Question about piano setup/sound character

[sledge-mk1]

I'm looking into different piano setups people use here - basically all the stuff that plays a part in the sound and makes an important difference. There are some great audio examples at the Rhodes Super Site, one played with a 1975 stage especially caught my ear:

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/audio/mark1a-stage-1975-normal.mp3

I really like this sound and was wondering if you guys have an idea what type of setup typically results in such a sound?

The audio examples for a 1979 stage (http://www.fenderrhodes.com/audio/mark1b-stage-1979-normal.mp3) are also nice, but the sound is very different, has a lot more bell to it.. I am especially interested in the fatter "thick" and "wooden" character of the '75 preview, especially heard on note attacks. I've heard from a few places it's really not that much about it being a pre or post '75 piano, but more about the whole setup/voicing/speakers/fx etc, so I'm just very interested in the whole topic and looking for more info on the key-factors.

Mine is a '76, very nice cozy sound, perhaps 50/50 between those two previews in terms of bell/thickess.

Also here's a nice YouTube-clip I found. This one seems to be a Mark II and also has a lot of that "wooden" and extremely phat sound:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7LadyV1-DY

[rockstardave]

Lots of different factors affecting your tone.  Setting your timbre screw and adjusting your pickups is the easiest way to dial your tone, but others things are also very important, like escapement distance, hammer tip/damper/grommet/tonebar screw condition, how well your tone generators are set up (tine block tight against tonebar, tine ends even, tine aligned parallel to tonebar, tight fitting in harp).  Setting a proper strike line is sometimes overlooked but can make a big difference (my factory set strike line couldn't have been worse).  Having a quality preamp makes a world of difference, as does a quality tube amp, and will allow you to dial your sound more precisely.  The sound of a Rhodes tends to be thin without a preamp and some healthy gain (I like just enough to barely distort the notes on the hardest strikes), no matter how much you tweak the harp and action.  Without a preamp, you will be forced crank your amp, and depending on how it is biased and the power it has available, this can add noise and muddy up your tone.  Of course, if you play a Suitcase, the preamp/amp are not an issue, but if you play a Stage like me, then it is crucial.  I find a tiny bit of chorus and tremolo warm up the sound and give it character.

The beauty of Rhodes is you can tweak it all day long to get exactly the sound you are looking for (or maybe it's the curse, depending on how you feel about piano maintenance).  

[sledge-mk1]

Thanks! Great infos here.. My '76 actually does have a suitcase preamp fitted in. I also believe the whole thing is fitted in a suitcase case, while the harp label suggests the guts are from a stage, so this one's sort of a blend in between. It was just restored with a lot of loving, I already love the way it's voiced and it is also beautifully in tune so I guess what I'm hearing is just a slight absence of bark. It does have the miracle mod installed, which could play a part..

A gentle tube distortion + low mid EQ boost already resulted in some nice "thicker" sounds, so I will continue looking into that stuff and perhaps later when I'm more confident, I might try carefully adjusting the insides to come up with some more aggressive, attacky/barky presence if possible, but I really don't think it will need much. Still, sometimes the last tiny details make a huge difference.

I'm also torn between getting guitar cabs or not.. Right now I play this with studio monitors, but they are located behind my back (I need them for mixing there) and also do sound quite sterile/perfect. Guitar/bass/kb-cabinets would surely bring in some grittyness, but I'm using my piano at home and would love to be able to quickly adjust the volume at later hours while maintaining completely the same sound, and have headphones nearby at all times etc.. So right now I'm thinking I might get some vintage power amp+hi-fi and get the squeals and distortions from a loop of pedal effects instead.

That would be a very cheap solution compared to a stereo setup with expensive guitar cabinets, there would be enough low ends and with the right effects.. Who knows it could be the bomb for apartement-use.. Anyone here use an approach similar to that, or is it just either studiomonitors or gtrcabs for most folks?

[bumpyrhode]

If it's a stage with the preamp then it's possible it has the satellite speaker
option added. If the controls are the concentric knobs then you need the
Fender/Rhodes or Rhodes cabs FR7220 and FR7221 and 4-pin cable. If the
controls include the sliders you need the Janus system with the 5-pin cable.
There are a couple FR7220/7221 sets and a Janus master is available. Satellite
speakers do come up for sale and there are some available now. I paid $550
plus $155 shipping for a pair. It's tough to find a seller that is willing to ship
though.

[sledge-mk1]

Thanks for the tip - though I forgot to mention, I have the 4-pin cable going from the front rail/preamp straight to the cheek block, which is fitted with a power supply and stereo outputs. So the stage+preamp thing is not this pianos original setup, but a mod similar to this http://www.vintagevibe.com/images/PRODUCT/large/553.jpg

I'm currently running it straight to my mixer from those l+r outputs. Works great and sounds good, no problemo, it's just that I'm using my monitors for mixing and I want to keep my Rhodes further away from the desk, which is why I'm considering another set of speakers. I already spend too much time in front of the computer

Preferably something other than brand new+clean studiomonitors/PA but still something suitable for lower volume home jamming at night, for a smallish apartement. So a pair of big guitar cabs would be too much I bet.

[bumpyrhode]

Sounds like the previous owner did the full VV preamp conversion or added
the cheek block power supply. I'm holding off but I need to get the preamp,
faceplate and knobs from VV myself. Don't need the cheek block since I have
the Satellite speakers.

Have you thought of a pair of Roland Cubes? I know plenty of people love them
for guitar practice at home. Don't know about keyboard though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-Cube-30-Amplifier-Electric-Guitar-Modeling-Amp-/290535643513?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a5461979

Maybe the bass combo would be better with the coax speaker

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLAND-CUBE-30-BASS-AMP-COMBO-/200577225729?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb3559401