Tedly Nightshade Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 I'd like to get a nice real deal Clavinet, but I know little but how unbelievably cool they sound. What is the model to look for? What's maintenance like? The thing has like guitar strings? Did I get that right? What's it like to tune and replace strings? Turn me on, dead man! My very styley keyboard player needs the experience of playing a really great, healthy real Clavinet, to round out Hammond M3/A100/B3 and Rhodes 73/88 experiences... and to complete the closet classic collection (A100, 122s, 145s, 88). Where to find one? A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Hohner D6 is the one. You can start with eBay, but they are pricey if in good shape. You can also contact Speakeasy Vintage Music and see if they have any for sale. They refurbish and offer parts for them. Sounds like your guy has a killer rig and a D6 is all he is missing! Look for a minty one and run it through a tube amp with a wah wah pedal and you'll be all set! Regards,Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod76 Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 One thing to look out for is the hammer tips. Check out Clavinet.com for more info, you can also buy strings and sticky pads from them. They are the best out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod76 Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 OOps Sticky pads are for the Pianets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Originally posted by Ted Nightshade: What's maintenance like? The thing has like guitar strings? Did I get that right? What's it like to tune and replace strings? The strings are like guitar strings, but not exactly. You can use a guitar string to replace a busted clav string in a pinch, but that note will sound slightly different. Aside from tuning the thing when it gets off, the other thing is that the rubber hammer tips get grooved and start to grab the string when you release. You get a pop sound then. You can turn the hammer 90 degrees to get more life out of it, but eventually you need to replace it. It will use 9V batteries too - they make it hum less than an external wall wart. Maintenance is not bad at all compared to wurlis! Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermanjoe Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 I played a nord electro clav through my fender tube amp with the auto-wah on. It sounded great. You may want to check those out as well. I think the clav's on the electro are the best on a digital board. Of course there ain't nothing like the real thing. "Learn the changes, then forget them." -Charlie Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 The D6 isn't the only game in town. There's a lot o'funk in it's predecessor, the Clavinet C. "Superstition" was cut on a C, which doesn't have all the tonal possibilities of a D6, but it does have the most common ones. I own a C...bought it new for $500 in the early 70's, so I'm perhaps a little biased but I'm far from being it's ony defender. They're also usually cheaper than a D6...if you can find one that is... But I never gig with it anymore...for these reasons: 1. It's heavy. 2. It's not a status piece in my clubs and bars 3. I don't have the time to tune it everytime it's moved. 4. I'm getting great clav sounds out of my 60's-70's expansion board in a Roland XP-60...not the gimmicky modern crap that's usually in a rompler...just a straight, accurate unprocessed vintage clav sound that's inspiring to play and that's always in tume without the hum and buzz. I also agree with the previous post on the Electro. Clavinet is the Electro's most successful emulation to me...actually it's only successful emulation to me. It's keyboard even feels right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermanjoe Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 I also agree with the previous post on the Electro. Clavinet is the Electro's most successful emulation to me...actually it's only successful emulation to me. It's keyboard even feels right. I would also like to add that you can select different combinations of pickups and there is a filter wich gives many different sound possibilities. Onboard effect are decent as well. "Learn the changes, then forget them." -Charlie Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted July 25, 2004 Share Posted July 25, 2004 Oh yeah...strings and hammers. Banjo strings, not guitar strings, are the most accurate replacemant short of the real thing. The original hammer tips were made out of rubber and they grooved easily. The last replacement I got, which was back when Hohner was still supporting clav parts, are a hard plastic which have survived in good shape to this day. All these are easy to replace...just time consuming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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