Problems with sound duration

[UNOQUAD]

Hi! I have a MK1 Rhodes piano. I'm learning to fine-tune it and adjust the nuances of the sound with the adjustment screws. My problem is that there's a note/key, no matter how much I adjust the screws, fades slightly before comparing to the surrounding notes.

I would appreciate some help, and thank you in advance

[AA]

Hi, have you replaced the tone bar grommets? sometimes they wear out unevenly and some notes don't sustain right while the rest are fine.

If it is one of the high range notes with the flat tone bar, you could try adding a tone bar clip, or a magnet to the end of the effected tonebar(s) and see if that helps.

If the effected notes sound weak or have a thud to the attack and are all in the same range of the keyboard you might need to do a slight strike line adjustment.

Take a look at the hammer tips, does the hammer for the problematic note seem in line with the rest?

If none of those help you probably just need to replace some tines.

[UNOQUAD]

Hi! Thank you for your answer. The bar grommets seem to look fine, but I'm not sure because I don't have experience with Rhodes pianos. The last time I tried to adjust the screws, maybe I'm not turning the screws to the right direction (I tried different forms, but maybe I'm doing something wrong).

I recorded a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_R8cNwU5_Q

[UNOQUAD]

PD: No, I haven't replaced anything in this piano to this day.

[AA]

In the video the grommets do look worn, it's not a guaranteed fix but that's probably the first place to start. Replacing grommets also helps make the "voicing" or tonebar screw adjustments more consistent.
I like to buy grommets with new screws from vintage vibe for a cleaner look, but you can get just the grommets from avion studios for a bit cheaper.
The tine could still need to be replaced tho for proper sustain.

[sean]

Replacing the grommets will make a big difference.  You will get a big change in sound and more sustain.

The grommets from McMaster-Carr work fine too.

https://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=9776.msg54209#msg54209


Sean