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.

10 - There are only two knobs - one for tone and one for volume.

10 - Except for tone and volume, no features, just good sounds. Use guitar/effects boxes to color the original sound.

10 - This is the real deal, so what more can I say. Play gentle and you get soft gentle sounds. Play agressive and it makes that raw jazzy phat sound we all know and love. Stick the output of it into an effects unit of some kind and add some phaser and delay and stuff and it sounds even better. But even the basic sound you get when pluging the instrument itself right in a good amp is super.

10 - Never gigged it, did some restoration on it. I had absolutely no
problems getting in touch with professional people who also deal parts and did much of the restoration works on it. ( L'piano in Norway. Very pro and dedicated fellows)! A well taken care of instrument will give you all the rhodes you want. Mines is an early model, 1972, and it sounds and plays great. A little warning afterall, though. If you are not used to dealing with vintage gear, it should be taken in consideration that these types of activities tend to be expensive

You're pretty much on your own in this department. I'd recomend getting in touch with someone in your area that knows and service these types of instruments. It shouldn't be to hard if you live in and/or around a city of some scale. Mine was in a little rough shape when I bought it, hence the price. Some torne tolex here and there, a few broken tines, top cover shows some wear and tear. So I got it tuned and serviced with the fine people at l'piano here in Oslo - Norway, and it play great. Hopefully I'll get the looks in perfect shape also somewhere down the line.

For lovers of electric piano sounds there's the fender/rhodes and the wurlitzers. They both sound great. I prefer the fender/rhodes because of it's high ratings among jazzy/funky musicians like Stevie Wonder/Herbie Hancock/Bob James and so on. Through their records I fell in love with the sound of it. My overall rating of the instrument is superb. It sounds great, it's heavily built, it's got a nice design, and it plays great. You will actually get pretty close with emagic's evp73/88 but then theres also the pride and joy of owning a classic instrument, the feel it's got and how good you'll look playing it.

Doesn't get any easier than a Rhodes! Plug it into an amp and away you go!

It really has no features except it's built in charm and personality. Volume and Bass Boost. I guess you can add the ease of mainting and working on it. So, the features is does have are great!

Since it is a real piano- it plays like one. Now, the touch is pretty spongy compared to an acoustic piano, but it is dynamic- the harder you pound on it the louder it gets. It also has great weighted keys. Each one is a bit different too! You can really pour your soul into a Rhodes! It is great for Rock, fills in lots of space along with the rythumn guitarist! For leads it really needs a powerful amp to soar along with a lead guitarist. But is is still great!

Built like a friggin' tank! I think Jimmy Hoffa is buried in a Rhodes somewhere!

N/A

I bought my first Rhodes in 1981 also for $500. It was a used 1975 Mark I Stage Piano. I gigged with it for a number of years- including full time on the road. It was reliable as hell! But a beast to lug around. I also had digital synths too. In about 1987, back when nobody wanted a Rhodes anymore, I was a moron and sold my Rhodes, and the custom Bassman cabinet and amp I used for it- all for $150! I then used digital synths from then on. However, these all were just pieces of plastic! And, unlike a Les Paul or Strat, when you walked out of the music store with the latest, greates digital wonder, it was worth 75% less than you just paid for it! Sterile too.

About two years ago, I found myself longing for a Rhodes. Of course, the first place I turned to was eBay and the Internet. I thought I could buy one now for maybe $200! Was I in for sticker shock! These beasts are now hip and collectible. Mint ones bring a cool grand! I grew very ill in the stomach! But I searched and decided to concentrate on a 400 mile radius of my home. I didn't want to risk shipping one or pay the expense. I lost out on many a Rhodes for various reasons. Mainly because the prices would climb well over $600 or so for a decent one!

Finally, over Thanksgiving 2003 my ship (or Rhodes) came in. One right here a few miles from me. The irony is, it was missing the screw knob for the legs. And that was the only part I kept from my original Rhodes! So it was meant to be! And I still have one small part of my Rhodes on the new Rhodes. It is a 1977 Mark I Stage. I do miss the "Fender Rhodes" plaque my older one had. This one just says "Rhodes". I figure I will find one on eBay someday and just swap it to make me feel whole again.

On the Rhodes Again!!

Once you get it set up, it's a breeze to use. No need to screw in all the legs and braces -- just get one of those cool, heavy duty "X" brace stands designed to support its 140+ pounds, and you're all set. The sustain pedal rod is adjustable to accommodate various playing heights.
No presets...just one killer electric piano sound adjustable by playing dynamics and via the tone (bass boost) and volume knobs.
Mark 1 Stage 73s vary from unit to unit, depending on extent of play and when the Rhodes was made.

The Stage 73 has 73 notes of polyphony, unless something is broken. Midi retrofits are available via companies like Speakeasy Vintage Music, but this thing sounds so good on its own that I'm not sure layering some lame brass or string patch over it would be a good idea. An ART Tube MP preamp works great to boost the signal; with this preamp you get tube warmth for about $70.00, and have 1/4" and XLR outputs that can be used simultaneously for onstage monitoring and/or PA sends. Major Key, the best-regarded supplier of new and new old stock parts for Rhodes, also sells its harmonic clarifier preamp (built-in, with BBE processing to enhance the sound. Check out the Hughes and Kettner rotosphere, Digitech's stereo phase shifter, or a Motion Sound Pro 3-Tm if you want to vary your sound. In fact, for some real fun, and to get the best Rhodes sound on the planet (in my opinion) do this:
1) Buy an A/B footswitch, a Motion Sound Pro 3-Tm, and a Digitech Hyper Phase 7-Mode Phaser Pedal. Come out of the Rhodes 1/4" jack into an ART Tube MP, then out of the Tube MP into the A/B box input. From there, send the "A" signal out to a Motion Sound Pro 3-Tm, and the "B" signal through the Digitech. Route all Motion Sound and Phase outputs to a mixer like the Tapco 6306. From there, you go to your keyboard combo amp and/or PA system. Now you can have blended phaser and leslie sounds (with "A" and "B" channels both "on"), stereo phaser-only sound (Channel "B" on, Channel "A" off), leslie-only sound (Channel "A" on, Channel "B" off), or just direct sound (Channel "B" (only) on, phaser effect turned off).

This is still one of the most expressive, warm and individual electric pianos out there. The player can vary the overall sound (from muddy/bass-y to bell-like) via action/pickup/tine adjustment (check out the 1979 service manual at www.majorkey.com for tips). The great thing about this instrument is that there is only one sound, but it can vary significantly as the player varies his/her touch and playing technique. True polyphonic aftertouch helps drive incredible feel -- this instrument really reacts when you play it! Some inherent noise (key noise, pickup noise, sustain pedal/rod noise) -- but they contribute to the identity of the instrument, in my opinion.

Mine's 28 years old and it has only ever needed tuning and infrequent action adjustments. It still sounds and looks great. I would use it without hesitation on a gig without a backup -- although I would probably bring a few extra tines, pickups, etc. -- just in case.

Fender's not around anymore, but there are plenty of good resources out there. Start with the Fender Rhodes super site (http://www.fenderrhodes.org/rhodes/supersite/) for background, detailed specs and documentation. Major Key (www.majorkey.com) is the preferred source for parts; Speakeasy Vintage (http://www.speakeasyvintagemusic.com/) is great for high-end, great pre-amps and accessories.

I would definitely buy another Rhodes Mark 1 Stage 73 if this one were lost or stolen. The sound is just incredible, and you can get the suitcase sound these days with all the nice new effects that are out there -- without having the extra weight. Because they aren't making any news ones as of this writing, I would definitely invest in an Anvil-style road case if I was transporting mine frequently.

This keyboard is very easy to use, no presets or MIDI to deal with. It sounds great teamed up with my Hammond and Leslie.

About as simple as they come. Polyphony depends on how many keys you can hold down. I love the action on this keyboard. The only controls are volume and bass adjust which I usually turn down anyways. You can get a brighter sound by tapping into the RCA output directly off the harp.

The sound is simply amazing! The best part is that you can tailor the tines and key escapement to virtually get any sound you want. You can get a nice bell like tone or you can make it sound harder and give it an almost "woody" tone to it. I would reccomend running this keyboard into a tube preamp or such. It gives it a warmer sound and especially sound nice going through my Fender Super Reverb.

I haven't gigged it yet, but I can already tell it will be easier to move than my Hammond and Leslie. Other than tuning it once in awhile, not much can go wrong.

As with most vintage instruments, the best bet is to learn how to repair it your self. People who work on vintage instruments are far and few between so learn to repair it yourself. There are some good tech tips on the Rhodes supersite.

This is by far my most favorite keyboard so far. I have a yamaha S03 with decent samples on it, but you can't beat the real thing of vintage instruments. I'll take the pepsi challenge to any modern synth in terms of sound quality and keyboard action of vintage keyboards.

What Software version?.... What a great question!
When my Rhodes was manufactured in 1977, the only software was woolen jumpers and scarves

Polyphony? It's all dependant on how many fingers you can use at the same time.
Four hands can play with ease.

The only built-in effects are a bass boost (although I rather use it as a bass attenuater)
and a volume control, again, a volume cut.

The keys are connected mechanical hammers, similar to a real wooden piano, but instead of striking strings, they strike small metal 'tines' one for each note and each tine has an electro magnetic coil which generates an analogue tone that goes to an amplifier

As on a real piano, the keys are weighted and are sensitive to pressure, the harder you press, the louder the note.

No electronics here, but it's not intended for that useage. It's an electric piano in every sense of the word

There's only one instrument, and it's very realistic because it's R E A L !!!

100% reliable, no backup needed, it's never let me down in 26 years

never dealt with anyone, never upgraded or repaired, I've even done all the tuning myself

These days I use it for my own pleasure, Yes, I'd replace it if it were stolen
As mentioned before, I bought it in the days prior to midi gear, the only other option at the time was a Wurlitzer, which was cheaper and lighter in weight.

The sound is quite unique, and I have in my studio several modems and keyboards that pretend to reproduce the same sounds (Roland, Alesis and Emu products)
But there's nothing like the original Fender Rhodes either in sound or in feel apart from a piano, but that's another story.

I use a Roland JC 60 amp with the Rhodes, which is quite flexible in producing both clean and funky sounds.

I have used it for composing, but I have to admit that more modern computerised midi systems are easier and more user friendly

Besides the weight, there is no "ease of use" question.

It is what it is, an electic piano. The sound depends upon what amp and effects you utilize.

Rock and Jazz. It reacts extremely well to my mood. I've got some samples that sound similar, but nothing really compares to the real thing.

Death, taxes, and a Rhodes Mark I Stage Piano. Enough said.

Never had to try.

If it were lost or stolen, I most likely would replace it. I've had it for 20+ years, and from what I can acertain, it's worth more now than what I paid for it way back when.
While songwriting, it's my preferred instrument.

Very easy to use.

This is a beast to lug to a gig, but it's a beauty to play. I am always inspired when I play it. I prefer a clean sound, but also like a little distortion. Fooling around w. guitar stomp boxes, various fx, etc can significantly change the timbre, sometimes with good and other times with not-so-good results. I also like the fact you can tune it, but if you're gigging a lot, that can become a chore.

It's so idiomatic, so identifiable that there's not much you have to do in the way of tweaks. The muddiness in the bottom register has a fix (forget what) that you can fit your board with. Also adds a little volume once it's installed. This is the sound I grew up with in terms of jazz fusion of the 70s-80s. (chick, herbie, hampton hawes, george duke, flim and the bbs, etc). It's as unique as the B3.

I've had pretty good luck with mine, but then again, I baby my older boards, and it certainly has seen its share of miles in the back of my car. Nowadays, tho, I only take it out to gigs where I'm playing that style of funk/jazz where it's prominently featured. The rhodes emulations on the newer synths are nice, but like they say' smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

Not any customer support per se, but I have noticed fellow Rhodies are good about sharing resources, parts, and a love for the instrument. Lots of stuff on the web.

The thing about the rhodes is that it is already a "phat" sounding board, and the warmth is augmented by the "bark" of which it's capable. I love this board, and even tho the action is sluggish, it doesn't take too much of an effort to get used to it. The other thing I notice is that you are forced to play a little differently on the Rhodes as opposed to a piano, so it's sort of like a saxophonist who shows a different musical personality on soprano than on tenor or alto. This leads oftentimes to some interesting ideas/motifs that wouldn't ordinarily occur on piano.

The Rhodes doesn't even need to be plugged into an electrical outlet!
Just hook it up like a guitar, set up the legs (& the sustain pedal
if you desire) & play. Only 2 controls - volume & tone.

I don't know how to rate this category. It's a really cool board,
so I don't want to give it a low rating, but because it's such a
simple board, it really doesn't have any "features". One thing I
will note on though: you can custom-set the pickups & tines (tone
source) to your own preferred tonal qualities.

Since it's just an electric piano, you can't "select" other sounds,
but you can get a wide differece in tone simply by how hard you play
the keys versus the volume setting (playing the keys softer reduces
the tone more than it does the volume, so you can play hard to get a
bright sound, or you can turn up & play soft for a mellow sound).
Excellent for a wide variety of music.

Very durable, but if you haul it around a lot, you will have to
re-adjust the pickups & tines fairly often. Tends to get a little
out of tune every few months (tuning is fairly simple, but each
individual key must be tuned, since it's electro-mechanical).
It's also possible to break off a tine if you hit a key way too hard
(although this does not happen often).

I've never needed any customer support, so I cannot comment on this
category.

I would be highly upset to lose this instrument; it's one of the
best keyboards I've ever played. However, I would have to say
that the models with the built-in amp are a little better in my
opinion than the Stage models with legs (like mine); they're a little
easier to set up & have a cool sounding tremolo (not present on the
Stage model). However, the 73 key version is just about the best.
I've owned an 88 key version in the past; it's too big & heavy, & the
54 key model is too limited in range.

You just stick on the legs, find the small hole that the sustain pedal fits in, find a quarter inch jack and off you go. Simple volume and bass control and you start making that distictive sound. It weighs more than a lot, so you need to be fit or have helpful guys in the band if you use it live! It loses points for the weight other wise it would be 10.

It is wonderful to play something without note robbing. I use an original external MXR phaser pedal to give it that sound. I understand that there are retro fits for the volume etc, which are meant to be good, but I have not heard them. For sequencing, you need to use your brain and remember that song!

I have had mine for about 20 years - it does not seem like it! I bought it second hand back in 1981 and took it 600 miles across the UK via public transport! I have not used it live for a long time as I did not have space for it and it was needing tuned and calibrated. I did this all yesterday and I had forgotten how much fun it was to play. Yes the keybord is spongy, I have a weighted 88 note that I use normally, but once you hear the sound nothing else comes close. I have a Kurzweil that I use normally, but you get some much more response from the Stage 73. I had thought about selling it previously, as they are appearing more and more, but I think I am just going to have to make room for it!

As with all types of music, you need to make sonic space for all of the instruments. The lower ranges do get lost on the heavier songs, but with a bit of arranging and the use of playing an octave or so higher it will ring through even the heaviest of sounds.

Where it does win though is in the ballad where the pahser/chorus is used and it is taking the lead.

I have broken a couple of tines over the years and never had a problem getting hold of new ones. It is very easy to set up once you get the hang of it and I usually find only a couple of notes drift over time. The hardest part is the tuning. As you move the small spring, it compresses and then jumps so form being flat it goes sharp but after a few attempts it gets there. Unfortunately, the clubs and pubs that I play in are too small to have multiple keybords as I only have room for s single tiered stand. However, for studio work and indulging in the privacy of the house it is magic.

There still seems to be plenty of places to get help so lets hope it stays that way. Everyone I have delat with has been superb in the UK.

Yesterday when I started using it again for the first time in several years, I started thinking about how much it cost me 20 years ago. However, it was well worth it and has been gigged on numerous occasions. It is a bit of a luxury for me to have it but as mentioned nothing else creates this sound quite in the same way. I think on reflection that I would buy another one although my wife may have other ideas!!

Apart from the weight issue this is an excellent instrument and falls into the classic category where every serious keyboard player should have one in their collection!

Being an electromechanical keyboard, it has only
its natural voice. It is very heavy(150lbs) and difficult
to set up, but you forget about that when you hear it.

Full polyphony. High end of keyboard has decent action
but lower end feels spongy. MIDI? Are you kidding?
Slight amount of noise-don't even think of running it
direct. No vibrato or EQ except for bass boost, which
does not work on my piano.

The back pain encountered in transportation is forgotten when
you hear it. The sound is exactly as you hear in all of the
old records and any attempt I've heard to duplicate its sound
digitally fails miserably. If you want true electric piano
sound you must have this or a Wurly rather than some synth.
I strongly recommend a Small Stone or similar phase pedal
with the Rhodes to get that classic sound, though it also
sounds great dry. The vibrato from the suitcase models is
frustratingly hard to get, but most likely is possible with
two amps and a good pedal.

My Rhodes is functionally pretty good for a 1974 model.
One of the keys near the top sticks occasionally and
some keys are louder than others, but overall it is
a well built and engineered piece that impresses even
non-musicians. Stays in tune quite well.

Fender doesn't even know what an electric piano is
anymore, and not many people seem to want to work on them.
Get a copy of the manual from fenerrhodes.org and work
on it yourself. Major Key in CA has many parts.

I wish something more efficient would come along that
would sound this good, but nothing has. I would replace
with another Rhodes, maybe a Mark II Suitcase 73 with
the vibrato and better action.

Insert legs, plug into amp, and play. Done.

Loses points for bulkiness, weighs >150lbs.

Velocity-sensitive electric piano with volume and tone control.

I had a 1973 Fender Rhodes Mk I stage piano for five years while playing with a rock band with two guitars.

If you're playing in a band with guitar players plugged into Marshalls or similar style, avoid this piano. The guitars will mask over and cover up the timbre of the rhodes piano. Get a Wurlitzer instead.

Otherwise, the Rhodes has a fine and unique voice for an electric piano. I really liked it in a solo setting and it has been a longtime favorite in jazz and soul, and Radiohead makes some fresh use of it today. If you're not afraid to get under the hood, you can adjust the tine angle and distance between pickup and tine to tailor the sound to your taste. It's not hard.

If you really pound at the keyboard you'll get a nice bark, especially through a tube amp. The Fender Twin was the amp of choice for the classic fusion songs. I was never fond of any suitcase piano amp, they're too muddy. The best sounding amp for Fender Rhodes is a tube Leslie, 122 or 147. I used mine with a Leslie 760 and I loved the animation it gives to the sound. Everybody who's heard Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel like we Do?" has heard the Fender Rhodes through a Leslie cabinet.

Today I still enjoy the Rhodes sound, but one thing keeps me from buying another one; that damned spongy action. When I was playing mine, the action hurt my hands; when I went to sit down at a real piano they hurt worse, and I certainly wasn't out of practice! The keyboard on most rhodes has hollow keys glued to wooden actuators, and it feels terrible. I *have* played a similar rhodes in a store with a good action, and upon closer inspection I found that the keys were solid wood all the way through. So good ones are *out* there.

Rhodes pianos sound good dry or processed. The tone doesn't have a lot of harmonics so wah-wah pedals won't sound good. Try phasers and stereo reverb.

There is a tone difference between the older Fender Rhodes and the Rhodes piano, and this is the culprit: the harp support at each end of the keyboard. Older Fender Rhodes (like mine) have a solid maple block to support the harp, newer ones use extruded aluminum. I've played piano after piano and the tone always falls back on that maple block. The wood allows the tone to resonate to the wood casing, but not as much as the aluminum. For this reason, the older pianos are better for that bark and the newer pianos are better for that bell tine sound.

If you move the piano often, it will go out of tune slightly. I had to touch mine up once a year after regular weekend gigging.

Never broken a tine, electronics are passive and bulletproof.

I love the Rhodes sound, but I don't miss the spongy action. The closest thing I've heard for an accurate Rhodes piano is the Kurzweil 1000PX with sound block A, I think it's standard in successive models (K2000, etc). It's lovely to play from my Kurzweil MIDIBoard.

I just hated the action, it hurt my hand muscles. It's bulky. Distorted guitars mask the sound. I had traded it for a Kustom 88 piano so I could be heard. I don't regret selling the Kustom, but I do regret selling the Rhodes.

There are *really* old Fender Rhodes pianos with the sparkle silver top; stay away from these. They do get a great bark and have a good action (traditional piano hammers as opposed to rubber tip/plastic hammers), but they use an older tine that they have stopped using since 1971. These older Raymack tines don't last as long as the newer Torrington tines, and if you break one you won't find *any* spares. However, spare tines for the newer pianos are not hard to come by. Also, the felt on the old hammers wears easily and dulls the tone. I played a green student's Rhodes with the old hammers still in good shape, and it sounded great. I played a silver top one with worn hammers and it sounded awful. Strictly a collector's piece. You have been warned.

I'd take a Wurlitzer any day for its better action and it fits better into a rock band.

But the Rhodes sound still appeals to me. Just be aware of the thorns in that bed of roses.