come in and watch me eat crow.

i know ive talked a lot of {censored} on here before about "manning up" and using a real rhodes to gig with (which i have done for over a year now) and its the only way to get the real deal sound and blah blah blah...

yesterday i had a rehearsal upstairs...and i was so {censored}ing sore last night afterwards i could hardly get to sleep.

not to mention my forearms, wrists, hands, biceps, etc. from playing the {censored}ing thing for 3 hours (ok, i play kind of hard. yes i have it set up properly, just playing those big wooden keys in a rock band and i hit hard to begin with) im starting to play with a band that is going to be touring too (sans roadies) i couldnt do this 3 or 4 nights a week with a real rhodes. no wai.

so here i am. hat in hand.

dear god someone please trade me a nord electro for my 1974 fender rhodes mark I 88-key stage piano.

wus.

you've obviously never had to setup and break down an old school techno / industrial rig before. ha ha ha ha

but seriously, that's a lesson that comes with age and experience. leaving the intrinsic fetishism behind and moving on to making things easier and having a good time.

not to mention also, everywhere i have played with the rhodes it is virtually inaudible in a band setting. the signal is so low even with a DI, that soundmen have a tough time getting it in the mix...they max out their channels, throw compressors on it and it still dosnt pop.

You need a preamp! It is absolutely essential. Get it now! I use a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic. You won't have to hit the thing so hard, and you will cut through the mix... and you can dial in just a little distortion and it's awesome.

You're carrying an 88? That is impressive! And insane A 73 is definitely more manageable (which is to say "barely manageable" as opposed to "completely unmanageable"). Maybe even tour-worthy if you are dedicated to the labor of love. But yeah, you will have a much easier time on the road with an Electro. I reserve my Rhodes for special gigs that are close to home.

You need a preamp! It is absolutely essential. Get it now! I use a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic. You won't have to hit the thing so hard, and you will cut through the mix... and you can dial in just a little distortion and it's awesome. You're carrying an 88? That is impressive! And insane A 73 is definitely more manageable (which is to say "barely manageable" as opposed to "completely unmanageable"). Maybe even tour-worthy if you are dedicated to the labor of love. But yeah, you will have a much easier time on the road with an Electro. I reserve my Rhodes for special gigs that are close to home.

yeah, i love the thing but this is getting to be just way too much.

So ... is it safe to say you'll be abandoning any thoughts of going totally "classic" and adding a Hammond / Leslie combination and a Clav to your working rig of vintage instruments?

yes.

i want an electro 3 in the worst wai.

You can't beat on an Electro 3 like you can a Rhodes. You will have to adjust your playing style for piano on a non-weighted action.

Good luck.

Rick

im still {censored}ing sore.

Good god, man, just get an Electro and quit yer whining!

Me, I'm waiting for an SV-1. I'm hoping to find one, in mint condition, abandoned on the sidewalk with a "FREE" sign on it.

yep. I'm sure noticing that. Just got my Nord Stage and Korg M50 and, in addition to getting ready for the usual gig work, I've tried to do some of the classical music that I enjoy on the piano. Wow. Hard. Very difficult for me to get the variation in dynamics and the evenness of note duration as easily as I can with a weighted key bed (real grand piano or 88 key tank). When I'm playing hard, I'm genuinely afraid I'll damage the key bed. I'm not sure if I should even be doing it. At the end, will I lose my feel for playing on weighted keys or will I actually have more control than I previously did? Guess I'll find out soon....

I've noticed that too with synths. My PC2X comes close though, and classical piano pieces are quite possible on it. It's perfect for the EPs, although not as heavy an action as a rel Rhodes.