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New Vintage Vibe Electric Pianos

Started by Chris Carroll, December 23, 2010, 11:49:18 AM

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The Real MC

Quote from: Filmosound 621 on November 26, 2021, 04:35:21 PM
anyway, let me share with you all what I believe to be the ultimate E-Piano home set-up:

the dear sparkle-top active deluxe with two freakin' Ampeg M-15 Amps ( second one came via UPS from Italy today ... )

build in 1959, 20 Watts from two 6L6, 15" Alnico Speakers  :) - these two Amps are upgraded with Altec Lansing 418B's.  :)

Octal pre-amp tubes for all that warmth, shimmer and dynamics one can think of.

these are octal amps that stay clean once turned up in volume, there is nothing like them out there.

non compressed vintage tone, true magical 3D sound.  :)

I play guitar as a 2nd instrument and have a variety of cabinets with different speakers.  I experimented with my sparkletop Rhodes through different speakers.  My favorite for tone are the Celestion alnico "blues" speakers; they're only 15w each, OK for studio recording but you need at least four of them to get enough volume in an ensemble setting.

spave

#101
Anyone else seen the new "Variable voice control" option for the new VV pianos? Matt Johnson just released a demo with his and I have to admit it seems like a really cool feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTK1YWrPYes

Basically it's a slider that moves the pickups in relation to the tines in order to shape the sound from straight fundamental to pure overtones. After spending countless hours voicing my own Rhodes, I really like the idea of moving all 73 pickups at once instead of 73 individual screws. I'm curious to know how even it stays in the extremes though. Just because you move all the pickups equally doesn't mean the sound of each note will remain consistent due to the numerous variables at play.


So what do you think, is it worth $1299 to instantly voice all 73 tines?


Edit: Vintage Vibe released their own demo today:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT2wvfd79B8
1969 KMC Home Rhodes Prototype

Cormac Long

"DiLeone-My-Piano" comes to mind :)
Regards,
   Cormac

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Fred

Thank you, Cormac!  ;D
I am really excited for this advancement to see the light of day - It has been in the works for quite some time! There is some more in-depth info about the new control in our own video on the Vintage Vibe Youtube page, as linked to by spave above. As regulation of the Rhodes style simplified action has been a passion of mine for years now (more than I'd care to admit!), my goal was to offer timbral flexibility, while not affecting regulation of the piano action in the process. The results are very engaging...
I've always had a love for the beautiful fundamental tones that the piano is capable of. Today, this tone is often sacrificed for "bark" and "bite". The trade-off is that fundamentals are lost (The truth is, with proper setup, a Rhodes-style piano is capable of both - I've always favored voicing a strong fundamental with just a hint of overtone upon a light touch. Subsequent heavier playing then introduces more overtone, decaying back to fundamental with sustained notes/chords, for a very dynamic response). With the new Voice Control, the musician can now dial in their own tone/response, or enjoy an excursion to either end of the spectrum!   
Head Designer of the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano
Collector
Electric Piano Technician in New Haven, Ct.
(203) 824-1528

Dave

It would be interesting and informative to see a shootout at NAMM between the best Vintage Vibe piano and the Rhodes MK8. May the best Rhodes update win.

wurl it up

I had the pleasure of seeing Steely Dan last night...Donald Fagen was sounding really good on what looked to me like Vintage Vibe EP!

Fred

@Dave - We will not be at NAMM this year, but Vintage King will have our piano at their Burbank location for a Pre-NAMM open house. They will be hosting our 73 Deluxe Console, with the new Variable Voice Control.

@wurl it up - Sounds like you enjoyed the show! It is an honor that Donald Fagen has chosen our piano as his instrument of choice. He is currently touring with two 73 Deluxe Consoles in tow. One of them is the absolute first  prototype of our new action (I cannot imagine a more thorough trial run!) and the second being the production model.   

Head Designer of the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano
Collector
Electric Piano Technician in New Haven, Ct.
(203) 824-1528

wurl it up

I really did enjoy the show! The sound he was putting out sat very well in the mix. He seemed to be pretty inspired playing that piano. I was wondering if it was a console...thx for letting us know. He always has that big picture of Duke Ellington and his band on the stage side of his Rhodes so it took me a while to realize he wasn't playing it. I still wasn't sure if it was a Stage or Console model though.

Fred

@wurl it up - the feedback we received is that he is very inspired by the tone and feel. It has been observed that he is moving around the compass much more than his previous instruments, where the main issue was reportedly the feel of the action.
That is our Console model, but the piano is run direct into the house and monitored externally.
Head Designer of the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano
Collector
Electric Piano Technician in New Haven, Ct.
(203) 824-1528

wurl it up

How interesting...I observed to that! He was moving around on the keyboard more than the other times I've seen them!

spave

#110
https://www.vintagevibe.com/pages/dual-capstan-action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-P2PgM8kI

Just came across this excellent post/video on VV's new dual capstan action today and I'm blown away by how much it improves the regulation of the piano and corrects so many issues I thought were simply inherent to the Rhodes action.

In a perfect world, this would also be available as a retrofit for old Rhodes but I highly doubt it's feasible. In any case, I believe this feature along with the variable voice control make new VV pianos the gold standard to which all other old/new tine pianos will now be held.
1969 KMC Home Rhodes Prototype

Fred

Thank you spave, for noticing our new action! We have finally made the announcement that US11410635 is a reality. Hammer height at rest as well as in stop-lock are now easily adjusted, allowing for proper regulation of key dip, hammer throw, escapement, and overall braking characteristics. The effects that result from any combination of capstan adjustments offer a flexibility in the Rhodes-style action never before attainable.
As for a retrofit into vintage units, anything is possible...
 
Head Designer of the Vintage Vibe Tine Piano
Collector
Electric Piano Technician in New Haven, Ct.
(203) 824-1528