Sustain mechanism issue in Suitcase rhodes

[cojo2657]

Hello everyone, I'm having an issue with my suitcase rhodes.

It happened as I was playing, the sustain board (or something) seems to not be affecting the middle keys at all. One moment it was fine, then the next moment only the high and low keys are being affected by the sustain mechanism. I'm not sure what happened.
After a bit of research, I found that some found the culprit to be something called the "sustain dampening pin". They say that it either broke or came loose, but no confirmation on this issue, as I have not been able to take the harp out to see if there is a missing pin.

Would any of you happen to know what my issue is? I will provide much more information if needed. Thank you.

[Cormac Long]

It does indeed seem like the centre pin is broken or has slipped. But not all pianos had these pins fitted.

You will need to get the lid off and examine the movement of the damper rail over the as you press the pedal to confirm if the rail is acting in a warped manner, with the centre section not pressing down correctly on the dampers.

Then unscrew and raise the harp to examine it more closely and also confirm if the piano has a damper rail pin and if its slipped, loose or broken.

[cojo2657]

Thanks for replying,

As I was examining the hammers with the lid off when this problem happened, I confirmed the middle register of hammers were not being affected by the sustain rail. However, I will need to take a closer look at the sustain rail to see if it was warping.

I'm currently not able to inspect it with tools and time until this coming Sunday, but plan to remove the harp and see if it there is a damper rail pin then.

If there happens to be no pin, what else could have spontaneously caused this issue?

Thank you again!

[cojo2657]

The year of this rhodes is '77. Week four.

[Cormac Long]

If no pin exists, I'm suspecting the rail could have been bent by the force of the pedal rod.

[cojo2657]

Okay, thank you. I will check these things in a week and report my findings..

[Cormac Long]

In case its not obvious when you get under the hood, make sure you take photos and upload here or share a link etc. It will help for others to take a look.