antispatula said:
This guy I know is offering a 73 mark 1 for 250. There are some problems though, he said a few of the keys don't sound as strong as the others, and that some of the keys click a little, and there is no pedal. I have no idea how much that would cost in repairs, but I know that rhodes keyboards go for a LOT more than 250. Is this a good deal? Thanks for the help!
a mark i for 250 is a great deal, jump on it.
- some notes being weaker than others could be two things: either the escapement/volume/timber is off (an easy fix) or the tine is about to break. on ebay, tines (reeds on wurlitzers, strings on pianos) go for about 30 bucks each. i managed to get an entire set of 88 for $300; there are definitely good deals out there if you can wait for them.
- if you go through the rhodes manual (linked below) you can set everything back up to spec. it's really really easy to take care of a rhodes.
- key click is completely normal since there's no back check on a rhodes. essentially, on a piano when the hammer dips down it's stopped by a felt-covered piece of wood, which makes the key not bounce. this isn't on a rhodes (although you can buy a kit, i plan on doing it one of these years) so the keys feel "bouncier" than a regular piano.. it also means more key "noise".
- sustain pedals can be bought rather cheaply on ebay and vintage specialty stores (vintage vibe, speakeasy vintage music), don't worry about that.
here's what to look for in a rhodes:
-press down all the keys, make sure that it doesn't "feel" like there's any mechanical damage in the key-assembly. if every note "sounds" then that's definitely a bonus.
-open up the lid.. just lift it off.
--check the harp for rust, expect a little, but hope for not a lot.. it's a pain to get off.
--check the tonebar for rust, cracks, etc.
--check the pickup rail to ensure that the pickups are sound. if the owner doesn't mind you could always check the magnetism of each pickup or tap them to make sure they are working. pickups are easy to replace but require a bit of wiring and are kinda costly.
- there are 4 screws (2 down each side) holding the harp down. remove the screws and lift up the harp. check each tine for rust, that there are little "springs" on each tine (that's how you tune the tine.. moving the spring up and down), that there are no cracks, and also that the "washers" (they're called "grommets") aren't squashed. it'll cost you about 90 bucks to replace the screws and washers for your rhodes. it's worth it though, if the grommet is squashed then you'll have no sustain on the note.
-check the dampers as well. make sure none have broken off. you have to buy them in sets (i think there's 4-6 sets for an 88 key model) so even one broken damper means you have to replace a bunch of them.. which will cost ya.
-lastly, plug the rhodes into an amp and fiddle with the volume and bass knobs, make sure they don't crackle (if they do, you'll have to replace the pots).
here's the link i talked about earlier, it'll answer all your technical questions.
http://www.fenderrhodes.org/rhodes/manual2.pdf
any questions, feel free to write here or PM me.
Cheers,
Robert
