Rhodes restoration techs in LA area

[zephonic]

A friend is moving to Boston and wants to give me his Rhodes. It needs the legs/pedal for sure, and maybe tuning or whatever else needs to be done on a fifty year old electro-mechanical instrument.

I’m sure there are techs that do this here in the LA area, can anybody point me in the right direction? Thanks!

 

[Dave Bryce]

1 hour ago, Dave Ferris said:

If you want the best, Ken Rich. But he's not cheap.

https://www.kenrichsounds.com/

 

 

 

dB

[Jim Alfredson]

Have him drop it off to me on the way. I’ll refurb it for you.

[Brad Kaenel]

Nir Benjaminy

Fender Rhodes LA

 

also:

Custom Vintage Keyboards

 

Ken is the king; priciest and longest wait-time.

Nir is excellent; reasonable and shortest turn-around.

CVK is somewhere in the middle.

 

I've been a customer of all three; mostly Nir at FRLA.  I presume all three are still operating, but I haven't had need to confirm that since before COVID.

 

Depending on how extensive the repairs, you might find that working on the Rhodes yourself isn't as bad as you might think.  Vintage Vibe has lots of well-done videos on various common repairs and tune-ups: VV Shop Talk

[Dave Bryce]

26 minutes ago, Brad Kaenel said:

 

Ken is the king; priciest and longest wait-time.

 

 

I think the wait time thing changed when he moved to a smaller shop a bit ago.  He told me that since he doesn’t have anywhere near as much room as the previous place, things need to come and go quicker.

 

I have nothing but good things to say about the restoration and mods he did to my A100 and 145. 

 

dB

[zephonic]

What ever happened to Eddie Reynolds? Do any of the current techs do a similar mod?

 

And also, I remember there being MIDI retrofits back in the day, is that still a thing or did it die?

 

[Brad Kaenel]

On 7/30/2022 at 6:10 PM, Dave Ferris said:

I'd never heard of him, thanks Brad.

 

Quite welcome, Dave!  Nir was da bomb for me for several years; I think he teched at least a half-dozen for me when I was in "collector-mode", a few years back.  I hope he's still in business; but as another thread has recently said, it's increasingly difficult to make a living when you're an expert in a fading discipline...

[zephonic]

I dropped

my

1977 Stage Mk1 of at Nir’s today, should be ready next Tuesday. 
 

He tried to upsell me on the Miracle Mod, but it adds to the cost considerably.
 

Would it be worth it? He said to let him know before end of day. I’m leaning towards holding off for now, not critical, but the increased dynamic range would be nice. 

[Doerfler]

1 minute ago, zephonic said:

 

Would it be worth it? He said to let him know before end of day. I’m leaning towards holding off for now, not critical, but the increased dynamic range would be nice. 

Only you can determine what is affordable to you, Menno. Easier to get it done while already there, taking it back a second time might not ever happen. 

[Brad Kaenel]

38 minutes ago, zephonic said:

I dropped

my

1977 Stage Mk1 of at Nir’s today, should be ready next Tuesday. 
 

He tried to upsell me on the Miracle Mod, but it adds to the cost considerably.
 

Would it be worth it? He said to let him know before end of day. I’m leaning towards holding off for now, not critical, but the increased dynamic range would be nice. 

IMHO, the "miracle mod" is a must-have if you plan to use the Rhodes at all regularly.  It makes such a dramatic difference in playability that Rhodes eventually changed the shape of their hammers to include the "mod" (i.e. factory built-in).  It's expensive not in terms of materials, but in the labor.  You could do it yourself using a kit from VV, and referring to their videos.  It's not a difficult job if you're a careful, patient person -- but it does require several hours to complete.

 

Glad to hear that Nir is still operating!

[zephonic]

Anybody have experience with the straddlers for the Mk1 stage? Nir says he does not endorse or recommend them because of bad experience with them, but Ken Rich sells them on his website for a bill: https://www.kenrichsounds.com/collections/straddler-series/products/rhodes-mk1-straddler-stacking-stand

 

I would like to put my old Fantom on top of the Rhodes.

[ProfD]

On 8/1/2022 at 5:22 PM, zephonic said:

Would it be worth it? He said to let him know before end of day. I’m leaning towards holding off for now, not critical, but the increased dynamic range would be nice. 

Brotha @zephonic, IMO, it depends on whether or not you plan to gig with the Rhodes. 

 

If you're just playing Rhodes at the crib, any gain from the Miracle Mod gain wouldn't be overly significant. 

 

The maintenance you're getting should be more than sufficient enough to enjoy playing your Rhodes for a long time. 

 

Welcome to the club.  Congrats.😎

[zephonic]

Definitely not gigging with it! Home studio use only. Glad to be joining the club, D! I can’t wait.

 

[Brad Kaenel]

1 hour ago, zephonic said:

Anybody have experience with the straddlers for the Mk1 stage? Nir says he does not endorse or recommend them because of bad experience with them, but Ken Rich sells them on his website for a bill: https://www.kenrichsounds.com/collections/straddler-series/products/rhodes-mk1-straddler-stacking-stand

 

I would like to put my old Fantom on top of the Rhodes.

Yes, I've used Ken's straddlers, not for gigging, but stationary studio setup; worked fine for me.  Nir, to his credit, isn't a fan of most "after-market" accessories.  Ken's straddlers transfer the weight of the keyboard it's supporting to the Rhodes' plywood case/frame in the rear, and to the aluminum name rail in the front.  Technically, you could probably bow that aluminum rail if the second board was very heavy or you were really pounding it, but I think in practice that's quite unlikely.  The straddlers are not adjustable for angle/pitch, or overhang; if you're going to be particular about that, I would probably suggest using an A-frame stand that the Rhodes just sits under.

[zephonic]

Thanks, Brad. I guess I’ll take the leap.

[Doerfler]

2 hours ago, Brad Kaenel said:

Yes, I've used Ken's straddlers, not for gigging, but stationary studio setup; worked fine for me.  

I also have purchased 3 different sets of straddlers from Ken Rich. Rhodes Mark II (now belong to Prof D), Wurlitzer 200, and Hammond A 100.

Love them for exactly the reasons Brad mentioned.

Which is why they were developed in the first place. 

[zephonic]

Has anybody here MIDI-fied their Rhodes? I've been told it would cost $2K which doesn't seem worth it, but if it means I don't have to get another weighted controller, it might be something to consider.

[Brad Kaenel]

6 hours ago, zephonic said:

Has anybody here MIDI-fied their Rhodes? I've been told it would cost $2K which doesn't seem worth it, but if it means I don't have to get another weighted controller, it might be something to consider.

I never had any of Rhodes retrofitted for MIDI, but I believe it’s the QRS PNOScan optical system that is most often used: QRS PNOScan

It does cost $2K; and then there would be the labor to install it, which would require some cutting and re-fitting of the key rails, below the keybed: Installation pix

 

Note that the only MIDI data this system generates is NOTE and VELOCITY; there's no pitch bend, no modulation, etc.  Zones and multiple Channels might be possible, but it would have to be configured "off instrument" with a computer, so probably not convenient to change on-stage.  It's a pretty basic, vanilla MIDI implementation -- it doesn't turn your Rhodes into a synth, but it obviously works, and could be just the perfect thing for certain applications. Though I can't imagine the experience of playing an AP patch would be all that satisfying from a Rhodes keybed.

[ProfD]

MIDI-retrofitting a Rhodes seems like a waste of money. 

 

I believe we are the last generation of KB players who will be interested in playing and maintaining an electromechanical KB. 

 

Surely, there will be a few younger folks who will dig the vibe of a vintage electromechanical KB. 

 

But, for most folks, the KB technology available today and in the future will be good enough. The newer KBs have every electromechanical sound and MIDI too. 😎

[zephonic]

6 hours ago, Brad Kaenel said:

Though I can't imagine the experience of playing an AP patch would be all that satisfying from a Rhodes keybed.

 

That's an excellent point. The idea was to have the Rhodes be the weighted controller for AP sounds etc. with the Fantom taking care of everything else. But indeed, other than a Mk7 I never played a Rhodes that felt particularly great, and I can think of any number of weighted controllers that would be better suited for the task.

 

6 hours ago, ProfD said:

MIDI-retrofitting a Rhodes seems like a waste of money. 

 

 

Yeah, my room is small so for a moment it seemed like an effective way to consolidate a weighted controller and Rhodes into one, but Brad's point stands.

 

[zephonic]

What's a good stereo tremolo/chorus unit to run the Rhodes thru?

 

[Brad Kaenel]

43 minutes ago, zephonic said:

What's a good stereo tremolo/chorus unit to run the Rhodes thru?

 

You have a Stage, yes?  Run, do not walk, to: Avion RetroFlyer Preamp

 

Nir will hate it. 😊

 

If too much $$, then an MXR Phase 90 and a Roland Boss Chorus are classic stomp boxes you may be able to pickup used.  Note that these are mono, however. You can't get the stereo "ping-pong" tremolo/chorus of a Suitcase, because the Suitcase has a stereo preamp.  Cue the RetroFlyer, which will  give you that stereo effect on a Stage.

[Brad Kaenel]

I should add that the RetroFlyer is powered by a wall wart, not a battery, and you might prefer not to have to plug your Stage into an elec outlet. In that case, you will need to find a stereo stompbox.

[Doerfler]

Menno -

Agree with Brad about the RetoFlyer, both the good and bad. 

Line 6 M5 is a fav of mine, modeled after classic and modern effect pedals. Relatively inexpensive and still a current model. 

 

https://line6.com/effects-pedals/m5/

[Morrissey]

4 hours ago, Brad Kaenel said:

Run, do not walk, to: Avion RetroFlyer Preamp

 

I don't have the RetroFlyer but had Avion rebuild my suitcase preamp and they did a great job.

[zephonic]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:34 PM, Brad Kaenel said:

I should add that the RetroFlyer is powered by a wall wart, not a battery, and you might prefer not to have to plug your Stage into an elec outlet. In that case, you will need to find a stereo stompbox.

 

Wall wart on a Rhodes?  

Could that introduce ground loops? Otherwise RetroFlyer sounds like just the ticket, wish they'd sell an outboard version.

 

On 8/6/2022 at 7:54 PM, Doerfler said:

Menno -

Agree with Brad about the RetoFlyer, both the good and bad. 

Line 6 M5 is a fav of mine, modeled after classic and modern effect pedals. Relatively inexpensive and still a current model. 

 

https://line6.com/effects-pedals/m5/

 

I like that it can do mono in/stereo out, but I'd prefer an analog signal chain. The search continues...

 

[zephonic]

 

On 8/6/2022 at 4:56 PM, Brad Kaenel said:

You have a Stage, yes?  Run, do not walk, to: Avion RetroFlyer Preamp

 

Nir will hate it. 😊

 

No kidding. He says it sounds like a Behringer. 

 

Nir's own preamp sounds really good, btw, but he only made 50 and sold all. For now I'll just run mine mono thru my Daking Mic Pre.

 

It's gonna be interesting, I'm all ITB, and having an electro-mechanical instrument here with stomp boxes etc. is a new experience for me. I'm definitely getting a DOD Envelope Filter, I had one in the 90's and it was badass, like a touch sensitive wah. Fun times ahead!

 

 

 

[Brad Kaenel]

2 hours ago, zephonic said:

No kidding. He says it sounds like a Behringer. 

 

Nir's own preamp sounds really good, btw, but he only made 50 and sold all.

Yep. Called it. 😆

 

Truth be told, the Petersen preamps were not exactly paragons of electrical engineering, either. They could sound like Behringers, too. 😝

 

And yes, Nir’s outboard preamp sounds very good. I tried to buy one of them for years, but he had never built more than his prototype. So now he builds 50 and I still don’t get one? Inconceivable!
 

Sweet axe, man. I always preferred the Stage models. Nice.