Is the buzz in my Rhodes Mk 1 normal?

[pootco]

Hi,

I just bought a Mark 1 Rhodes/suitcase. Great sounding keyboard, but I have a couple questions for you. (I'm a drummer, not a keyboard player, so I'm pretty low-tech, and want to get my facts straight).

When I turn on the amp, I hear a low-level buzz. I'm thinking that's normal, as I've been around a lot of Fender guitar amps, and they all seem to have that. It's not tied to the volume; in other words the buzz doesn't get louder when you turn up the gain. What do you think?

And when I turn on the oscillator, there's a low-level, but audible "tup-tup" sound proportionate to the speed setting (i.e., goes from slow to fast as you turn the dial). Again, it's not tied to the volume, and when you play the keyboard, the oscillation sounds great. The "tup-tup" sound goes away when I turn the oscillator off. Is that a problem? I've tried plugging into several different circuits in my house, and I don't think it's a grounding problem.

Thanks for your input, and have a great weekend!

Regards,

Tim

 

[Atterion]

This is completely normal for analog gear of this vintage. It didn't make that noise back when it rolled of the assembly line (or it did, but minimally). As analog circuits age, all sorts of voltage leaks occur. But this is the charm of old gear. The noise is part of the instruments personallity. This is the so called "Analog" knob we see on so many digital emulations. Except for real "Analog" Voltage drifting and leaks truly interact with the output sound, and effects things such as fundamentals, harmonics, and so forth, rather than just random crap the emulations try to achieve.

So crank her up, and let her rip. If the noise gets unbearable, you can always send her to the shop for a couple days, to be reborn.

 

[pootco]

Knight, thanks for the reply. I think I did OK on my first Rhodes score!

Regards,

Tim