Is my Sparkle Top worth restoring?

[V301J]

I resonantly bought a 66' Silver Sparkle Top Rhodes Piano Bass. It was listed at 1200 but I paid 700 for it. First off, is this a good deal?

I'm thinking about restoring it cosmetically because the tolex is ripped, the Sparkle Top has some major dents, scratches and chips, and the face plate is scratched beyond belief.

I know vintage vibe in NJ can supply me with tolex but are face plates and sparkle tops for these models being re-manufactured/cloned? Because I would rather get something that looks new rather than original but in poor condition. Also, if you use non stock parts, does it still count as owning a 66' Sparkle Top Rhodes? Because I would assume the value wouldn't hold up the original in no matter what condition.

Thanks!       

[voltergeist]

Photos?

[Max Brink]

I consider the sparkle top era to be much more collectible than the '70's era of production and highly encourage restoring it to original specs rather than dropping in reproduction parts that are not true to the production era. Post 1972 Rhodes I don't hesitate as much to service them with reproduction parts as long as it improves the piano because there are so many more and the reproduction parts are designed to work with this era. Sparkle tops are incredibly more rare and in my opinion deserve to be restored with the proper care to maintain their value.

$700 is a more than fair price for any piano bass given the prices I see around the midwest.

[The Real MC]

I don't lament the less-than-original condition of my sparkletop.  Before I bought the piano, the original felt hammers had been replaced with hybrid wood/plastic hammer with neophrene tips.  Having previously played two sparkletops equipped with felt hammers, I definitely prefer the sound with hybrid hammers.  That's valuable to me.

I replaced the original latches and hinges with the larger ones found on later Rhodes - they are far more robust.  The original latches didn't, and the original hinges slipped.  What good is 100% original if it falls apart because of defective latches and hinges?

Two of the original Raymac tines had been replaced with Torringtons by the previous owner.  I hear little difference.

A player places more value on a workable sparkletop, regardless of original parts.  It never hurt Stevie Ray Vaughan's career playing his "number one" vintage strat that wasn't 100% original.

If a collector wants 100% original sparkletop piano, that's their prerogative.  As rare as sparkletops are, completely original sparkletops will be VERY rare.  Especially with working preamp and power amp.

[Max Brink]

I love all your points, Real MC, and I think there's just a difference in philosophy. And it would be best to clarify a difference between a restoration and a customization of the instrument.

Having a road-worthy instrument is crucial for a lot of players and customizing a Rhodes to be more robust can be a huge benefit for those players. I don't see any problem modifying a Rhodes in order to meet the needs of a specific player. But that player should be aware that it may have an effect on the value of the instrument when it's being sold to the potential future owner of the instrument as there are many people that expect a sparkletop Rhodes to have all of the parts of a sparkletop Rhodes.

The only real issue that I have is when the modifications are not done for an intentional purpose of that player but simply done for the convenience of the repair.


May I raise another interesting point on famous musicians instruments that may illustrate a different point? James Jamersons' Fender Precision Bass was supposedly setup with such poor action that no one else could hardly play the damn thing. But his bass playing is phenomenal on it! It's a different scenario then the SRV point that you're making but it's another way of looking at an instrument's setup. Although unusual setups or modifications may work for a specific player I feel that if we're discussing 'what is the best restoration practices' then it would be best to differentiate between customizing and restoring a vintage instrument.