Rhodes Clone Inquiry

[Mitch Towne]

On 6/16/2023 at 6:01 AM, Moonglow said:

I also played that Seven at Gearfest a few years ago. I used to gig a Rhodes Mark I many years ago, and have played most of the contenders (e.g., Nord, Yamaha, Korg, Roland). I found the Seven to be the closest to playing a real Rhodes, both in terms of sound and action. It was a rather uncanny experience.

The Seven absolutely is an uncanny experience. It’s the closest sounding and feeling Rhodes clone by a mile. I find the suspension of disbelief playing it to be second to none. 

[CEB]

The Kurzweil PC4 is close. It’s slow stiff slow action give a Rhodes vibe LOL.  

[jpgxk3]

Mitch, will you tell us what amp you are playing the Seven through? Thanks.

[J_tour]

Well, this might have been addressed many times, and I'm sure it has, but as someone who is about due for a new digital piano with exceptional Rhodes piano sounds, I've not seen anything that seems to come close to the Korg SV-2.  Fully-weighted keys, some nice/adequate onboard effects, and toss in some Wurlitzer sounds, as well as a few extra sounds that don't interest me.

The thing that attracts me to the SV-2 is that it's really just a digital piano with a lot of options for vintage electric pianos (among some other things, but I only care about acoustic, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer).  I already have a nice Rhodes and a pretty cool Wurlitzer 720A at home, but it'd be nice to have it all in one board so I don't end up with Hammond one side, acoustic on the other, the Rhodes on another, plus speakers and mixer and everything, with me being boxed into a little three-sided square at home.

The Crumar Seventeen and the Seven seem more like a dedicated EP than a digital piano base loaded with nice extras. I'd need to play classical repertoire and jazz on the acoustic, lots of the time, but dial in a great Rhodes.

For me, I haven't seen anything that fits that bill better than the SV-2.  Again, if I really desire to play the Rhodes itself, I'll just play that at home (no, not ever bringing that out of the house again....it's road-worthy, but not worth it, IMHO!)

 

[Ed Stanley]

Is it your opinion that the Rhodes sounds in the SV-2 are a significant advance over the SV-1?

[J_tour]

16 hours ago, Ed Stanley said:

Is it your opinion that the Rhodes sounds in the SV-2 are a significant advance over the SV-1?

I'd like to know opinions on this as well.  I just learned about the Korgs recently.  Of course I don't know, I'm just idly counting my chickens before they hatch, in anticipation of a pay raise at the straight job.
 

18 hours ago, jpgxk3 said:

Mitch, will you tell us what amp you are playing the Seven through? Thanks.

Seconded!  One must know!
 

[drawback]

IIRC Josh Paxton had some knowledgeable opinions on the SV2 vs SV1 when the 2 came out. Worth a search.

[Ed Stanley]

Despite not having the opportunity to audition one myself and build quality concerns raised here I am strongly considering buying a Crumar Seven. The last hurdle is an admonition I received from an associate who cautioned me about it's allegedly user unfriendly interface. Does that correspond with the recollections of those here who have tried it? I am not particularly keen on a "deep dive" every time I want to tweak or save something. I really just want to have a couple of Rhodes, a Wurli and probably a Clav at my fingertips and be able to adjust EQ, auto pan, etc from the front panel quickly. Any thoughts?

[time4jazz]

41 minutes ago, Ed Stanley said:

I really just want to have a couple of Rhodes, a Wurli and probably a Clav at my fingertips and be able to adjust EQ, auto pan, etc from the front panel quickly. Any thoughts?

I had a similar set of requirements, along with good AP, and got the CP73, which I am very happy with. AP and EP sound great. The action is very nice for AP and EP, but (not surprisingly then) not as great for clav. 

[Ed Stanley]

I have been unable to audition any of several candidates for this and intend to just take a shot in the dark. Likely choice will be a Seven, SV-2 or CP73. The CP73 is likely to be my choice but for reasons that have as much to do with connectivity and interface as sound. I also plan to invest in a laptop with Keyscape or something similar installed. One question that gives me pause concerns the allegedly horrific action ascribed to it on various internet sites. Do any of you who own or have spent time on one these concur? I am not such a virtuoso that I have exa cting rq

[Ed Stanley]

Oops. I was going to say I can usually muddle through with whatever is in front of me but the negative feedback on the CP73 action is alarming.

[ElmerJFudd]

20 minutes ago, Ed Stanley said:

I have been unable to audition any of several candidates for this and intend to just take a shot in the dark. Likely choice will be a Seven, SV-2 or CP73. The CP73 is likely to be my choice but for reasons that have as much to do with connectivity and interface as sound. I also plan to invest in a laptop with Keyscape or something similar installed. One question that gives me pause concerns the allegedly horrific action ascribed to it on various internet sites. Do any of you who own or have spent time on one these concur? I am not such a virtuoso that I have exa cting rq

In my audition of the Seven in the shop - it resembles a Rhodes action in feel with the electric piano sound engine.  For this purpose it is fun to play.   However, I would not want to play this action (Fatar TP100) to play acoustic piano on regularly - which I do much more often than Rhodes or Wurlitzer patches.  So for me, it’s a very specific purpose instrument.  If I had cash to burn and could justify a digital instrument that’s dedicated to just Rhodes, sure it would be fun to have in the home.  For practical reasons, APs being priority, I opted for a CP88.  The SV2 is also imho preferable for playing acoustic piano.   I haven’t played the CP73.