Rhodes piano amplification

[Jack Luminous]

 

I know ,, i owned a rhodes 88. Heavy as hell action. the physical weight of it is brutal. I have run it througth tubes and solid state . To be real honest the kinda suck compared to their modern counterpart do it all boards. they are antiques. If you want bark ,, dial up a synthetic rhodes patch with a little bark to it. There is no romance in me for the fender rhodes. The samples these days are too good to make people want to grunt the weight of the things. I appreciate them for what they were ,, but i felt no guilt when I sold mine off no doubt for less that it was worth. I just wanted the thing out of my house.

 

 

I would never bring a Rhodes to a gig but I'm happy to have one in my home studio. It's a 54 so small enough no to be bothering. There's a physical connection with the instrument that is very different from a simple rompler or VST instrument IMHO.

[rhat]

 

I would never bring a Rhodes to a gig but I'm happy to have one in my home studio. It's a 54 so small enough no to be bothering. There's a physical connection with the instrument that is very different from a simple rompler or VST instrument IMHO .

 

 

 

LOL yea i know its called carpel tunnel and arthritis. Cutting edge back in the day ,, brutal to spend alot of time hauling and playing. For a studio or a collection they are worthy of keeping around.

[blunt]

Well, my Rhodes Mark II '80 finally arrived.

 

I played it with my Micro Cube and the sound wasn't really good. The 5" speaker can't handle the bass.

 

I then plugged it to my Laptop and I've been playing using Guitar Rig or Amplitube. I was surprised, the sound is not bad at all. Sure, it's digital, I don't have a guitar > PC interface, but it's a nice way of trying some amp simulations and effects, or recording. The stereo tremolo is really nice. Whatever amp I get must have two speakers.

 

I'll play the piano trough the laptop with my also recently arrived Alessandro's MS-1i until I have some money saved and a better perspective of what to get, though I find the Jazz Chorus amps very appealing.

 

Thank you very much for all the input. You were very helpful.

 

Cheers

[andi85]

You might try a used Roland Cube or so, as it comes with a couple of amp models and effects and is still pretty small.

 

Recently I tried an older Line6 POD I with my Rhodes and Electro 2. That would kind of force you towards headphones, unless you want to invest in speakers or try your home stereo, but gives you a bunch of nice sounding features in a convenient package.

 

The Fender Twin Reverb and the Fender Blues Deluxe sound good to my ears as well as the Vox AC-30. As in the early versions the Roland JazzChorus model is accessible only by MIDI, I couldn't try that one, but Line6's mixture of JC and some tube amp sounded pretty good. It has two downsides, though: It tends to break up early, so it requires careful leveling of the input signal and it's kind of noise - but a tube amp with an effects chain is way noisier.

[blunt]

You might try a used Roland Cube or so, as it comes with a couple of amp models and effects and is still pretty small. Recently I tried an older Line6 POD I with my Rhodes and Electro 2. That would kind of force you towards headphones, unless you want to invest in speakers or try your home stereo, but gives you a bunch of nice sounding features in a convenient package. The Fender Twin Reverb and the Fender Blues Deluxe sound good to my ears as well as the Vox AC-30. As in the early versions the Roland JazzChorus model is accessible only by MIDI, I couldn't try that one, but Line6's mixture of JC and some tube amp sounded pretty good. It has two downsides, though: It tends to break up early, so it requires careful leveling of the input signal and it's kind of noise - but a tube amp with an effects chain is way noisier.

 

I do have a Micro Cube, so, apart from the larger speaker, it wouldn't be much of an upgrade. And I don't want a digital amp; I prefer to stay analog. Since it's for apartment playing, the quiet solution is probably a solid state amp, I guess.

 

Thanks for the input, though.

 

I must get a two speakers amplifier, so I can use a stereo tremolo. Roland JC's seem a very good choice, but small models are difficult to find here at Europe, and the JC 120 it's a big amp. The price would be close to the one I paid for the piano.

 

Well, I don't know. I won't probably get any amp until summer, so I'll have time to decide what's best.

 

I may also buy a small mixer and play with headphones. Mackie has a nice little one. But I don't know if it will be a real improvement, since I would be using the on-board preamps. I would be able to use stereo effects and equalize the sound, though, and it's not nearly as expensive as an amplifier.

[blunt]

If you find a JC-90, you get a stereo amp and a stereo effects loop. Don't underestimate the importance of playing a Rhodes thru a stereo trem or chorus. You don't have to do it all the time. But you will want to do it.

 

After playing the Rhodes with Guitar Rig for a while, I really recognize the importance of the stereo effects loop. A stereo tremolo is a must. Thank you very much for the wise advice.

[tspit74]

After playing the Rhodes with Guitar Rig for a while, I really recognize the importance of the stereo effects loop. A stereo tremolo is a must. Thank you very much for the wise advice.

 

You're welcome. A Rhodes in stereo is the greatest sound ever.

[blunt]

You're welcome. A Rhodes in stereo is the greatest sound ever.

 

Besides the JC-90 and the JC-120, what other amps have a stereo effects loop? Is it common?

 

I took a look at a picture of the back of a JC-90 and I saw one send output, and two (left and right) inputs. So, I connect a cable to the send output, then to the input of a stereo pedal, and then the to outputs of the stereo pedal to the R and L inputs. Does it works this way?

 

Thank you very much.

[tspit74]

Besides the JC-90 and the JC-120, what other amps have a stereo effects loop? Is it common? I took a look at a picture of the back of a JC-90 and I saw one send output, and two (left and right) inputs. So, I connect a cable to the send output, then to the input of a stereo pedal, and then the to outputs of the stereo pedal to the R and L inputs. Does it works this way? Thank you very much.

 

That's exactly how it works. A stereo pulsar pedal has one input and 2 outputs. You run a cable out of the single output of the JC effects loop, plug it into the input of the stereo pulsar, then run the left and right cables out of the stereo pulsar into the left and right inputs on the effects loop of the amp. You can also run a Phase 90 into the loop in between the effects loops output and the input of the stereo pulsar. This would give you mono phase shifting being ping-ponged between the 2 speakers. Or, as I like to call it, the coolest, warmest, gooeyest, most inpiring sound in the universe.

 

I'm not familiar with any other amps with a stereo effects loop. It's would be really hard to get a more versaltile and classic SS amp in that price range that mates so well with the Rhodes. The JC is a full range amplifier that can be used equally well with keyboards, guitar, and vocals. The chorus is the best ever, too. I love good tube amps too, but they do color the sound considerably and have their specialty applications. The JC is nuetral to the extreme. It doesn't color the sound and gives an accurate representation of what you put into it. If you're going to have one amp for all your musical applications, need stereo effects loop, and you're doing so on a budget, JC all the way. You can always color it and warm it up with effects or a tube preamp. However, it does sound great as is. It's a professional amp all the way. I ran my Mellotron and Pro-One thru mine this morning and it was shaking the house. Loud and crystal clear. Believe me, it can take whatever you dish it.

[blunt]

That's exactly how it works. A stereo pulsar pedal has one input and 2 outputs. You run a cable out of the single output of the JC effects loop, plug it into the input of the stereo pulsar, then run the left and right cables out of the stereo pulsar into the left and right inputs on the effects loop of the amp. You can also run a Phase 90 into the loop in between the effects loops output and the input of the stereo pulsar. This would give you mono phase shifting being ping-ponged between the 2 speakers. Or, as I like to call it, the coolest, warmest, gooeyest, most inpiring sound in the universe. I'm not familiar with any other amps with a stereo effects loop. It's would be really hard to get a more versaltile and classic SS amp in that price range that mates so well with the Rhodes. The JC is a full range amplifier that can be used equally well with keyboards, guitar, and vocals. The chorus is the best ever, too. I love good tube amps too, but they do color the sound considerably and have their specialty applications. The JC is nuetral to the extreme. It doesn't color the sound and gives an accurate representation of what you put into it. If you're going to have one amp for all your musical applications, need stereo effects loop, and you're doing so on a budget, JC all the way. You can always color it and warm it up with effects or a tube preamp. However, it does sound great as is. It's a professional amp all the way. I ran my Mellotron and Pro-One thru mine this morning and it was shaking the house. Loud and crystal clear. Believe me, it can take whatever you dish it.

 

That phase before pulsar idea seems very very cool, indeed.

 

I thought the stereo effects loop was a pretty common thing. I guess I'm sold on the JC. I'll probably wait some months, save some money and then we'll see. I doubt I can find a JC-90, so that leaves me with the JC-120, which cost like 600

[tspit74]

I haven't seen the DVD. There are manuals you can download for free online. You just have to poke around with a screwdriver and figure out what works best for you. They are simple instruments. One thing I've found with mine is that my piano like a lot of tension on the sustain pedal rod. In other words, if you're having trouble with some notes not sustaining, set the rod a little longer to where it lifts the innards just shy of some notes sustaining. Make sure none of the notes sustain when the pedal is not being stepped on, while making sure that they're just on the verge of sustaining. That should give you a full, wide, open sustain when you step on the pedal. It also seems to lighten the overall action of the keyboard. At least it does for my piano.

 

As far a tuning goes, it's done by moving the little springs on the ends of the tines backward or forward. If something sounds off, move the spring. You can make a tool for this by bending the tip of a slotted screwdriver and filing a slot through the center. I've never bother to do so, tho. Maybe someday. I rarely ever have to mess with the tuning on mine.

 

It's fun. You be amazed at the simple things you can do to improve your Rhodes just by poking around here and there. You'll tune yourself to the piano just as much as the piano is tuned to you. It's a very interactive instrument and your relationship with it will be very personal. It's cool.

[blunt]

 

I haven't seen the DVD. There are manuals you can download for free online. You just have to poke around with a screwdriver and figure out what works best for you. They are simple instruments. One thing I've found with mine is that my piano like a lot of tension on the sustain pedal rod. In other words, if you're having trouble with some notes not sustaining, set the rod a little longer to where it lifts the innards just shy of some notes sustaining. Make sure none of the notes sustain when the pedal is not being stepped on, while making sure that they're just on the verge of sustaining. That should give you a full, wide, open sustain when you step on the pedal. It also seems to lighten the overall action of the keyboard. At least it does for my piano. As far a tuning goes, it's done by moving the little springs on the ends of the tines backward or forward. If something sounds off, move the spring. You can make a tool for this by bending the tip of a slotted screwdriver and filing a slot through the center. I've never bother to do so, tho. Maybe someday. I rarely ever have to mess with the tuning on mine. It's fun. You be amazed at the simple things you can do to improve your Rhodes just by poking around here and there. You'll tune yourself to the piano just as much as the piano is tuned to you. It's a very interactive instrument and your relationship with it will be very personal. It's cool.

 

 

Thanks, I'll search for those manuals. I once set up the rod so long that some notes sustained even when I wasn't pressing the pedal, like you said. I'll try to find a balance. But it appears that the higher notes just don't sustain as long as the lower ones on most pianos. They even sell these clips to make the upper notes sustain longer.

 

I saw some of their videos on Youtube and the tuning seemed very simple. The entire piano is a bit sharp, according to the Guitar Rig tuner.

 

That seems very interesting. My playing has to adapt to it, since the sustain is longer than on an acoustic piano, and the key action is so different comparing to my digital piano.

 

Btw, is your piano a Mk I or Mk II?

[tspit74]

Mine's a 1976 MK I.

[MarkShovel2]

I aslo have a 1976 MKI. I injured my back bringing it home the first day. A two wheel hand truck is now a requirement to move the beast.

 

I understand the comments about modern emulations. Playing the Rhodes has made me really appreciate the action and sound on my Fantom X8. The X8 and road case also requires the two wheel hand truck.

 

However, there is some magical aspect of the very simple Rhodes. I can really focus on playing since there are no other options. I see the Rhodes as another tool that has it's own unique inspiration capabilities.

 

Even the simple mono sound of the MK1 is killer. The dynamics and natural tone distortion are very fun. I prefer a clean amplification system and to get the dirty sound by hitting the keys harder.

 

Mark

[tspit74]

 

I aslo have a 1976 MKI. I injured my back bringing it home the first day. A two wheel hand truck is now a requirement to move the beast. I understand the comments about modern emulations. Playing the Rhodes has made me really appreciate the action and sound on my Fantom X8. The X8 and road case also requires the two wheel hand truck. However, there is some magical aspect of the very simple Rhodes. I can really focus on playing since there are no other options . I see the Rhodes as another tool that has it's own unique inspiration capabilities. Even the simple mono sound of the MK1 is killer. The dynamics and natural tone distortion are very fun. I prefer a clean amplification system and to get the dirty sound by hitting the keys harder. Mark

 

All good points.

 

I hate options. The right instrument with a unique approach and nowhere to hide provides the most inspiration for me. I guess that's why I have so many boards. Of course, it's a hell of a lot of work keeping track of them all and keeping them working.

 

Another point: You can't underestimate the importance of unprecise tuning on old electromechanical keyboards (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Mellotron). A few slightly dodgy notes really makes the instruments breathe and gives a very desirable tension to the music. Very human. IMO, the perfect tuning of digital keys using samples that have been massaged by digital tuning destroys the very thing that gave those sounds their unique place in music history.

[blunt]

I couldn't get a deal on a Mk I, so I bought a Mk II. It was a great deal, anyway.

 

There are ridiculous prices for Rhodes pianos here in Europe.

 

Are the Mk I and Mk II that different, in your opinion?

 

For playing at home, if you have the space, I think it's great to have the real thing. For live playing, I totally understand people who get the emulations, although the stage looks better with a real Rhodes.

[theharmonium]

To the OP; the amp is nearly as key to a great Rhodes sound as the Rhodes itself. I would suggest going for a guitar amp with a good on board reverb / tremolo / if possible tube amp

[blunt]

To the OP; the amp is nearly as key to a great Rhodes sound as the Rhodes itself. I would suggest going for a guitar amp with a good on board reverb / tremolo / if possible tube amp