Sustain pedals?

[Wavedude]

Hi, I have a mark 1 88 key suitcase model, and it is missing the bottom half, so it has no sustain pedal.
I was looking at buying the sustain rod for suitcase mods from Vintage Vibe, as well as one of their sustain pedals. Is this the best buy? Is there any other options out there that would be cheaper?
Thanks so much.

[pianotuner steveo]

You can make your own
Make a  pedal that pivots in the center,out of wood ( like a mini see-saw) I've made them with the base long enough to rest your entire foot on to keep it from sliding around.also put something on the bottom to make it non slip.


At the back of the pedal,attach a dowel that will run up to the piano,making it adjustable with a bolt in one (or even both) of the ends. Glue felt to both ends of the dowel to reduce noise.you will need to cut the dowel to close to the correct length, but slightly shorter,then make it longer with the bolt.

You should be able to make this for $20 or less. Look inside an acoustic piano to see how to attach the pedal to the side blocks,then attach those blocks to the base. 5 pieces of wood, a bolt or two, a couple of pins or even nails to make it pivot, and two pieces of felt.

[Wavedude]

Wow, ok. I need something that will be durable and last. Ill look into it a little bit more. Thanks

[pianotuner steveo]

Just an idea if you can't afford the real thing. They are not cheap.

[Wavedude]

Yeah, i figured that out, lol. I guess those big amounts of die cast metal are expensive.
What if i were to only buy the metal sustain pedal? Then could i just make my own dowel rod for it? It would be nice to have a good feeling pedal, that i know would last along time.

[jim]

oh here's a tip, an old music stand can be pulled apart to make a better adjustable pole-thingy than the original.

did you play trumpet at high school? have a crappy stand?

[pianotuner steveo]

If you buy a real pedal, make sure the pivot pins are in the center like a grand piano pedal  and not at the far end like an upright piano pedal.

Also..they are usually sold in sets of three......

[Wavedude]

If you buy a real pedal, make sure the pivot pins are in the center like a grand piano pedal  and not at the far end like an upright piano pedal.

Also..they are usually sold in sets of three......

I'm pretty sure the Vintage Vibe pedal pivots in the center of the casing, like most stage Rhodes pedals do. If you click the "sustain pedal" link in the first post, it will show you the pedal I would be buying.

For the rod, I would be using either a wooden or metal dowel rod and that would be adjustable and could fit in the pedal and Rhodes. I would like to use metal, just so its more durable, and it would consist of two pieces so it could have adjustable height.

did you play trumpet at high school? have a crappy stand?

No I don't have an old stand. I'm sure I could find one, but it might be easier just to go to the hardware store and get some metal rods.

[jim]

the think about the music stand is that it's adjustable.

it's pretty much exactly the same as the original part.

a music stand with the top and bottom pulled off, dig?

[Wavedude]

But since I don't own a music stand already, I would have to go buy a new one or something. So wouldn't it be cheaper just to make a custom adjustable dowel rod?

[jim]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Music-Stand-L-K-/170484560363?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b1abf1eb


lol i don't care do what you want.

[pianotuner steveo]

Whatever you use, I recommend felt or  rubber tips on the ends to prevent noise.....

[Wavedude]

Ok, awesome. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I'll post whatever I come up with.

[pcmancini]

Is it possible to just connect a standard aftermarket sustain pedal to a Rhodes? I am not familiar with how this all works.
Thanks
Paul

[pianotuner steveo]

What is a standard after market sustain pedal?

If you mean an electronic pedal with a 1/4" plug, they won't work.Rhodes used a mechanical pedal.

[roflshrekk]

couldnt you just hook up an effects pedal (like the types youd see electric guitar players use) to your amp? you could do tons of stuff with that, let alone sustain for a cheaper price.

[Wavedude]

Thats actually what I did, before I got the sustain pedal parts. I used delay and reverb to make some really cool pad sounds with the Rhodes. But it was no alternative to having actual sustain.
You cant control the effects as well as a simple sustain pedal. These effects still sound great with the sustain working, it gives the sound way more life.

I am very happy with my new sustain system. I am using a Vintage Vibe sustain pedal, and a music stand rod for the adjustable rod (Thanks to jim for that idea).
It looks like this system can last a long time, hopefully as long as the Rhodes itself has.
Thanks to all you guys for the helpful suggestions.  :wink:

[roflshrekk]

dang, funny how that music stand works. are they all universal or did you get a specific stand?

[Wavedude]

I think they all are pretty much universal. I just had to take of the legs and top part and there you go, a simple rod.

[jim]

I can't tell you how happy I am that you actually did it,

I've been suggesting this to people again and again and it never seems to take off.

you've made my week, cheers.

[Wavedude]

Lol, well, its a very good idea jim. It only took a couple seconds to take the excess parts off, leaving only the adjustable pole. So far it has been pretty sturdy and durable and hasn't loosened yet.

I dont know how this rod would be for use with a stage model, since I dont know the size of the damper dowel hole in the rhodes. But this definitely works for suitcase models that are missing the bottom half.
I actually feel like I have a stage model now rather than a suitcase model!

Heres some pics:

[roflshrekk]

yeah, totally cool idea. was there a label of the size of the dowel you purchased?