Discussion: why are the custom amps popular?

[shmuelyosef]

I'm looking for some discussion...used to play Rhodes' a lot through the 70s and 80s...last year bought a beat-up MK i Stage 73 for my studio and it's now all perfect and ready to move in from the shop. I'm considering front-end electronics, and am tempted to just put together modern stuff.

It sounds pretty good through my JC-120, but needs a little EQ, even after meticulously tweaking pickup/tine spacing and trying various voicing options. Also, I want to use it for laying down tracks on some of my own and my colleagues projects, so I need some type of DI. I'm considering:

1. put together a 4U rack with:
  - Channel strip: Focusrite or Presonus probably with optical compression and parametric EQ...the Rhodes sounds pretty good through my Focusrite Saffire that is my recording front end, but needs some color during tracking to cue me on dynamics
   - 31-channel 1U EQ...the Behringers sound OK (although I don't own one, just listened locally and seem a good value). I like the ability to provide overall shape beyond trouble spots if it is good quality, transparent and phase neutral
  - BBE Maximizer...I know they are cheesy, but I like the phase manipulation capability and sound
  - Possibly an effects strip - don't have a preference but looking for ideas here
....could probably get all this together for <$700 and a lot of the built-in custom amps are >>$400 already with less versatility...downside, it may not provide a classic Rhodes sound, and good tremolo is hard to find, although I'm not a big trem fan

2. Just get a really good DI...e.g. the LR Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. Preamp. Has a couple channels of parametric...downside, doesn't rack mount (I hate the proliferation of little boxes and cables around the studio), no compression, etc...

3. Bite the bullet and get something customized for the Rhodes and built into the name rail, e.g. VintageVibe 60's thing, a Jordan reproduction, etc. (***any favorites with good reasons why it is best?). Downside...can't use this for other keyboards, guitar, wind controller, sax microphone, etc...

I'm not in a big hurry as I can currently run through the Focusrite (I wish that these type of units had per channel effects loops) and use Sonar for sound shaping, but I prefer to monitor as close to the final sound as possible so I am seeking an all analog solution pre-tracking.

Anyways...rant away. Thought it was about time to open this conversation wound and take a current snapshot.

[Rhodestech Robocop]

Hey man , love the beard ,

The last 10 years I ran all my piano's through a 4 band parametric TC Electronics , when working on a Rhodes.
The preamp that Vintage Vibe is offering sounds real warm to me , I really like its tone and it is obviously noisefree. Probably the impedance is also much better matched to a Rhodes than a standalone 4 band preamp (good for tone/noise), and you get that bonus stereo tremolo...well , check their website.
(And you dont need a socket for power and you can build it straight in.)
There are a few mp3's of mine available on the Supersite ,  recorded DI  ,which used my TC in my preferred setting. As a refinement I used Waves to filter away the highest frequencies above 3,5 to 4 kHz after I recorded the sound through this TC Electronics preamp-EQ.
Actually I have the stereo-version , but use only one channel. The TC1140 is the mono version ,  only available secondhand though.
I can add that I recommend  4 bell filters for a Rhodes when using a standalone preamp-EQ in a studio-recording-situation when the Rhodes is recorded D.I.. Channel strips often have shelfs at the outer frequency ranges (bass & treble). This means you get all that metallic crap and noise in the treble , when all you  really want to boost is a  defined  range beneath 3,5 kHz.
You need to tweak 12 (!) knobs though ,  which isn't easy , but if you do that right.....I prefer it over my round knob-Suitcase preamp , although it's easy to tweak a Suitcase DI-signal towards my preferred sound on the TC , using a mixer or software.
I prefer to work DI like this because it reveals all possible details in the attack , and I want to finish all my piano's free of double-striking , and maximum tone. After that a little tweaking can be done for a certain amp. I have an average Silverface Twin , which I like for it's overdrive , but is limited in EQ-curving. You could use a build in preamp to be much more flexible. Nothing beats a top-Rhodes running through growling tubes for me.

The Eq-ing for a Rhodes is quite difficult because a very large frequency range must be in balance , and the best EQ for a basstone might not be the best for a midtone , so your compromise (because both tones run through the same channel) better be good !

A customer of mine used a TL-Audio (blue type) Tube- preamp EQ with astonishing results : check out the track "Antidote" on this guy's  Myspace-page , sort of Herbie Hancock with a Chili Pepper:

http://www.myspace.com/mikeroelofs

You can hear that the fact that it is a tube-preamp does NOT add any tube-saturation or harmonic overdrive flavour to the sound. This TL Audio is not cheap , and it's not something you want to take to a gig.

I have no problems with a good software compressor , does not have noise or problems to retain clarity. A well adjusted Rhodesthrough a Twin doesnt need
compression , and the amp itself actually compresses , especially when overdriven. But the closer you set the pickups towards the tines the more uncontrolable dynamics will be. So I like to avoid that.

[shmuelyosef]

I'm very happy with my live sound through either a JC-120 or a Polytone Maxibrute-103 (2-12 solid state).

I would like to set up to record direct (I've been just close-miking the Polytone with good results) as my neighborhood is not dead silent and lots of takes are ruined by aircraft and motorcycles. I can't seem to get a sound that 1) isn't brittle and 2) doesn't have lots of hiss (this one I just can't figure). It's very quiet into the the Polytone, either direct or through a preamp, but if I try to go direct through a longer cable over to my DAW (Focusrite Saffire Pro 40) I get hiss. Nothing else seems plagued by this and my Rhodes is well-grounded and clean.

[Rhodestech Robocop]

It's known that extreme long cables will affect sound (loss of high frequencies , picking up hum). The solution is to use the balanced output of your mic-preamp and  balanced cables , I guess you know that. If the hiss is actually situated above 4 or 5kHz you should be able to filter it away substantially with a plugin EQ or mixer , although any step (that degrades overall soundquality) you can avoid is preferred. And maybe then the rest of the residual hiss is masked or not really loud. If your Rhodes is optimally intonated the signal to noise ratio of the Rhodes should be no problem.
On my Twin I don't use a preamp , it's already inside the amp. You can use an extra preamp though to overdrive the Twin by boosting the Rhodes-signal a few dB , or have more EQ-ing possibilities than the Twin itself has to offer , thus combining  two EQ-curves.