Our grandaughter may be taking piano lessons, so I took the Rhodes out of storage (the garage) ... just taking it from the garage to the family room brought back all those memories of lugging it around ... if this was the only kb I had to play, my days as a gigging musician would definitely be over!!! ...

Well, I set it up, and after some Windex on the keys and Armor All on the case, it looks pretty good ...
Fortunately, all the notes play, it is in tune, and I couldn't believe how good it SOUNDS, and I'm playing it through a little $99 amp:
http://www.acousticamplification.com/products/index.cfm?catid=1&&modid=13&product=AG15
which will be good enough for her home use ...

Cleaned up, it looked ready for a gig - but NOT with me carrying it -
The last people to play it were a niece and a nephew, who started to learn piano on it quite a number of years ago ... if our grandaughter does as well as they have, we will be very happy ...

But, man, I must have been STRONG back in the day

What Rhodes is it, Tony...the 73 or the 88?

It's obviously the stage model.

I had a Suitcase 88 for a while...very heavy, the action wasn't too bad (I had a Rhodes techie adjust it).

The sound is such a signature sound...all the synths, digital pianos, arrangers, and workstations come close to duplicating the sound, but, like each Hammond B-3, each Rhodes was a little different from the others.

Man, they sure were a job lugging around, but, back in the day, you really had to have that sound, or you weren't cool.

Ian

For some reason all the Rhodes emulations while sounding ok to the listener fall short for me. I just don't get the same feeling playing them that I do from a real Rhodes piano. I just melt when I play a Rhodes. I don't know what it is but those real metal bars seem to generate a harmonic blend that I just don't hear in emulations.

Wow! Nigel,I feel the same way about a Farfisa Compact Deluxe, it was a truly legendary organ, although to the western musician cheesey, the Farfisa was very popular for the eastern musician and still is a popular sound even today for playing the original folk music.

Ian ... It is the 73 Stage (suitcase) model ...

Nigel ... You are right - it is ALL about the metal bars ...

I just got a very 'warm' feeling, playing it again ... It has been a number of years ...
I even played a couple of sequences on my kn6000 and played along with them ...
Almost don't want to give it to my granddaughter ...

Hey ... I sald ALMOST

Hmmmm, it's either a "Stage" or a "Suitcase" Tony! The Suitcase has a bottom section with built in , stereo amps and the sustain pedal. Two HUGE boxes ... the stage sits on it's own legs with a separate sustain rod. Some people seem to confuse the top lid as the defining "suitcase" characteristc, but unless it's plays in stereo on it's own, it's a stage model!
(A few years ago, I drove out to Kentucky to buy mine from Capt Russ .. no regrets!!!!!)

UD ... yes, that's what I had thought, and it is the "stage" model ... but I had read something that kind of interchanged the terms, which in turn confused me ...
thnx for the clarification,

PS ... I remember that a number of years ago we had 'talked' briefly via e-mail about the possibility of my selling mine ... I'm glad I didn't ...

Strange to hear how much defense of poor plastic actions we see on this forum, but when you finally get the same people talking about some of the classic keys, their enthusiasm overcomes their natural defenses of their chosen arranger...

Playing a Rhodes was ALL about the action, as was a Wurli, a B3, a Clavinet, a Pianet, and most of the electro-mechanical keyboards of the day. What you COULD play, and HOW you could play it was a function of the action itself to quite a large degree. Each action lent itself to certain styles of playing, and to go beyond those limitations often took some considerable tinkering with the action and mechanical components to achieve. There was no 'master' keyboards back then, each sound required the adjustment of YOUR playing to it, and that is what beget the sound...

Nowadays, we give so little credit to the action itself for generating the 'sound', but I believe it still goes a long way to determining your performance. Simply sit at one of these old monsters, and play it for a few minutes, and you will find yourself playing things you never would have played on a plastic, spongy keyboard with fewer notes than these things have.

Function follows form...

Tony, the Stage had no amplifier. The 73 Suitcase would need no amplifier. You must have a Stage-legs supporting the piano at the right height. Wouldn't need the separate amp if it were a Suitcase. In fact, you'd have to have a proprietary plug to use, and you wouldn't get the stereo effect unless you used a stereo amp.


The piano I sold Dave (he got the crappy one) is a suitcase.
Great units, but both pieces are very heavy, and the Tolex cover is pretty easily damaged.

I used them for house jobs for years, but never considered moving them for one-nighters.

The stereo amplifiers made the Rhodes sound, in my opinion.

It's a great thing you're doing for the Grand kids.

(Thanks for the Xmas card, by the way)


Russ

Tony,That's great your grand daughter is going to follow in gramps foot steps. Is she going to take lessons from Diamond?

Back in the 70s I worked for Avery Piano, I sold this young man ( I was young too) a 73 suitcase for about $1100 maybe a little less, don't remember for sure About 6 months later the kid needed cash and I was lucky enough to take the call when he called the store. I asked him how how much? I don't recall what he said, but right after work that day I went with six $100 bills. SOLD, he couldn't get his hand on those Ben Franklins quick enough and likewise I couldn't get out of the house fast enough with my Suitcase 73. About 1 year and a half later I decided to sell and got a call from a musician who wanted to buy it. Turns out the buyer was trombonist Hal Crook:
http://www.halcrook.com/news.htm

Yea, Tony, it's the Stage. And I understand what you meant when you played it recently and didn't want to give it up.

Now, there are lots of keys in the warehouse to use...a Clavinova, Casio 8000, SD-5, MS-60's, several synths, but nothing like the Rhodes. Believe it or not, the little NP-30 is the one I go to in my office if I just want to "noodle" around.

I understand about attachment to Rhodes pianos. Even though I'm glad one of mine went to Dave, I still remember a significant lump in my stomach as he and I were loading the one he got into his van, even though I had two at the time-one stayed here in the warehouse and one
stays at the club where it's used 4-5 nights a month.

The kids will learn on the Stage, but will probably want something else if they stick with it. And, you'll still have the one keyboard that everyone who ever played one would still like to have.

Be well,

Russ