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Fender Rhodes Mark II (1981), Seventhy Three, Wooden Keys
The Fender Rhodes is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes (1910-2000) during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS.
The piano’s clean tone is what you hear on many essential Fender Rhodes recordings, but definitely not all of them. Like an electric guitar, the Rhodes sounds even better with the right amp and effects. With the release of the first Stage models in 1969, the player’s choice of amplifier also began to shape the piano’s sound. The Fender Twin Reverb was and continues to be the recommended amp for use with the Rhodes. In terms of effects, tube overdrive became a normal part of the piano’s tone, with tremolo and spring reverb being available as well. One of the most popular outboard effects for the Rhodes was the wah-wah pedal. This foot pedal had an extreme impact on the Rhodes sound, virtually eliminating its bell-tone and emphasizing the midrange frequencies. Later in the 1970’s and into the 80’s, the phase shifter was regarded as a natural choice for adding body to the Rhodes tone. This sound was often heard on slower songs and ballads. The Electro-Harmonix Small Stone and the MXR Phase 90 were the two popular phaser choices during this era. The BOSS CE-1 Chorus Ensemble produced similar results, but with a wider palette of options. The biggest advantage of the CE-1 was its stereo output, a major improvement over the mono-only phasers available at the time. See here for a range of different Rhodes sounds.
In the past I used the Fender Rhodes with the Line 6 POD HD (desktop) which models the Fender Twin Reverb amplifier, Boss CE-1 chorus, the MXR Phaser and a spring reverb in addition to many other effects and amplifiers. This allowed to closely mimic many Rhodes sounds. In addition, it transforms the guitar-level mono output of the Rhodes to a line-level stereo signal. However, with time I ceased to use the POD HD effects and had them replaced by guitar stompboxes which allowed for much easier and realtime adjustment (see here). Recently, I replaced the POD HD altogether and now use the Fender Mustang GTX50 guitar amplifier that provides a better emulation of the Fender Twin Reverb and other (Fender) amplifiers.
Restoration
The Rhodes I bought was used extensively but I had it restored by ep-service who did a fantastic job (sorry, in Dutch): Intoneren en stemmen. De sound is geoptimliseerd doormiddel van diverse afstellingen en modificaties, maximale sustian en bespeelbaarheid; Daarna is de Rhodes gestemd. Toetsenbord renovatie. De toetsen zijn gekweld. De toetsen vallen aan de voorkant in een klavierstift. Om zo min mogelijk wrijving te krijgen, zijn de inkepingen per toets voorzien van laken. Als het laken in de toetsen wat uitgezet is door vocht, zorgt dit voor een zwaardere speelaard. Door het kwellen van de toetsen wordt dit effect opgeheven, waardoor de speelaard weer op het niveau van de fabrieksnormen is gebracht. Dit betekend bij een 73 Rhodes dat alle 292 stukjes vilt worden uitgestoomt en opnieuw ingeplakt worden, alle toetsen op maat worde gekweld, alle toetspinnen worden gepolijst en behandeld, en toetsen worden uitgelijnd. Nieuwe Tolex op onderbak. Alle orginele zwarte tolex wordt verwijderd en de bak wordt gevuld waar nodig en proffesioneel geschuurd voor een super strak resultaat. Daarna wordt de nieuwe tolex (‘blue sparkle’) aangebracht alsmede alle nieuwe hardware zoals corners, slotjes, schanieren en logo. Tenslotte is de Rhodes voorzien van een passende flightcase waardoor de bovenbak niet meer nodig is.
Image: Here you see the Fender Rhodes in its flight case (black tolex) after purchase.
Image: The Fender Rhodes in its original state with black tolex
Image: Inside of the Fender Rhodes; still in its original state
Image: Closeup. the Rhodes piano generates its sound by hammers hitting a length of wire known as a tine.
Image: Closeup. Side view of “tone generator assembly”, resembling a tuning fork consisting of a twisted metal tone bar and the tine below it.
Image: Closeup. Here you see the tone generators (tines), the keys below, and the pick-up wiring.
Image: My Fender Rhodes after restoration. The black tolex has been replaced with blue sparkle.
Image: Heavy flight case to transport the Fender Rhodes
Image: The flight case also has room for the hardware
How does it sounds like?
Played by me
Played by a pro?
Chick Corea and George Duke
Last updated on July 29th, 2021 at 05:37 pm
