Early MK1 curiosities

[btfnk]

I recently picked up a MK1 Stage dated 39 72. I've owned a late model 77 MK1 and an MK2 but this is my first early model MK1. I've started doing some basic adjustments and planning restorative fixes (grommet and screws pack is in the mail). I'm finding I have a fair amount of questions and curiosities about it.


I was surprised to find the key pedestal has a wood bump. Is this the standard pedestal shape for 72? I thought they were normally flat during this period. The keys are also hollow.




The namerail has unfortunately been drilled for either a preamp of some sort (which didn't come with it) or someone once upon a time wanted to mount their output on the right side perhaps? It also has a hole in the center under the logo. If anyone has any insight into why those mods would have been made, I'm very interested to know more.

[Alan Lenhoff]

Your "skirted" key caps (plastic on the sides of the keys, unlike the later keys which have bare wood on the sides) and what you call "hollow" keys are consistent with a 1972 Rhodes. But there were no factory pedestal bumps on '72s, so someone altered those keys. I believe this slanted pedestal is what Rhodes was using at that time: https://www.vintagevibe.com/products/fender-rhodes-keys-vintage-slanted-pedestal  I had those pedestals on a 1973 I owned, and the action was very heavy. So, adding a bump to the pedestals was a good idea, unless it was done poorly.

I don't think you'll ever know why someone drilled those extra holes.  There have been a lot of aftermarket preamps people installed over the years, which may have been installed on the right side of the name rail on yours.  Or the drilling might have been for do-it-yourself mods. Who knows?

Alan