Rhodes Mark I Stage 73

Plug it in and go- it doesn't get any easier than that. Most of the people (including myself) that I know who have procured one of these gems have had to rehab it, so it will probably be a bit of a lengthy project to get it in order once you do.

It's just a straightforward keyboard- volume and tone. You may want to invest in some pedals- distortion, chorus, flanger, etc..

There is no midi, so you'll be recording the old fashioned way, i.e. 'get it right or do it again'.

Sounds absolutely fantastic. HOWEVER, it plays like the hammers are moving through a giant bowl of pudding. If you are jumping off of a synth-action controller and onto this, you'll definitely feel the difference lol. The action is terrible imo, could be just the age of the thing and I wasn't around when they started making these, so I don't know how they originally felt.
It is fairly dynamic, but you must press pretty hard sometimes to really get it loud and popping (maybe it's just mine). Mine reacts to soft playing extremely well.
The sound sits great in a mix, I usually eq mine a bit brighter after recording it because it does sound a bit muted, but you get that late 60's/early 70's unmistakable Rhodes piano sound and it's wonderful in a mix. Especially for downtempo or lounge stuff.

I don't move mine ever but if you are strong and don't mind carrying very heavy weight, because these things are very very heavy, I see no reason why it couldn't be gigged. It seems very solid, and it sounds the same every time I play it.

I could not get support from Rhodes directly, but when I called they were kind enough when I called to give me some numbers of several companies that dealt with old Rhodes parts. There is a wealth of info on the web also. It really was absolutely no problem getting the parts and info that I needed.

I paid nothing for it, because a maintenance person wanted it thrown out as it was occupying too much space. Were it stolen, if I had the money to replace it I would most definitely do so. It has a characteristic that you won't get spot on from plug-ins, of which I have several. Some of the plug-ins are indeed very good, but they just don't seem to finish it off like the real thing does in this case.

Very easy to use and play; two adjustments (volume and tone), and an output jack.

Full polyphony, the keyboard action kinda sucks but aftermarket shops make modifications for it so the keys hit a little better. as it stands right now my action sucks but with a few more parts and the mod I'm sure it will play much better. Mine is a MK1 Stage manufactured in 1971, came with all the legs and sustain pedal (thankfully).

This is THE jazz piano, period. I have wanted a Rhodes piano since high school when I saw one in our music room. Not to mention listening to a lot of Stevie wonder, Bob James and Herbie Hancock. Mine has some issues right now, but nothing too funky that can't be fixed with some time and effort. It is an early model Rhodes, so it has the full wooden hammers which contribute to a stronger sound. Apparently these models are highly sought after. I play it through my Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, and I have tried my Small Stone phaser pedal on it and it sounded straight out of the 70's.

I would say it's reliable because it's going to sit in my studio and be played at home only. I have read the service manuals and learned how to repair it on my own, and it's really not hard to understand. It just takes a lot of time and patience to get it perfectly working. If I had to gig with it, I'd probably bring my ROMpler Yamaha board incase anything were to break in transit, but hopefully not have to use it for the sake of authenticity.

Well, not directly from the Rhodes company, obviously. But there are planty of people who repair and sell parts for them, so it's pretty easy to keep one maintained these days. i have been going through VintageVibe.com, for example, and have purchased some replacement tines, rail felts, a replacement pickup, and will be eventually buying the key pedestal modification kit along with all new grommets and hardware for the tonebars. There are other companies that deal with the same thing, but I like the reliability of VintageVibe.

i'd be real pissed if someone stole it, seeing how they'd have to break into my house first to get it. And even then it would take them a while and my neighbors would notice something....

Anyway I just got this Rhodes a few weeks ago, and since it does need some work done, it isn't all that fun to play yet, but it's getting there. I had a choice between a later '79 Rhodes and this Fender Rhodes '71 model. Cosmetically and functionality-wise, the '71 was in much better shape and only had simple repairs ahead of it. The '79 had a lot of dead pickups, no legs or sustain pedal and no case cover. Much cheaper but in the long run a pain to do anything with without spending more cash. I'm happy with my purchase. It's the early model so it barks with those wooden hammers. I'm not a great piano player or anything, as I dabble in a multitude of instruments, but it has a significant sound that i've always liked and incorporated digitally into my music in the past, so why not own the real thing? It's a worthwhile investment, and if/when i'm ready to retire it, it would be worh a lot more from the renovation i'm doing on it. It's an overall nice piece, primarily a studio piece, and has a sound like no other.

Well, there are two knobs and one output jack. Very easy to use...



...but hard to lift.

Polyphony...hm...
Keyboard action is totally strange, but it has a kind of flair.

Built on effects - ohhhh yes, the Bass Boost.

Well, here we come to the point.
There's only one sound, but you can shape it by pre-amps, guitar-amps, plugging it directly into your p.a., using some effects and after all, adjusting the piano itself.
Once properly tuned and set up, it has a sound that really touches you and makes you the happiest person alive.
The reaction to your playing depends on the setup of the piano and your amplification. So it is in your hands: Nice and tame or a cruel beast. Just as you like it...

Backup??? Who is crazy enough to haul two Rhodes around???

Hehe. There's the supersite and some technicians. But they are great.

Such a big and heavy thing can't be lost.
But if any idiot wants to steal it I certainly will kill him.

I love everything about it except the weight.

(Note: I have a Suitcase Rhodes but not the amp for it, so it's basically just a Stage).

Everyone knows, the real deal Rhodes has no software, patches, anything. If you play piano/keyboard then you're already 98% of the way there.

I should note that I am not one of these keyboard types. I had never touched a piano before. I heard the Rhodes on Radiohead and Massive Attack and Mahavishnu Orchestra albums, did a little research and discovered they are much cheaper than I had thought. They sound so good on record, I imagined that they cost $2000 or more! Imagine my delight when I picked mine up from a local seller for $450!

Having said that, I think the Rhodes action is just a little bit sluggish. I honestly have nothing to compare it to but this is my opinion.

Mine, as I said before, has treble/bass cut/boost and a vibrato, but they don't work. I could pay $200 for a Speakeasy Music power supply, but I discovered that the vibrato only sounds good through a stereo amp or if you have two amps, which I don't. Certainly can't blame the Rhodes for that.

Having said that, the Rhodes sounds *incredible* with the panning vibrato. Double incredible with a phaser (I'm planning on buying a Small Stone to use just for the Rhodes).

I'd actually have to not give it a Features rating since features weren't really the point of the instrument. How many features does a fine violin have? I don't play violin but I know you don't judge one by features.

Amazing. Outstanding. Otherwordly.

This is probably just a matter of taste. When I listen to music now, I hear the rhodes, soft, distinct, and colorful. I couldn't even imagine a better sounding instrument.

Five years ago I started to play electric bass because, of all the instruments I knew of, it was the one that pleased my ears the most.

Now, as I am older, the Rhodes has taken its place. I just wish I could play it like I can play bass! With time, that will become a reality.

There are, as I can ascertain, a few different sounds that you hear from the Rhodes' of different players. Some such as Herbie Hancock/Jan Hammer have a hard edged, biting Rhodes sound. I'm not sure how they do it, some kind of preamp, but mine certainly doesn't sound like that.

Mine sounds like subdued snowflakes.

Mine sounds like all the Portishead songs, with the low notes breaking up yet still full, always distictive, the midrange as expressive as can be, and the highs tinkle beautifully. It really does "react" to how you play. Even the simple melodies I am able to play right now sound delightful to my ears. I can't say that about an acoustic piano.

I don't believe any sound could improve upon the Rhodes in any way.

Expressiveness - 10. Sounds - 10.

It's a substantial @#$%^. Weighs about 130 lbs.

If I felt the need to play it at a gig, (which I certainly will) and if I felt it would be worth it to haul it to the venue (which I would) I would definitely gig without a backup. There's not much that can go wrong. It's almost 32 years old (12 years older than me), I just had it serviced, and I don't really see anything happening to it. I will certainly take good care of it because it is a beautiful instrument, visually and aurally.

I'm not sure if I should give it a rating since I've only had it for two months, but if it's this old and performs this well, I feel obligated.

Not applicable.

There is a great website fenderrhodes.org which has tons of info for current/prospective Rhodes owners. which I'm sure everyone knows about.

The auspicious beginning to my keyboard journey. I can't believe something that sounds this good is so cheap. I have effects pedals for bass which cost as much as the Rhodes. Average price these days is around $500, I'd say it's worth twice that.

I'd say the only downside to it is its weight. But that's not nearly enough of an issue to me to lower its score.

I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Maybe the best piece of gear I've ever bought. Very spiritual tone to it. It has been on thousands of records, anyone can see (hear) why. 10 stars.

Maintaining a Rhodes is the hardest part about it, and even that isn't too bad if it is properly cared for. It's simple and elegant, essentially if you can play a piano, you can probably handle a Rhodes.

It doesn't have many (or really any) features, but what it does it does VERY well. It has full polyphony, but what would you expect, it is an electromechanical instrument. Sustain pedal, Volume and a Bass knob, doesn't get much simpler than that. The action is really a matter of taste, I love it personally. I love the expression and distinct unmatchable influence the action has on the sound of the Rhodes.

You just can't beat a Rhodes. Correction, you just can't beat a Rhodes being run through a good tube amp. How it's tone sings, the upper registers are as clear and clean as a summer day, the middle registers have that classic Rhodes sound that can either be wonderfully crunchy and grungy or sweet and mellow and those commanding bass notes. I used to think that my emulators sounded "fine", that all this talk about not being able to sufficiently fake a Rhodes was hooey, but then I got a Rhodes and that world dropped away. The sound is so thick and distinct and the expression that results from the keys action really seem to define the Rhodes sound. The action was a little heavy and seemingly slow at first (I come from a predominatly piano background) but after a few weeks I adjusted to the change quite well, now it seems as fluid and expressive as I could ever hope for, needless to say, I now have to watch my piano playing as it tends to get a little heavy. All in all, I just can't stress how lovely the sound of this piano is, I wouldn't trade it for any other instrument in the world.

My Rhodes is completley restored and built like a battleship, I have never had any issues concerning it's reliability. It is a living room\home studio piano strictly at the moment but I would not be reluctant to gig with it due to reliability issues, weight issues might make me consider bying a trolley or a big friend.

I'm sure it was great when it existed, as it is there are plenty of good Rhodes techs in my city (and therefore likely in most any decent sized city) including the one who sold me mine, and Major Key is selling replacement parts now, so maintaining a Rhodes is as easy as ever.

If it were stolen I would immediately buy a new one, I love my Rhodes. I recieved it as a gift about a year ago and it is in fully restored living room condition with original pedal, legs etc., it looks and plays like a dream and I honestly don't think I could wish for anything more (maybe a preamp to kick the sound up another notch). This has been the most enjoyable keyboard I have ever owned and I forsee owning it for the rest of my life.

I come from a Piano background originally and I have built up a keyboard collection over the last few years, frankly, I am running out of room, but the Rhodes is my prized possesion, moreso than my Farfisa, my Piano, my synth etc. I only hope to pair it with a Black faced Fender Twin Reverb and see how it really sings. Now I just need to start writing some music to be proud of.

Very easy but its very heavy.

I got mine from Rhodes tech David Ell.What can I say but its the best I have played and I played a lot of them in my 25 years as a pro.The best thing about it is the even and dynamic responce.Much smoother than others I have played.The action is lighter than I remember too.This guy knows whats up and I would recomend him to anyone!I have since installed his active pre amp and now I am heaven.

This rhodes is so much more playable than others and makes me smile everytime is sit down to play.Does it respond to my playing? YES!

I have moved it around town a couple of times and I havent noticed anything wrong.

The best peroid.I belive this man is one of the best when it comes to interacting with his customers.I think he should charge more for his work.Yes,this guys rocks!

I checked out 2 other rhodes before I made the drive and I am gald I got one from him.He is the best rhodes tech I have seen.

Volume, Bass boost, cord jack, thats it. I don't play out, so i never have to assemble/disassemble legs, kinda time consuming to do it. Heavy instrument. Year of manufacture-1973

MIDI/expansion capabilities/sequencers/memory/effects....nope. all analog, very basic- a simple instrument that works well and sounds great.

Here is the major category for a rhodes-sounds. No other instrument, including synth rhodes imitations, comes close to sounding like a rhodes-you want the sound, get the instrument. Other reviewers cover the sounds well (barking/chime-like, etc.). Extremely touch sensitive, the users playing style shapes the sound to a large degree. Amplifier choices are the other main factor determining the rhodes sound-you can use darn near any amp-each one will give you a different variation on the rhodes sound. I use 3 different amps depending on the sound i am chasing. 1st-straight into my fender p.a.-pure rhodes sound-usually use this if i am using heavy effects and want the effect sound to be predominant. 2nd-my '64 fender vibro-champ-great for a rougher tube sound-more rock oriented and growling. 3rd and most highly recommended, and the amp i use most of the time is a leslie model 50-a 2 speaker stereo/panning amp (not the wood rotating organ amp) made specifically for electric pianos-this is THE rhodes sound to me-well worth seeking out. The other thing i love about my rhodes is i am NOT a keyboard player, i'm a guitar player-this sounds fantastic even if only playing 1 or 2 notes at once, very full, rich sound-and when my wife, classical pianist, plays it-WOW!

Like a rock.
no issues ever.

Fender support-N/A. (30+ year old instrument). Internet. Lots of information there. Other reviewers have stated support is not difficult to find, i haven't had to look.

A one of a kind sound-i play guitar mainly, but THIS is my favorite instrument i own. i will always own this. Positive points noted above (sound!), negatives would be weight, very heavy, but i play in my basement and never move it, so not an issue with me, may be for gigging musician. I used to own a synth (broke it), but since having this i really dont want any other keyboard. Very useful when writing/recording music-one of the few instruments i've played that is creatively inspiring. Stolen? i pity the fool.

It is a pain in the ass to set up- takes two people about 20 minutes (including leg braces and sustain pedal). <-1> Otherwise you just twist two knobs and plug into amp and there you have it.

Action on mine was a little tough when I bought it, but I took the whole thing apart and spent about 70 hours adjusting all of the pickups, dampers, and using spray silicone to soften the felts to get better action. I have a '75 model with plastic hammers and there is quite a click when you release but only audible to the player. Only two features are bass and volume and they are great. The one downside about the normal stage 73 Mark I is no preamp so the pickups rely on passive electronics and the keyboard can sound a little weak if not preamped. <-1>

BUT, I bought an EXCELLENT multi-function pre-amp called the Rhodes Gain from a custom guy named Dave Merrick. It gets good clean sound boost and even a good 70's funk crunch if you manipulate it in a certain way. I would suggest you ask dave@davemerrick.com for one of these babies... it is the lifeblood of my Rhodes.

It is a Rhodes - the best electric piano around...EVER.

Hmmm... built like an ox but the tines can break periodically and the electronics in mine need a little soldering (I have to jam the wires together carefully to get the sound to go through). <-1> Don't need/can't find a backup to use. It is VERY VERY HEAVY, about 150 pounds, and like I said it takes two people to set up. <-1>

Ooh, a nice bonus to this thing is you can keep the legs on and shut the top and put a blanket over it and it becomes and EXCELLENT bar-top. <+1>

N/A

It is worth what I payed for it, and I would love to get some pedals to run it through. I've only been playing piano for a couple of years and I also have a laptop for electronica stuff and guitars as well. I hate the size, but I love the sounds. I wish mine had a built-in preamp, but that's what my Rhodes Gain is so great for.

Look on eBay for a Rhodes and give it some TLC and you can make it sound Dyno-Mite! (pun intended)

Using the piano is easy enough, just plug it into an amp and turn the amp on, but setting the leg braces up is not as straightforward as you'd think. It's easy to set up once you know how, but if you don't have someone to show you how, it might take a while.

Well, it's a piano, so it's got full polyphony and touch sensitivity. The action on a Rhodes is very weird. Some people really say they hate it, but I find though it's heavy and a little bottomless, it's easy enough to get used to and very expressive. Also, the piano it completely customizable sound wise. For instance, each tine (what's hit by the hammer) has it's own pickup and you can get anything between a mellow bell-sound to a funky bark depending on how close you set the pickups. The piano also compacts into a single big box (legs and pedal go in the lid) and it doesn't even need a road case because the body of the beast is so sturdy. As far as controls, there's not much to speak of. No menus, no sliders no lights, just two knobs for volume and tone (most guitars have more bells and whistles than this thing). I gave it a ten because of how easy it is to customize the tone, tuning, etc. and the best part is, because the electronics are all passive, you can do all the internal work while the piano is plugged in and the amp is on! Makes tuning so much easier and it's fun to be able to test out different pickup and tine distances and angles in real time.

No way are you going to get that ballsy punch of the mids, the growl of the lows, and sharp bell-tinkle of the highs from a digital piano. Nothing will ever truely replace electromechanical keyboards because there's just something about a real Rhodes hit hard that just can't be beat. To be honest, I've heard some pretty good emulations of soft Rhodes, but even then, the real thing can go both soft and hard and sound amazing either way. On my Kurzweil PC2, there are a couple of Rhodes sounds, but I really never enjoyed using them, but now I've got the real thing I just can't stop playing. I've adjusted the pickups in mine so all the notes poduce that funky punch that is so near and dear to me and with a little phasing and light overdrive it makes the funkiest, most soulful sounds in the world. I'm going to go on the reliability now cause otherwise I'll just keep raving. As a last note, I also have a Wurlitzer model 120 and though I love that biting Wurly tone, the punchy Rhodes blows it out of the water.

While I'm comparing my Rhodes and Wurlitzer, here's another area where the Rhodes comes out way on top. In fact, the reason I got the Rhodes was because my Wurly is currently out of whack (something with the electronics, won't make a sound). The Rhodes is not only a better built instrument, but in many ways it's simpler than a Wurly and even more, is much easier to work on internally without worrying about breaking fragile parts (don't ask, but my poor Wurly used to have a few more little pins and bolts than it does now). The Rhodes is built like a tank and weighs like one too. I've never had to carry a B-3 or anything like that, but the Rhodes has to be at least half as heavy. My Wurly weighs something like 75 lbs. and I thought that was a challenge to move around, but the Rhodes must weight about twice that. If you get a Rhodes, get a hand cart or dolly for it cause otherwise you'll always be trying to guilt trip band mates into helping you carry it. Yes, I would and do gig with it and no, I don't bring a backup. My friend's bumper would chew gouges in the street if I brought two.

There is no more Harold Rhodes (may he rest in peace), but there are a bunch of Rhodes geeks and techs out there who can fix these beasts up. I opted for the cheaper but more time consuming route of SELF-REPAIR! Like I said earlier, it's pretty easy to get into the works of the Rhodes and the mechanism is basically the same as a piano so it's not hard to do simple stuff like pickup/tine adjustment, tuning and action setup. I will probably take mine to the local keyboard tech who worked on my Wurlitzer though because there are a couple things (dead pickups, a loose hammer) that I just don't know how to fix. Also, he can hopefully get the pennies out from between the hammers (really, don't ask).

I think I've already raved enough about this keyboard so I'll keep this short. It is, I would say, the best electromechanical keyboard out there and it kicks the ass of any and all digital boards. It's sure as hell not for synth, orchestral or acoustic piano folks, but anyone looking for a funky sound that just doesn't stop need look no further than the Fender Rhodes (or just Rhodes). In my opinion, there's not a huge difference between Mark I and Mark II and the Stage model is the way to go unless you've got a lot of willing helpers. A note to the potential buyer, they're going really cheap on Ebay right now, so check it out.

Very easy to set up and play. In case you need some documentation (which is very useful when it comes to slight adjustments of the sound, action and tuning), they have everything you need on the Rhodes Supersite - go launch Google to find it.

Stage models don't have any effects on board, as opposed to Suitcase models' famous vibrato. However, it could be easily simulated by a stereo panner external effect OR a digital equivalent of it (I use Direct-X plugins in the post-production phase for that matter and they work beautifully). Phaser is also recommended, wah-wah produces amazing sounds too (take a listen to Erykah Badu's version of "Stay" - to be found on "Baduizm" live LP - and you'll know what I mean).

This is THE sound. I've been longing for an original Rhodes since 1997, as no digital reproduction of it was good enough. Even if Clavia Nord can come close at times, you can't beat the real thing, I can assure you.
The action leaves something to be desired, that's true. With some practice, however, you'll learn how to get the response you want. The hardest thing to achieve is to produce more gentle and mellow tones - even after pickup/tine adjustments it still requires patience.

Never had any problems, but then again, I don't own it for a long time. It's quite worn out, had no recent maintenance (hm, have to fix myself one), yet it still is in a condition capable of producing most beautiful sound on this planet and is not detuned.

Never needed one, although I know some people in business who are able to take care of your Rhodes, replace broken elements etc. (even here in Warsaw, Poland), so I guess I would have no problem if it needed repairing.

I can't even imagine anything sounding THAT good in arrangement. This sound is always full of life and unique, helping to make a lot of room in a song, it's easy to hear it in the mix and it almost never comes in any other instrument's way. All you need is slight equalizing, very gentle compression (to make attack a little bit less aggressive - provided you want to use Rhodes as a background and not for lead parts), add a stereo panning - you won't believe your ears. I will never use a digital replacement for the Rhodes anymore, now when I have a real one, and I hope such a state will continue to exist.