I Bought A Rhodes Piano! Now what?
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- čas přidán 24. 05. 2022
- I'm a guitar player that bought a 1983 Rhodes Mark II Stage piano. It is in OK shape, but needs a little maintenance and a few replacement parts. Come join me on my adventure to restore and play this almost 40-year old classic.
600$ Dollars for a rhodes .. its great to live in the usa
Agreed! I feel fortunate to have stumbled across this deal.
That's an unbelievable find! Typically I've seen prices for Rhodes in good condition but needing restoration running $1200-$2500. I would think even the rougher condition ones would fetch around $1000 if they're mostly complete.
Especially when you consider a brand new Rhodes mark 8 is $9000-$10000 depending on how you customize it. They're so amazing though. You can get built in effects and preamps, and just the incredible quality of them is astounding. Doctor Mix did a great video on the whole walkthrough of where/how they're made with some fun demos. I bet they're easier to maintain than the vintage ones, but there's some magic charm to the old ones with their wobbly keys and unstable tuning and quirky electronics.
That's a GREAT price for that instrument. I bought my Mark I in 2004 for $900, but that included a Fender Twin Reverb amp too!
Congrats. That is an absolute steal at today's prices. I have a Mark I that is fairly late, and close to the point of the Mark II introduction. No difference really. Enjoy it. My advice: don't be in too much of a rush to 'restore' it mechanically. Get to know it first and learn about how it is regulated. It is not as simple as it appears. When you do make regulation changes, go slow and check you are improving things as you go rather than applying a change across the full key range. It's quite possible to go backwards in tone rather than forwards with well-meaning tweaks, tip replacements etc, etc.
I'm really enjoying learning the workings of the instrument, and one day, hope to have it in top notch condition. And, definitely not in a hurry with this. Thanks for your comment and advice.
I just found out that the order for my Rhodes legs, support bars, and the screws/grommets has been delayed in the UPS system. So, probably no work on the piano this long Memorial Day weekend...
The answer is: You funking well play it!
That is the goal!
has never been a single rhodes here in sweden that ive seen for less than 3000 :( , 600 is an insane deal, cherish it :)
The prices in the United States right now are very similar to the prices you have in Sweden. Yes, I feel very lucky to have found a Rhodes for this price. Thanks for your comment!
And, even if you include the price of replacement legs and internal parts, I'm only up to about $1,100 USD for total cost of the Rhodes.
Following along. I traded my Rhodes away back in the 90s. Just picked up a ‘72 Mk I that needs a full restoration. Picked up the bits from Vintage Vibe on Black Friday. Lots of work ahead. Thanks for posting.
Have fun, and good luck to you! I've been enjoying the process of restoring mine. Fixing things is a process that I enjoy. The hard bit will be learning to play piano.
You did very well to snap this mark II up for $600.
It’s not complete but the piano mechanics are good.
Nothing like a Rhodes or Wurlitzer sound
I agree. The restoration process is coming along pretty well. Sometime in the first quarter of 2023, I'm planning to have a real piano player come in to the studio for a video (an Iowa Jazz Hall of Fame inductee), and let me know his thoughts on the Rhodes sound and restoration so far.
You should get a Retro Flyer Pre Amp to go with it. It's very easy to install and sounds significantly better. Plus, once you sell the Mark 2, you can just take the pre amp out, put the old internals back in, and put them into the Mark 1 you're looking for. Also $600!? That's a steal. I got my Mark 1 for 1300. Anyways, congrats on your Rhodes. Looking forward to seeing more
I feel very fortunate to have bought this for $600. Prices for them are crazy right now. For now, I'm just going to use my old 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb (not reissue) to preamp/amplify the Rhodes. I've got the next video almost ready to go. The script is written. I just need to record the segment. I'm a bit behind because my father-in-law passed away, and I had a round of COVID-19. But, I should be posting another video shortly. Thanks for your comment!
600 for a project Rhodes is a fair price.
@@adventuresinpianoing6189 OMG 600 bucks what a steal 👏 That Retro flyer makes the Mark 2 sound like butter
I'm the same as you, a guitar player who became interested in electric piano over that past few years. I had been searching for a Rhodes right about this same time as you and you are correct in that any well cared for and functional Rhodes is going for about $2,500 right now.
I don't find these prices to be crazy if you think of the Rhodes (especially a Fender) the way you would a vintage guitar. It might also be of interest to folks watching to know That Vintage Vibe (whom you mentioned for parts), makes their own updated version and they seem quite nice.
Best of luck on your Rhodes trip (intentional pun) and hoping you will be enjoying some classic electric piano tunes soon.
True about a vintage instrument prices. The Vintage Vibe pianos look great, and I'd love to own one someday, but I am trying to stay on a fairly small budget for this project. I feel kinda lucky tracking down a Mark II in playable condition for a price that was in a range for me to purchase.
Did you find one to purchase in your search?
Thanks for the well-wishes, and I wish the same for you!
We have to stop being okay with those inflated prices. There were so many Rhodes made, and so many of them available for sale in various locations that we should be able to shop around and not be subjected to nonsense. That's four times the price for a suitcase in 2013.
HOLY SHIT 600?
I know! I was extremely happy to find the deal.
The first thing to do is take it to a tech.
Now they sell from $3-10k,n8se score❤
Just got a MKII 88 key recently. It great but it has a bad tine or two to fix.
Sounds like that will be a quick fix. I hope you are thoroughly enjoying it!
Can you play it so we can hear it.
Yes, I will be posting an upcoming video where the Rhodes is being played. I, however, am not a keyboard player, so I would not do it justice. Once I put it all back together, I'll bring in a real keyboard player! :-)
Congrats on your purchase. Wooden keys? Synths never appealed to you? Get a Moog on there like a Micro or a Mini. Nothing like a Rhodes and a Moog. Prices for Vintage gear got stupid when we were getting the Covid checks. Reverb, I suspect, is artificially inflating the prices. My rule: Sight-unseen Rhodes is worth 700-750 bucks. If it needs work, I start subtracting. If it's in the hands of a connoisseur and it's been babied then up to 1000 but after that they can kiss my ass. The dealer-restored suitcases were like 3400 back in 2013 or so. Theres no reason to pay more for that or else you are approaching Vintage Vibe prices. Be very careful buying the VV parts kits, or else you might have to adjust the whole harp. If you get in touch with me I will email you a copy of the VV restoration video for it.
Unfortunately, no wooden keys. The MkII built in the 1980's changed to plastic keys. I'm still keeping my eyes open for a MkI from the 1970's, wooden keys and domed top. That was the original goal in finding a Rhodes at a decent price.
@@adventuresinpianoing6189 Those MKIIs can still sound amazing though. I have my father's '71 MKI Suitcase Seventy-Three that I use in a lot of my music. He was a classically trained Jazz pianist. In fact, if you are interested, there are two Christmas songs of his on my channel. A jazzy Rudolph, and Christmas Time is Here.
@@Rhythmicons I like both versions of the songs. Is that a photo of your Dad with Liberace in the "Christmas Time Is Here" video? Very cool!
@@adventuresinpianoing6189 Yeah, he was encouraged to go meet Liberace but didn't really want to. haha My dad passed in May, 2019. I grew up with him playing Chick Corea every day, so I tend to lean more Herbie and Chick than Wakeman/Emerson.
Thanks for checking it out.
Subbed!. Love electronics and music
These are two of my favorite hobbies also. Thanks for subscribing. I should have another video on the tone bar spring situation soon.