My Rhodes.

[Allister]

Hey everyone, good news! brought a 1973 mk1 88 the other day and now i'm looking to restore it.

 

Tasks done so far:

Action lubed.

Key wobble sorted

 

To do:

???

 

This is where I need help. I'm unsure what more I need to do. I know ineed to realign all the pickups and "tone" them but I am also not sure if I should completely dissemble and clean the components. After exhausting most of the online resources I could get my hands on I am pretty confident I could do any of the tasks required but don't know where to start.

 

Thanks.

[orangefunk]

Start by watching the videos by Vintage Vibe on youtube.

 

this is a playlist of 25 videos.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QUrOGVa8X8&list=PLA5A54E7EB71D199D

 

[Allister]

Watched most of those, really good videos. I would say 90% of my knowledge has came from them.

[Resolution 88]

You could check the dampers too!

[Brad Kaenel]

If the Rhodes has never been teched before, there are two things you should start with, and they're both biggish tasks: tonebar grommet replacement, and "miracle mod" key pedestal modifications.

 

The rubber grommets in the tonebar mounts are the most "perishable" components in a Rhodes, and arguably responsible for the major aspects of, well, its tone. . If they've never been replaced, you will find that most of them are no longer soft and supple, but hard, cracked, misshapen, or all of the above. You can buy a set of good grommets from kenrichsounds.com. When you remove the tonebars, mark the screws so that you return them to their original locations, as they are often purposely slightly bent - a normal featured of the piano's original assembly that you will want to preserve.

 

The key pedestals in a 1973 will be flat where they contact the underside of the hammers. Your action will be greatly improved by adding a "bump" to the leading edge of each pedestal. The VV videos show this being done by gluing a small piece of rounded plastic to each pedestal, but it can also be done by simply folding over one end of the new felts you will be applying, so as to create a bump. I prefer this technique, and it's less fiddly.

 

Next you will need to reregulate the keybed (since you will have modded all the keys), and then revoice the piano by adjusting the distance and elevation of the tonebars, relative to the pickups.

 

If the rubber tips on the hammers are badly grooved, you should replace those when you're doing the pedestal mod. Often its enough to simply remove, rotate 180 degrees, and reglue, in order to get the grooving out of the way of the tine.

 

If the pickups are all working, don't try to remove them, as they're all wired and soldered together.

 

You can also find very thorough service and mod instructions at fenderrhodes.com

[Resolution 88]

To add to what Brad says, you can check the tonebar grommets in a basic way by pulling tonebars to the side and checking how quickly they snap back to position. That should give you a rough idea of what condition the grommets are in. Also, I'd go on sound - if the notes ring well and don't die away too quickly, I wouldn't bother replacing the grommets. I'd investigate the pedestal mod if the action feels like it could be improved (although I don't have it on either of my Rhodes) and perhaps use the card / paper spacers to adjust the key dip to preference. I would also spend most time voicing the Rhodes to get it how I want it. You can turn the tone adjustment screws until the sound starts to choke, then back off about a quarter tone; that's a good starting point.

Thanks,

Tom

[orangefunk]

I did the ty-rap mod (I guess this is the same as the "Miracle Mod"?) and it did improve my 1976 Stage... but it felt okay to begin with to be honest. Eventually I put proper felts on it... added a harmonic clarifier, MkV damper mod, and a whole load of mods, etc.. but I now have a 1980 Mk2 and have hardly done anything to it apart from voicing (close pickup i.e. 1mm) and mainly fundamental...

 

 

 

 

[JeffLearman]

I did just what Brad suggested, and am happy with the results (though I'm thinking of getting a pro to voice it; my job wasn't bad but I bet it could be better.)

 

I'm not positive that all 73's need the miracle mod; some early Mark I's had the bump, but when they redesigned the pedestal and hammer cam, they somehow lost that nice bump. I don't remember the year of that redesign. There were several steps, and even the supersidte doesn't have a complete history. In any case, you should easily be able to see whether it needs it, and if it does, it's a nice mod and an easy one.

 

Replacing the grommets helps the tone and also helps so that the tonebars don't move around when you play the notes. If the grommets are shot (and unless they were redone, they will be, even if the piano wasn't used much) it can't be voiced properly. It's like trying to do a wheel alighment on a car where the ball joints are worn out.

 

Since I was pulling all the tonebars, I took the opportunity to use scotchbrite on all the tines, and I like the nice shiny look. I couldn't say whether it makes them sound better. After doing that, it'll need to be retuned, but I wanted to do that anyway. (I did it myself with free TuneLab; if you decide to, let us know and I'll give you a tip without which it doesn't work.)

 

I replaced the hammer tips rather than rotating them. They're not symmetrical, though I doubt the bevel angle matters much. The new neoprene feels different than the old neoprene, which had gotten a bit stiff and less elastic. This was less work than the grommets. (I didn't replace the wood ones for the top notes. After replacing a couple, I compared and the old ones sounded the same, so why bother?)

 

The good thing is that none of these tasks require great skill; any reasonably handy person can manage it. The trickiest part is revoicing after replacing grommets, but IMHO any dedicated Rhodes owner should do that a few times, even if they plan to have a pro do the final job. You get to get a sense of the range of possibilities for your particular piano.

[Allister]

Hey everyone, sorry for the late reply. i've ordered some half round rod's which are the same dimensions as those in the miracle mod (couldn't get the mod from USA as the shipping costs near double that of the mod) and i'm going to replace the grommets just to be sure. The one thing i'm dreading is voicing, I would love to get a tone like some of the steely dan recordings but last time i tried i either get a lovely mellow tone with no bark or lots of bark and no mellows (might be due to the escapement being high, gotta hit the keys quite firmly to get a tone)

 

 

[JeffLearman]

I set mine up for lots of bark, but can get a clear tone by playing lightly. My guess is you need to adjust the action. Of course, a Rhodes always take a firm touch to play, even very lightly, and it's a bit of a trick to play one very softly.

 

When I used to gig it, I used the volume control a lot, cranking it up when I wanted the clear tone, and backing it off dramatically when I was going to dig in and get bite. That's when I played it directly into a mixer, which was typical. However, I also often played it through a guitar amp, and I didn't have to adjust the volume as much in that case, thanks to the natural limiting effect of the amp (and the fact that it could handle a much wider dynamic range without clipping nastily).

 

I also boost a lot at about 2K or 4K to emphasize the bell-like attack, and that helps to get a sweet clear bell tone on low notes when playing lightly, but it demands a real light touch at the top of the keyboard.

 

[orangefunk]

Something I noted recently was that my Rhodes was setup kinda bright as I was going directly from the harp. For a long while this was fine.. however after a time I think it was sounding kinda compressed even though it was still highly dynamic in tone. I have now reverted back to using the output from the front panel... I think that dullness kinda works to its own advantage when playing softly and harder playing comes through better...

[Allister]

One thing about replacing the grommets, the kit from vintage vibe looks good but it's going to cost $110 to get it across the pond. A set from the netherlands is going to cost around $70 also, but without new screws and washers. Anyone got another solution ?

[Jim Alfredson]

These grommets work great.

 

http://www.mcmaster.com/#9305k21/=oqqck0

 

And these screws likewise (although I don't think replacing the screws is always necessary).

 

http://www.mcmaster.com/#90294A203

 

See if you can find a similar grommet over in the UK. I'm sure you can.

[JeffLearman]

I got the set from VV, so I went ahead and replaced the screws, but it didn't seem necessary on my piano, since those screws had been mostly left alone since I bought it new in 1978. A piano that's been completely revoiced many times might need new screws, or one that had been stored too humid or dry (in which case it'd probably have other issues too, especially models with wood keys.)

 

If anyone winds up a few screws short, let me know because I kept my old ones.

[Allister]

Completed the miracle mod last night, the difference really is night and day. The rhodes feels amazing now! Thanks for the tip about the grommets Jim, i'm currently hunting for some around local hardware stores.

[b_3guy]

I don't mean to hi jack the thread, but I picked up a Seventy-three Mk I last weekend. It's really rough. It was rode hard & put away wet. Missing the sustain pedal. All keys fire but the hi E. Some are choked off when they are played, others ring. Only one is grossly out of tune. Paid $425 for it. Maybe I paid too much. After a little investigation I feel comfortable in ordering the pedal, sustain rod & guide cup.

 

Don't know how far I'll take the restoration but I'm kind of glad I got it.

[Allister]

yeah, mine nearly became a pain in the ass, but it's more a labour of love.

[JeffLearman]

A bit of elbow grease and a little more than $100 in parts (after you get the sustain pedal) and chances are good you'll have a piano worth $800.

 

Open it up, take some pics, and post them!

 

One of these days I'd like to take pics of my piano to show folks what to shoot when posting their rhodes, either for sale or for rework assistance.

 

For starters, though, pull off the top and look for a large 4-digit code in the upper right of the wood base under the harp. The first two digits are the year of manufacture, which is the shortest answer to a lot of questions.

 

Chances are good that you have a piano worth what you paid for it, and one you can easily turn into being worth considerably more.

 

I wish I had your Wurlie to sample!

[Allister]

Would be real cool to see some pic's and hear some sample of everyones rhodes. I'm in the middle of voicing mine so as soon as i'm done

[orangefunk]

My Rhodes is in storage atm as I am in the process of moving across the country, but would love to do exactly what you say. Maybe in November!

[b_3guy]

Hey guys, thanks for all the encouragement! That's why I love this forum!! I'm not sure if it will ever be worth $800. There's no Tolex left, One key has half the plastic missing, another has had the plastic glued backed on. The legs are no longer adjustable. She's brutal but after the pedal I'll spring for one of the kits to refurbish the interior. One thing I love about the Rhodes pianos is if you're a bit handy you can work on it. This weekend I'll take some pics to show everyone.

 

I don't have a 4 digit code stamped on the wood anywhere, so I don't know how old it is. It feels like an early one.

 

My Wurlie wouldn't be good to sample. The amp has such noise, I've stopped using it. It also has a cracked reed so one note is out of tune.

 

[Allister]

you would be surprised, when I got mine it played like a toaster. installed the miracle mod and it's a completely different beast

[b_3guy]

A lot of the refurbishing I don't understand yet. I'm thinking about getting the big kit at Vintage Vibe. I think it has the Miracle Mod in included. From what I can figure, everything should be done to my Rhodes - Damper felts, grommets & a little tuning. If these need to be done, I figure the hammer tips need to be done (I not sure I have the right terminology). The mid to lower part of the keybed has been played to death, leaving the keys at various heights. I'll need to address this as well. I watched some of the VV videos in which they took a better looking one then mine & tore it apart. I'll take some pictures & post them later today.

 

It sounds like your repairs went well. Was it easy to do the Miracle Mod?

[Allister]

yeah, the vintage vibe video was a nice help along the way. I had to order some half round rods and cut them to size myself (I live in the uk) but the vintage vibe kit would have been my first port of call if the shipping wasn't so high.

[b_3guy]

Update on my Rhodes. Ordered the pedal, rod & cup from Vintage Vibe last Sat. Received it today. Wonderfull quick service. On a side note, the local Long & MacQuade music stores guitar tech bought, refurbished, & sold a Rhodes. So I had a chat with him. He said if I would bring the Rhodes in he would give it a look. So I took it to him on Sat afternoon. He said it wouldn't be practical for him to make it perfect but said he would straighten out some of the more glaring problems for $100. Sounded good to me. I was afraid this Rhodes was turning into a project that I'd never finish. This way, I'd be able to use it right away & work on some of the projects as I go. I should be able to get it back this week.

 

I'll keep you guys informed.

[Allister]

sounds good man! the people around me wanted £290 to just tone and tune it.

[orangefunk]

The good thing about working on a Rhodes from scratch is you'll learn a lot about how it works and be able to maintain them as the years go by. When I had my first Rhodes 20 years ago I had no clue about them (this was before the internet had really got going) but then came a forum on a site called "coolists" and I was hooked. I managed to get a download of the Rhodes manual and talk with other owners and I was away. I was genuinely surprised people had such love for them as I thought I was the only one....

 

 

[ITGITC]

I was genuinely surprised people had such love for them as I thought I was the only one....

 

I think the cool factor of all this emerges when you take an old Rhodes or Wurlitzer EP that's been beat to hell and restore it.

 

And when you are done, you find inspiration.

 

So many purely electronic keyboards don't have this magic.

 

Many never did.

 

And many and never will.

 

Take my RMI... please!

 

 

[orangefunk]

I was genuinely surprised people had such love for them as I thought I was the only one....

 

I think the cool factor of all this emerges when you take an old Rhodes or Wurlitzer EP that's been beat to hell and restore it.

 

And when you are done, you find inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

Hear hear! I think bringing things to life again is a wonderful thing. I remember fixing my old Roland SH09 and that thing just sung... must get hold of it again!