Hammer tips - Mark V

[bourniplus]

Hi everyone,
something that bothers me about my Mark V is the difference in tone I get from G above middle C going up. Those hammer tips (black) have a much brighter attack with more treble, and I'm thinking that these harder tips might have something to do with the hammer combs breaking on the Mark V. I can't tell whether they hardened over time or if they were always that way.
I want to replace these tips, and from what I can see on Vintage Vibe's site, for that part of the keyboard they have either yellow or white tips. I'm thinking of ordering about a dozen of both and experiment until I can get a smooth transition up to the wooden cores. Can anyone comment on this? Also, has anyone noticed something similar on their Mark V?
Martin

[goldphinga]

It could be that the tips have hardened as you say. Maybe shave off a little of the edge with a blade and see if the tone improves- if it does then you can either shave the rest though you may need to reset escapement slightly, or simply install a new set of vv tips throughout. On my Rhodes with the longer hammer throw I have white tips running from middle c to the woodcore and it sounds great. Maybe order some of the special order harder yellows from vv too and experiment between those and the new white tips to see which work best. ps- I'm not sure if the harder tips have a bearing on breaking hammer combs  in the V but I can see that it's possible as the hammer will be absorbing a lot of the energy compared to the softer tips.

[Kim Jinkings]

I had the same issue with my MKV...but the transition at B. Bought VV hammer tip kit. Now is smooth and nice, even that I did only swap the mid heavy trafic tips. The high and bass still original

[bourniplus]

Thanks for the replies,
Goldphinga: I did try to shave the edge with a blade as you say and didn't hear any difference. You can tell these tips are different from the rest when you press them between two fingers, they feel much harder.

Harder yellow? They must be special indeed because I can't find them on the site.

[goldphinga]

You need to contact them direct they aren't on the website.

[Ben Bove]

Yes on the Mark V they started the transition to harder tips (white/clear hardness) a little lower than the standard B above Middle C.

If by shaving the tip down you hear no difference, then the rubber hasn't hardened and you'll want to replace with a different set.  I would say order the standard Vintage Vibe set and as Kim suggested, try just swapping the tips between the wood-core tips on the right to the 2nd hardness on the left - so you'd be replacing the "Yellow" and "white" heavy traffic areas.

[Student Rhodes]

Also, as posted before, Retrolinear has reproductions of the square and wood-core tips they believe capture the sound of the earlier Mk I pianos for sale.  I'm sure they're not as "pingy" as the later tips.   I take it you're not that concerned with keeping the original voice of the Mk V? 

[bourniplus]

I assume the Retrolinear tips have to be special-ordered as well, they don't seem to be anywhere on their site.

@Student rhodes: No I'm not concerned with keeping the original voice of the Mark V (in that range of the keyboard). The obvious transition to the harsh attack of the harder tips is really annoying to me. While the action is vastly superior, I secretly prefer the tone of older Rhodes.

[bourniplus]

Hey everyone, I thought I'd update this thread. I ordered some yellow and white tips from Vintage Vibe, and put yellow tips up to D# an octave above middle C, and then white up to the wooden cores. The harsh attack is gone and the transition is smooth. (Although when you really pay attention you can still hear the difference between yellow/white.) With the attack more under control, I've set the pickups a bit closer to the tines, and the Rhodes really sounds great now.