is labled 'input')  In other words, can other instruments (another keyboard or bass guitar) be plugged into the Rhode's amp? (this prefaces #4 below)

3) Am I correct that the two 1/4" jacks labeled Accessory 1 & 2 on the Rhodes are outputs which bypass the tonal controls and preamp on the keyboard?  What are these typically connected to...effects boxes?  (if so, where does the effects return plumb back into the amp?)

4) Did I blow something in the circuitry by plugging the Rhode's accessory output into the Amp's Ext. Amplifier jack? It actually worked like this and I played it this way for a few years, but after it had been stored for a while, it doesn't seem to work that way now.  I can still run a 1/4" cable between the accessory out and another amp I have.


Thanks all!!!

[gtsberg]

Found mine on Ebay locally here where I live. It was used by a couple of local bands. Brave Combo and Bowling for Soup I'm told. It's dirty and needs to be tuned, but sounds good. It has some paint overspray on the tolex that I need to clean off, but seems in good working condition. The grill cover in front is destroyed and will have to be remade. I got a good price considering what these are going for these days. 

[Student Rhodes]

3) Am I correct that the two 1/4" jacks labeled Accessory 1 & 2 on the Rhodes are outputs which bypass the tonal controls and preamp on the keyboard?  What are these typically connected to...effects boxes?  (if so, where does the effects return plumb back into the amp?)

gtsberg,
The top (#1) Accessory Jack is the send for an effects loop, the lower (#2) jack is the return. 
I run a Maestro Stage Phaser through there.  Anything sent through there is subject to stereo trem in the Peterson pre-amp.

Ray

[notdeankane]

The top (#1) Accessory Jack is the send for an effects loop, the lower (#2) jack is the return. 
I run a Maestro Stage Phaser through there.  Anything sent through there is subject to stereo trem in the Peterson pre-amp.

Ray

Thanks Ray! 

[Mr Peel]

Dear,

Here my fender Rhodes Seventy Three custom by Olivier Grall (France)
Choice is Silver Sparkle tolex...

Amp is a fender Twin Silverface from 1969

All the best 

Regards

[Student Rhodes]

Nice, Mr. Peel.

Looks like I see a Boss CE-1 on that amp as well.  I've been thinking about finding one somewhere down the line.
Ray

[Mr Peel]

Ray,

Thanks

You see well 
One of my effects yes.
The main effect I use with the Rhodes (and other instruments too) is the Roland RE201 band echo.
Incredible sound and creative...

[Olaf]

My 1976 suitcase still has the price tag on her. She's from HONG KONG! Not a "Fender!" though. Does anyone know how much
HK$ 10,515 was worth back in the day? Turning 38 this week...

Olav

[Ben Bove]

By today's standard it's $1350, but who knows what the exchange rate was at the time.  It could've been a whole lot less etc.

[vitalhomestudio]

Hi!

I bought my Fender Rhodes Mark II 73 in 1981 at Steve Music Shop in Montreal. This is the only keyboard that i kept during all its years. It is in good condition but it needs a refresh. I hope to talk with you

[smitty.west]

1973 Fender Rhodes Stage Seventy Three



The Rhodes sound was in my head long before I knew what it was. As a child I heard it everywhere and told myself I'd one day get that sound. Fast forward to this past weekend when I was casually browsing eBay, checking up on Rhodes prices; it was pretty well-"stocked" with them as usual. I then decided to, without expecting anything, check my local Craigslist and lo and behold the very first ad in the entire musical instruments section was for the Rhodes I now call mine. Went to meet the gentleman who was selling it the same afternoon and didn't even bother trying to get it cheaper. He was a professional jazz bassist his entire life and used it for some casual chord work at home. It's in as near-mint condition as is possible for a 40+ instrument to be and came with 15 extra tines, the original manual, all the soft cases, etc. I paid a premium, but am looking forward to a life with it. I'm currently looking to do the Miracle Mod to it as I find the action to be extremely sluggish and stiff.

[Daddy Dom]

Here's mine, or should I say "some really bad shots of the guts of mine."
I know it's a FrankenRhodes but don't care - they're all modular to a point. It was bought pretty cheaply from a local small ad something over ten years ago. Soon afterwards I did a Speakeasy key-lift mod that is anything but good and I know I'll be spending the next few months under the hood looking at damper felts and finding out why that mod I did was such a major failure.

Any suggestions/comments are welcome.
DD

[laberge]

Yahoo! After 3 months of work, it's basically done! Still needs a lot of tweaks, a knob and a sustain pedal!

[Tehu]

Nice eighty eight! I got a similar one, with the preamp!
I see a MPC1000, do you produce hiphop?

[laberge]

I make a bit of house music and hiphop

https://instagram.com/p/4uqQw8rek0/
https://instagram.com/p/4iPpvaLesp/

or

soundcloud.com/laberge

(hope it's ok to post these )

[trumpetman]

Here's a pictorial of a Rhodes I restored:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/63737189@N05/dE6Pz0

[Student Rhodes]

Is that a piece of the tolex on the name rail?  Looks much nicer than the black.
Great job. 
Ray

[trumpetman]

Yes, the decal or stencil was damaged. Silver tolex plus a MK I "Seventy-three" logo were used on the name rail. The photos all have captions.