1980 Mk II Stage 88 - getting no sound..

[kjacobson]

Hey everyone!

I just finished a refurb on a '80 MkII 88key stage rhodes. I replaced the damper felts, pedestal felts, hammer tips, all grommets screws and washers. Emptied the box and cleaned everything out. And sanded down the harp bracket and repainted it a nice brass.

Today I just finished putting it back together, plugged it into my amp and...got no sound.

When I bought the rhodes (back in Nov.) the outputs were working, but now nothing.

Anyone have ideas on what could've caused this?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Abraham]

Test direct output from harp, If you don't get it to sound that way then take a closer look at the pickups wire and check continuity. If you get output from harp then check the front panel pots/jacks connection. Rhodes electronics are so simple to figure out.

[Ben Bove]

Great tips from Abraham, he's correct that stage electronics are very simple, so you will be able to figure it out. 

Specifically, check / wiggle the gray RCA cable at the harp, that is the most common point of no sound.  Or, take a 1/4" cable with RCA adaptor directly into your amp.  That'll determine if it's the grey cable / stage rail controls giving you a problem.

If you still get no sound, then as stated above it's either a pickup wiring issue, or other.  Some things that come to mind - check to make sure no tonebars are in contact with the pickup metal tabs - this shorts the signal.  Follow the wires from the back of the RCA jack and make sure all the connection points on those lines are in tact.

[kjacobson]

Ok. So I plugged an RCA directly into the harp and got sound no problem. So the issue seems to be with the front panel pots/jack connections. Looking at them everything seems to be in order and connected/soldered well. Is there a good way to test this? Or should I replace parts?

Thanks for all your help!!

[Ben Bove]

First check the end of the gray RCA cable itself.  Many times they're so badly corroded that there's no contact made.  This would be the inside of the circular part of the RCA end.  Very difficult to get to with sandpaper, you can strip corrosion with either like a metal wire brush or even scraping with a smaller flathead screwdriver should you have no other way.

The cable itself also can separate a little or break internally, so as it's connected move the cable around, flexing the cable near the jack point, turn it around while playing - see if flexing the cable in different points especially right at the RCA head brings any sound cutting in and out.  It might be in your best interest to replace the cable first, from the pot to the jack.

Also check to make sure none of the wires are crossing each other between the pots or anything that could short signal.  I believe there is a photo of the correct wiring of stage pots as well somewhere on the forum, in case someone tried to wire them up and did it incorrectly.  I haven't had to physically replace parts on a stage in forever, that's usually the ultimate last ditch effort and are usually near indestructible.

[kjacobson]

Fixed! Found the loose wire and soldered it back. Thanks for the input everyone!