Tine/Pickup positioning: fact or myth?

[siderealxxx]

I've only had my Rhodes for a few weeks and previous tinkerings were limited but now I've spent a bit of time with it, I noticed when adjusting the tine and pickup positioning (timbre/tone not volume), the specific guidance in the manual about precise vertical positioning (1/16" - 1/32") doesn't exactly hold up.

It seems to me when adjusting the tine there is usually only one very specific position where it sounds 'right' (particularly in the bass) and this is often outside of the parameters of what the manual recommends. This is perhaps partly to do with the fact that in most Rhodes, nothing is exactly straight (especially tine/pickup alignment) or exactly where it should be, but also because every tine will oscillate in it's own unique way and the subsequent pickup positioning isn't a precise sceince. Therefore adjustment by ear seems to be the only way.

I realise this might be controversial but curious on others opinions/experience?

[David Aubke]

As I progress down into the lower register, I tend to set the tine higher than I did on the middle and treble sections.
It's really only in the middle of the keyboard that I try to go for a specific amount of overtone. In the extreme treble and bass, I'm just looking for a clean-sounding note.

[siderealxxx]

Yes that is consistent with what I'm finding... Bass and Treble areas either sound right or wrong, wheras mid range seems more adjustable.

In the low range the tine is obviously moving a lot, so pup positioning is relative to this, and in the extreme highs it's all about sustain so there aren't always many options. Maybe also because tine/pup positioning rarely end up exactly parallel.

[pnoboy]

When adjusting tines I start by getting the timbre approximately correct.  Then, I place a 1/32" thick strip of aluminum vertically between each tine and its pickup, and move the pickup in or out until both tine and pickup are resting against the vertically-held aluminum strip.  One has to be careful to keep the aluminum strip accurately vertical or you won't end up with a consistent pickup setting.  That gives me a good starting place.  Next, I further refine the timbre adjustment, and after that, make slight adjustments of the pickups to match the volume level between notes.  When doing the final adjustment on the treble pickups, I'm always careful to have the amp tone controls set so that I don't have to pull the treble pickups away from the tines.  Too much treble boost, and you'll end up with the tines too far away and get a dull tone.

I'd love to hear how other people do their pickup adjustments.

[siderealxxx]

Volume adjustment is interesting too...

How do people work with the great paradox that you can't get to the pup adjustment bolt under the bass tone bars without unscrewing the tone bar?!?!

Interesting re. treble volumes as they're often bright and ear cringingly loud in my experience. There's an old practice/theory that you can calibrate audio mixes to the output of a Pink Noise signal (which decreases by 3db for every octave). I wonder how well a Rhodes would sound adjusted to this principle. Obviously you'd have to calibrate DI'd without an amp interfering.

[David Aubke]

How do people work with the great paradox that you can't get to the pup adjustment bolt under the bass tone bars without unscrewing the tone bar?!?!

I push the tone bar to one side and jam the nut driver down in there.

[Ben Bove]

How do people work with the great paradox that you can't get to the pup adjustment bolt under the bass tone bars without unscrewing the tone bar?!?!

Same as David - do you have a square silver tonebar model from the 60s?

[siderealxxx]

I push the tone bar to one side and jam the nut driver down in there.

Right, is likely to wear/loosen the tone bar adjustment screw hole over time surely?

[siderealxxx]

Same as David - do you have a square silver tonebar model from the 60s?

No no, '74 mki Stage.

[David Aubke]

I push the tone bar to one side and jam the nut driver down in there.

Right, is likely to wear/loosen the tone bar adjustment screw hole over time surely?

How often are you adjusting the pickups?

This is not something I worry about the one or two times it's necessary.

[rhodesjuzz]

When adjusting tines I start by getting the timbre approximately correct.  Then, I place a 1/32" thick strip of aluminum vertically between each tine and its pickup, and move the pickup in or out until both tine and pickup are resting against the vertically-held aluminum strip.  One has to be careful to keep the aluminum strip accurately vertical or you won't end up with a consistent pickup setting.  That gives me a good starting place.  Next, I further refine the timbre adjustment, and after that, make slight adjustments of the pickups to match the volume level between notes.  When doing the final adjustment on the treble pickups, I'm always careful to have the amp tone controls set so that I don't have to pull the treble pickups away from the tines.  Too much treble boost, and you'll end up with the tines too far away and get a dull tone.

I'd love to hear how other people do their pickup adjustments.

The aluminum strip is a nice tip allthough I do almost everything by ear (no tuning of course, I use 2 ios apps for that).

I noticed my treble tines kind a hanging above the pickup (pup ?). The pickups are moved so much towards the tine or even further they crossed each other. Hope someone understand this crappy english but it gives a delicate overtone.

--Roy

[siderealxxx]

This is not something I worry about the one or two times it's necessary.

True enough.