Today I found a Rhodes Early Version 2 Keyboard.
It has 4 speakers and 2 amps built into it.

It is in outstanding condition.


Does anyone know what it is worth?

Deane

You found a suitcase Rhodes...BIG SUITCASE.

It's like the one I sold UD. He paid $1,000.00 for it in pretty good condition.

I paid $1550.00 for one in a little better condition last year.

Russ

Picture?

Russ,
I think I did. It is in really good shape. So, what do you do with one of these if you have one?? I found it at an estate sale today.

I might be able to get pictures tomorrow and maybe even do a video of me playing it.

Deane

Check this site out, Deane.

http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=6140.0

Sounds like a great find.

Ian

Pre CBS?

Thanks Ian - great site for my research.

Fran, CBS?????

Deane

Fender was bought by CBS in 1965. Any instruments built before that were pre CBS.

Ian

This is the one you hope it is....silver top..Pre CBS

Fran,
That looks a lot like it - I don't remember the color. Here is a youtube link
to one that also looks like it. I'll find out tomorrow and post some pics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1aChk3TC00

Deane

The one Herbie is playing is definitely post CBS as it has a flat top, although that may have been retrofitted to an earlier model.

Looks like it might be Rhodes Mark II or III (1979-1982)

How many keys, Deane...73 or 88?

Here's another site with more info...

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/models/

Ian

Ian,
I didn't look that close. I'll find out tomorrow.
The owner also has several other keyboards for sale but I didn't look at them. I believe they too are vintage stuff.

Thanks for the link to the site.

Deane

I just remembered in 1961 I was on the USS Essex. My Mother sent me an electric piano because she wanted me to keep up my playing chops. It folded up in a suitcase type enclosure and had speakers and stood on 4 legs when unfolded. I have no idea what kind it was. When I was discharged from the Navy I gave it to the Ships chaplain who had become a good friend of mine. Wonder what it might have been worth today?

Deane

A search on Ebay often helps shed a bit of light on what things may go for (upper and lower limits)...

It isn't always right, but it can put you in the ballpark.

You'll need a bigger van and three people to help you gig with it, though! Those Suitcase Rhodes weighed a ton!

That would have been a Wurlitzer..

There are a few here...anything look familiar.

http://soundandcircuit.webs.com/wurlitzerelectricpianos.htm

Maybe it was Hohner Pianet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pianet

Ian

Fran,
That sounds about right. I have a 1952 Wurlitzer piano in my living room my parents got for me in 1952. It is going to a local church this week.

Deane

My first portable keyboard was a Pianet N - that would have been around 1962/3. The volume control was an L-shaped metal rod, operated by the sideways movement of the right knee. I was just a young pup at the time and, at nervous moments, my knee would wobble a bit with the resultant volume variation.:)

You had the kneesels, 124?

I played a friend's Pianet T, which did not allow the use of a sustain pedal!!!!!!! Robert Lamm in the band Chicago used a Pianet T on "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"

Did the Pianet N support a sustain pedal? The Clavinet had a slider for sustain, if remember correctly?

Ian

No sustain on the Pianet. I used a tape echo with a momentary foot switch on the one a used for a short time in the 80's. The Pianet was so much easier to carry than the Rhodes.

Duane

Anyone here ..ever play one of these, besides myself, UncleDave (Mangano days)...Rocky Mountain Instruments...RMI

Yes, I played one, Fran...friend of mine in a local band called the Black Kats had one...identical to the one in the video.

For the day, it was pretty good, and tuning was very stable...had a bit more bite than a Rhodes, and a more acoustic piano-like sound than the Wurlitzer 200.

Only issue was that the keys weren't velocity sensitive...there were an odd number of them of them too...68.

He had a volume pedal on his. It had a lute sound that was pretty cool, and the piano sound could be made to sustain like an organ.

Pretty heavy as well.

Ian

Geez, it's so long ago. I think Duane O is right, no sustain pedal. I think Rod Argent used a Pianet N on The Zombies' first hit "She's Not There". I haven't seen him in years. Now there's a guy who can play a bit, and then some.

Here are the pictures. Both amps and speakers work. Several keys do not sound as loud as others. It is the 73 key version. Otherwise in very good shape.

Deane

Electro magnetic adjustments is an art...Let someone experienced tune it up...

BTW: that is a newer model than Pre CBS..

Tine adjustment ain't THAT hard. It's not as difficult as a Wurlitzer. Plus, plenty of companies still make replacement hammer kits, new tines, pickups and pre-amps, so finding parts is not too hard.

This looks pretty cherry. Was it gigged out? If it was, it got some TLC.

Nothing beats getting a knowledgeable friend to come play it for you (he'd quickly know how much work it needed), but on the whole, this looks nice.

You be the judge?

This looks like a late 70s, early 80s Rhodes (NOT "Fender" Rhodes). The volume of each key is easily adjustable, as is the timbre and tuning. I can talk you through any adjustments on the phone - I know this beast inside and out.

I am not interested in buying the Rhodes.. Thought it would be of interest to someone on the forum. I'am downsizing music equipment at the moment and don't need the Rhodes.

Yes, it has been well cared for. I could't find any scratches or marks on it.

Deane

Oh, so it's yours? Or on loan?

And Donny... You need a great recording of a REAL Rhodes alongside, and maybe the Yamaha would come off less impressively. The thing that made Rhodes so special was the dynamic range, and how smoothly and predictably (or not, depending on condition!) it went from clean and sparkly to overdriven.

That's the snapshot nature of samples... No matter how many layers (and this doesn't sound much more than maybe three or four, tops), there's always a distinct 'breakpoint' in timbre. And too many people equate the Rhodes with the Dyno-my-piano mod. The real thing was FAR less sparkly and bright.

And it had much more dynamics than at least that demo showed.

But the icing on the cake is the keybed. Just like a B3, or a Clavinet, the keybed itself helped dictate what you could (and couldn't!) play. Rhodes were pretty stiff, took a bit more force than a piano, and so dictated the shape of the phrases to a certain extent (the better the pianist you were, the easier it was to overcome). Sure, play it on a 61 plastic action, you can get the SOUND to a pretty good degree, but the action lets you get away with stuff you couldn't while whanging down those heavy keys!

It's kind of strange to say it, but Rhodes is one of those things that never get THAT close played on lightweight keys. It is SUPPOSED to take effort, LOL

If I had a real Rhodes that sounded like that...I would put it in the shop, because it needed to be worked on

UD is right. It's a Rhodes product. The one Dave had, I bought new in 1976. Mine is a 1977. This one looks a year or two newer. The top was an accessory, ideal for stacking 2nd keyboards. This is s Suiitcase, with stereo amps and speakers.


Gotta love them!


r.