MK I Stage '74-75 v. 76-78

[meyer]

Hi all,

I will be purchasing a Rhodes MK I Stage from one of the well-known restorers. All years of MK I sound good to me, they're just different flavors of great tones. However, I need to choose one and was curious if any input could help.

-Action, would love a dynamic action that is perhaps on the lighter side touch-wise. I do play acoustic piano primarily, and a little bit of Wurlitzer.
-Tone, balanced tone without too much bark or bell (unless you dig in)
-Reliable for playing jazz daily. I wouldn't mind replacing tines here or there, and it will never be gigged.

Is it safe to buy a brighter instrument and shave off some of that top end with amp settings? Alternatively, how well does a darker roads brighten up with effects? My gut says 1974-1974, and have them do the pedestal mod to improve the action.

Between the different years, hammer tips, tines, this is quite the rabbit hole!

[The Real MC]

Over the years I have owned Rhodes from 1972, 1976, and 1967.

As a piano player, Rhodes from the years 1972 to 1978 have the worst action and no matter what you will want the pedestal mod.

The pianos from 76-78 have the dullest tones.  Forget about any bell tone, they are all mids.  My 1976 model was muddy and nothing would get any bell tone. 

Go for the 1974-75 era pianos, they're a brighter piano and you can always use a processor to tame the bell tone.

My 1967 sparkletop Rhodes is a keeper with great action and great tone, but they are not good for gigging as they lose their tuning when moved.

[meyer]

Interesting! Still researching and mulling this over. I tend to think of 72-74 as the "sunshine of my life" warm tone, post '75 as brighter but still balanced, and post '78 as very bright and glassy.

I know what sound I'm after, but it's tough to parse all of the different components and their effect on the sound:

harp
harp supports
hammers (wood, plastic, mix)
tip material and shape
pickups

and their impact on the action.

Definitely agree that it's easier to filter out highs than to add them.

[spave]

If you're already budgeting for a fully restored piano, I would strongly recommend looking at one of the new Vintage Vibe Pianos with variable voice control. A new VV will have a better action than any vintage Rhodes and the tone shaping abilities of the variable voice control should allow you to emulate just about any Rhodes sound other than the sparkletops.

https://vintagevibepiano.com/vibe-variable-voice-control/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT2wvfd79B8

Hope this helps!

[meyer]

Hey thanks, that is a great suggestion! I like the sounds of the VV, often more than what I've heard from the Mk8. A fully restored Mk1 is in same price range of both of those models, and frankly I like that tone best. (disclaimer is this is only from watching dozens upon dozens of videos, and playing a Mk1 and Mk2, but not Mk8 or VV).

The variable voice control is a brilliant idea, after all that is the factor that changes the sound arguably more than anything else (?). It also seems like it could have been implemented several different ways, so I wonder why others haven't tried implementing a dynamic voicing control.