SCORE! Sparkle Top Suitcase

[The Real MC]

Walked into one of my favorite haunts for used gear and they had JUST landed a sparkle top 73 piano.  I had passed on two of these due to bad hammers, so the first thing that greeted me when I popped the hood was a complete set of raymac tines and the hammerhead felt hammers replaced with the modern hammers with neophrene tips.

AH - the fabled "Model E" configuration!

Missing the preamp, power amp, and speakers - no big loss.  The 1/4" jack on the front panel goes right to the harp.

Played the thing and beautiful bell tone with that fusion tone.  Strike point didn't sound off.  Nice action.  Tolex not torn but is weathered, harp cover in good shape.  Bottom cabinet is empty, only used as a stand and sustain pedal.

$489!!!

Within 30 seconds of playing I told them to pack it up.

They were astounded - the former owner had just leaving the store when I walked in!

Pics when I get it home...

[kphlx2000]

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics.

Kenneth

[Rob A]

congrats!

[Tim Hodges]

Somewhere on the forum if you're interested was a person who was selling 20-30+ Jordan power and pre amplifiers. I think they were for a good price too so it might be worth checking it out.

Congratulations on a great find.

[pianotuner steveo]

Omg......
They obviously did not know what they had!

Can't wait to see pics

[Rhodesman88]

Some people fall into it and come out smelling like a rose.  CONGRATS!!!!

[bumpyrhode]

Here's the thread for the Power Supply, amps and a couple of speakers.

Quite a bit if you ask me.

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=6462.0

And a listing for a 73 Rhodes rail with  3 knob preamp

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130505259432&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Tim Hodges]

Unfortunately Dave the sparkletop uses a 60 watt Jordan preamp not the Peterson 80w. Although with a modification to the name rail you could enlarge the 1/4" input to fit the 4 pin din and then use a Peterson power amp. But in all fairness I wouldn't do that to such a great piano! Somewhere else on here there is a thread with those amps! (I'll try and find it!)

[Tim Hodges]

Voila!

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=6132.0

But no cheap now that I look at it, they've had them for a while so no doubt you can negotiate with them.

[The Real MC]

More pics here

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/

This is a REMARKABLY good sounding piano with the Raymac tines combined with the neophrene hammer tips.  These hammers appear to be STOCK - check the closeup image on my website.  I checked the service manual and there was about a year 1971 to '72 when pianos had Raymac tines and the "new" hammers with neophrene tips.  Changing the hammers would had been a BIG job - hammer swap, optimizing the dampers, and you'd have to find the optimal strike point.  I didn't know the sparkle tops were made that late, have yet to find a date anywhere on the piano.  The twisted tonebars were introduced in '72.

I may need new damper felts - when I press the sustain pedals the dampers "pull" on some of the tines and set them in motion, yielding all these weird overtones.

I first tried it through my Leslie 760 and didn't like it.  The closest thing I had to a Fender Twin Reverb is my 1963 Selmer Twin Thirty, a british guitar amp with a really good clean tone.  How is that clean tone with the sparkle top...?   WOW!!!  Nice control of timbre, gradual bell transient to full tine tone with dynamic playing technique.  I tried my 1976 stage Rhodes through the same amp settings - nowhere near as good.  But the '76 Rhodes does a better "fusion" tone, and the bottom two octaves are fuller than the sparkle tops.

Soundclips later...

I have a surplus working Peterson preamp here.  Haven't dug it out yet.  The pickup wiring would have to be modified (easily done per service manual) so that the impedance matches with the Peterson preamp.  I heard those Jordan preamps/power amps on other sparkle tops, they don't sound very good.  That's why I didn't mind the omission when I bought the piano.

[Rob A]

The twisted tonebars were introduced in '72.

Pretty sure that was 1970--I have a harp with a '70 date stamp and twisted tonebars.

[Fred]

you're right, Rob. By '69, the first twisted steel tonebars started appearing...

The latest Rhodes I've seen with Raymac tines (which ARE tapered are the 1970 model (which had the black plastic top, plastic cheek blocks, leaf spring dampers and the hybrid hammers with felt tips, or colored neoprene. All '71's I've encountered had the later centerless ground tines.

I'm sure the hammers are replacements. This is what the factory recommended once the teardrop hammers grooved excessively.

Also, later model Silvertop Pianos did have the Peterson Stereo system... The four pin cable was hard-wired through the small hole of the namerail to the pre-amp. My '68 is configured like this, (so is the one Billy Preston plays in "Let It Be") complete with the marking " Peterson Copyright 1967" printed in solder on the preamp circuit board.

Great find!

[Rob A]

Sorry for the threadjack, but I have to ask just in case--is there a way to conclusively determine the Ray-Mac status of tines? The idea that I may have a full set of 73 is intriguing.

[The Real MC]

The ones coming loose from the post will have a weird sounding warble.  Tines that aren't rusting are a very good thing.

Other than that, the only other way to measure remaining life is the wear on the teardrop hammers or neophrene tips.

I like to slam my '76 rhodes for that Joe Sample attack, but I'm planning on being gentle on the Raymacs on my sparkletop.

[The Real MC]

Did some more digging around - Fred may be right on the hammer replacement as the service manual does recommend replacing worn teardrop hammers with a factory set of "new" hammers.

The Raymacs have the 1/2" flare at the base of the tine.  There are some Torringtons in place where the former owner must had busted a Raymac tine, they are easy to pick out as they are smaller gauge than the Raymacs even to the naked eye.  I hear little timbre difference between Raymac and Torrington.  Pickups are the newer ones with green coil wire (but early harp wiring?!?), and the bottom 15 pickups are flipped upside down for magnetic phase reversal.  Veddy Inkterestink...

The only datecode I can find is two speakers left behind in the bottom cabinet.  From the speaker code 328702, they were Utah speakers (328) made 2nd week (02) of 1967 (7).  So I have a '67 piano.  I find no datecodes anywhere on the harp or on the keysets.

Key pedestals are flat top with the bump under the felt - small wonder the action is fast and light, no sponginess at all.

This cabinet is gonna need spring cleaning, I found mouse droppings and it has a mild mildew smell.

Several dampers are split and gonna need replacing.  Looks like a Vintage Vibe job.

Gotta say I'm LOVING the sound of plastic/wood hammers, neophrene tips, Raymac tines, and the square resonators.  I found soundclips of sparkle tops online (YT, VV, Fender Rhodes supersite) and they sound DULL compared to this animal.  I've played a lot of rhodes and have never heard one that sounds like this.  I'll get some soundclips this weekend.

[Fred]

Rob, as far as determining IF the tines are Raymacs?

  The early tone generator (more of a flat bottom) is an obvious difference, but later Raymacs had a very similar tone generator to that of a "'70's" tine.

 Raymacs have a more gradual and inconsistent taper (shape and length vary noticably from one tine to the next). They are also a tiny bit thicker, and most (if not all) Raymacs I have encountered have larger tuning springs.

 They sound different, too. The attack is much quicker, probably due to the fact that Raymacs are less flexible (Put a '70's tine in the extreme bass section of a Sparkletop. Aside from a different strike point, the tine is more likely to hit the square tonebar on a hard blow).

  The Real MC...

   The Torrington tines will give you a different tone, to explain the difference between yours and posted videos (aside from different mics, techniques, etc...) That was another retrofit recommended by the factory to bring an older piano up to "current standards"

  The base pickups are flipped so the connection posts do not interfere with the iron block mounted on the end of the aluminum tone bar.

  Did you look on the underside of the harp? Sometimes the '60's pianos had a year stamped there...

[bumpyrhode]

Couple of weeks ago I scored a pair of Rola speakers for a Rhodes satellite slave. The master
has Rolas and the slave has Utahs 328708 I believe. Because the Rhodes satellites weren't
available until the 70's I assume the Utahs were 70's production. However, They may have
been replacements.

I'm replacing the Utahs with the Rolas. My first intention was to save the Utahs but if you
have need for them to complete the set of four I could part with them. They are 8 Ohm version.
PM me if interested.

[The Real MC]

I did look on the underside of the harp, no dates there.

Interesting thing is, despite the 70s components the attack on the sound is quicker and the timbre is unlike any later rhodes I have played (and I've been playing rhodes pianos since 1976).  The resonator is the only 60s component so that must contribute to the sound.  Due to mechanical differences between 60s and 70s pianos I think the strike point is different which must be another contributer to the sound.  The tines on the lowest octaves have the larger tuning springs from the raymacs.

I'll say this, that harp assembly is noticeably heavier with the square resonators.  No harp hinge rod either and there's a dowel in each harp support for locating the correct harp assembly position.

Someone did a LOT of experimentation with this piano...

The 60s Jordan power amp uses PNP power transistors that are not bloody likely to be found anywhere, so I'm not keeping the speakers either.  They're the 8 ohm variety, I got two but one of them has a slight rub on the coil.

[Cormac Long]

My undated serial-less mk1 gave up a date when I removed the assembly from the case and then the side harp supports. I found a June 1975 date stamp on the hammer rail. Worth a shot if you'd like to pin down a more accurate date.

[The Real MC]

I know I promised soundclips

1) had to rearrange the studio this weekend, got too cluttered once I added the silvertop

2) weather forecasts the past two days had thunderstorms.  My gear is unplugged during storms, already lost some stuff to a lightning strike.

They're coming...

[Peacefrog35]

Congrats MC... I got one of these last year for $500..drove 5 hours to and from Detroit to pick it up. Mine is missing the cabinet though,but I use it like a stage model for better portability anyway.   I also unplug my stuff.  WE had a huge storm the other night and the next day I realized I didn't unplug my Vox Super Beatle or any of my Vox organs or pianos.... All ok though....relieved.

[Cormac Long]

Played by the greats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycNv57aZFTg

[Ben Bove]

A great find, always nice to see a Sparkle come out of hiding. 

Don't mess with Fred on the Sparkle top specs hahaha   Yes he's right the pickups were flipped on the bass register, so the pickup and tonebar weights wouldn't collide which would short out sound temporarily. 

And I don't mean to throw a wrench into things, but I spoke with Horst Absmann a while back (one of the original engineers with Harold since 1965), and he recalled that they "had started using Torrington before I entered Vietnam in 67 or 68."  If his memory served him correctly that might explain why tapers were showing up, maybe there were some transitional Torrington designs until they reached the "standard" torringtons used in the early 70s.  I think even Rob commented his '70 harp's tines were different than say a '72.  Horst also commented that he thought about the design for the twisted tonebars while in the service, and when he returned in '69 started to implement that with Harold.  I believe the earliest I saw twisted tonebars was late '69 maybe on someone's student model?  The first generation without the multiple bends in the bass register?  Anywho... what fun would speculation be if there were hard records?? 

[pianotuner steveo]

Peacefrog35 and The realMc both brought up an interesting tidbit. I  ALWAYS unplug all of my instruments,amps, and effects when I am done playing, but never my TV, stereo, etc unless I am going on vacation. i had one transistor in my old stereo go bad after a tstorm once.
Just curious, how many of us unplug everything when not in use?

Sould this be its own thread?

[The Real MC]

What I unplug (from the wall) during storms:

- all electronic music gear
- every computer (INCLUDING the cable that connects to internet)

Those are items that would be expensive/hard to replace

All others - microwave, VCR/DVD player, clocks, stereo - are easily replaced so I don't waste time with those.

I lost a computer to a storm some years ago - while I was hunting for a job and unemployed!!!

Ever seen the damage from a direct lightning hit?  It ain't pretty.

[Alan Lenhoff]

I always plug my vintage keys into power strips, and then turn off the switch on the power strip when I'm done playing. 

Is that as effective as pulling the plug from the wall -- or could a lighting strike still damage a keyboard through a de-energized power strip?

Alan

[Cormac Long]

If typical lightning strikes in the US result in just supply surges, then yes a live (hot) switched solution should be fine. A surge protection strip or plug would give even more peace of mind should a surge happen out of the blue while in use.

I know you guys use pole-mounted step down transformers in the US and if we believe Hollywood, these can get struck by lightning. Maybe even the house itself can get hit.

But I'm not sure just how bad things can get when this happens. If the grounding is solid around the pole, transformer or house, then the strike will be mostly grounded and you'll get just a surge as the current drops off and returns. Better still you just lose power as the transformer is fried... no surge to worry about.

But If the supply is totally isolated from the ground during in the strike, then there is a possibility that the mains wiring will induce some of the strike current itself.. but we'd be talking about exploding house wiring.. people near an outlet or TV getting an arc in the head.. things that would make the MK-IIIs debug in Japan seem lame!.. and thats where I think it would be unlikely or extremely rare.

I always plug my vintage keys into power strips, and then turn off the switch on the power strip when I'm done playing. 

Is that as effective as pulling the plug from the wall -- or could a lighting strike still damage a keyboard through a de-energized power strip?

Alan

[pianotuner steveo]

I disagree. Power surge strips are good for fluctuations in the power lines caused by most other problems OTHER than lightning.
Nothing protects against lightning as well as completely unplugging.
Turning the switch off is great for not paying for phantom power, but it does not protect against a lightning strike.
I am talking about a lightning strike near your house.  There is a power pole with a transformer right at the end of my driveway. That transformer is a replacement to one that blew up during a storm. I assume it was a lighning strike, but dont know for sure. Im just glad my instruments were unplugged.

[The Real MC]

As promised (some would say about bloody time!) I have soundclips of the sparkletop piano.

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/fender-rhodes_sparkle-top-1967.mp3

(the buzz in the audio is the piano - there is an open pickup near the top end of the harp)

For comparision, I played the same tunes on my 1976 stage piano (best I could anyway - this piano doesn't have as fast an action as the sparkletop).  Same amp, same mic setup.

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/fender-rhodes_stage-1976.mp3

As you can hear, there's a radical difference.  This is the amp I played them through, it was mic'd with an Audio Technica AT2021 placed two feet from the amp.

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/guitars/selmer_truvoice-zodiac-twin-thirty/

[Alan Lenhoff]

I disagree. Power surge strips are good for fluctuations in the power lines caused by most other problems OTHER than lightning.
Nothing protects against lightning as well as completely unplugging.

Good to know...  Actually, the main reason I use power strips on everything is that I don't want my house burned down by a short in the wiring of any of my vintage instruments.

Just for amusement:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr9KEtLd2aI 

[Rob A]

Very cool sound.

[The Real MC]

Interesting detail about the square resonators:  The top 1/3 are ferrous, bottom 2/3 are non-ferrous.  I thought they had a different appearance.

[Fred]

Yes... Two thirds are aluminum.

[The Real MC]

Well, I've been trying to cure the buzz in the audio.  Turns out it is the pickups.  If I ground any pickup in between, the buzz is attenuated and it follows the voltage divider law.  This means each pickup generates its own noise and the accumulative sum of 73 of them adds up.  By comparision a Mark 1 is as quiet as a mouse.

I have a scavenged pickup rail from a Mark 1 that I am going to shoehorn into the sparkletop.  Have to check for physical differences.

[sean]

Are the pickups wired in alternating groups?   

If they are not, then they will not cancel induced hum (like a humbucking guitar pickup).

If the jumper wires that connect the groups of the front and back pickup solder terminals do not have the alternating gaps, then the noise does not self-cancel.

Can you post a photo of the pickup wiring?

Sean

[sean]

Oh, if you decide to use the pickups from another piano, don't swap the whole rail.  Leave the wooden parts where they are, just swap the pickups themselves.

It is really easy to unscrew all the pickups and the RCA jack from the rail, and slide them aside into a cardboard box or onto another long flat board.  (You might have to unsolder one connection at the ground terminal at the treble end of the piano.)

Then just lay the other pickup rail behind the SparkleTop rail, and gently slide the pickups forward onto their new rail, screw them down and make the connections.  A few adjustments, and you should have it running pretty fast.

[sean]

Yikes.  I just thought of another thing (and went back and looked at your photos).

Your old green pickups probably have the old-style long mounting tang.

The newer shorter-tang pickups will probably not be slotted in the right place to use the old screwhole in the harp.

[The Real MC]

Actually the distance from the mounting hole to the tip of the pickup is the same.

You can put pickups from a 70s/80s piano on a sparkletop, but not vice versa (the longer tangs will protrude beyond the rail and interfere with the case and harp cover.

The pickups have been changed to the later wiring, but the wires between the pickups cross.  Never saw that on another piano.  I'll get a pic up.

[The Real MC]

Here's a pic of the pickups (too big for the forum)

http://www.analoguediehard.com/studio/keyboards/fender_rhodes/fender_rhode_sparkle-top-pickup-wiring.jpg

[The Real MC]

Update: (I've been busy with other priorities)

Found an open pickup on the harp.  Located a busted coil wire on the terminal, was able to unwind one revolution of wire on the coil and successfully solder that wire to the terminal.  Pickup is now fixed!

I used a Weller regulated soldering iron and despite warnings about melted pickup bobbins, I had zero trouble.

I had the entire piano apart for cleaning (including mouse droppings in the amp cabinet).  While I had it apart, I installed a ground wire from the sustain bar to the harp's ground buss.  This does indeed reduce the buzz in the audio.

I also replaced the wires on the harp with heavier wires, originals were small enough that I was concerned about lead resistance esp the ground wire running all the way from the RCA jack to the other side.

The tonebar springs had a bit of rust on them.  Since they double as a conductor to the ground buss, I removed every tonebar and brushed off the rust on the ends of the springs with a small steel wire brush.  With the rust out of the way, this lowered the ground impedance which improved the shielding (IE lower audio buzz).

Fixed some maligned dampers and loose hammer tips, optimize tonebar positions for escapement and proper damping, adjust pickup positions for audio balance, polish and shine, and she's like new!