Which fender rhodes is the one to buy

Which Fender Rhodes is the best? I'm not sure which one to get, but I've always wanted one. I see there's the 73 I, and then they have the 73 II. Which model is the best, I'm on the hunt for one. Suitcase FTW. My Studio. Not real fun to lug around but they sure do sound good!

Attached Thumbnails. They're all kinda good though, you can always run any of the stages through a Twin or VibroChamp or some guitar pedals and get a similar sound to the suitcase. I have an 88 and a 73 key MK1 Stage Piano, and I love them both - but the 88 has a lot more range and the bass notes are awesome. There are two Mark 1 Rhodes here in Australia, on eBay right now. That seems to me to be very high prices. What would You pay for one??

Sent from my GT-I using Gearslutz. It has THAT vibrato and a very buzzy attack and overall fuzzy sound. It has a pair of preamp outputs but no extra inputs, as the MKII suitcase has. I personally think it's the best sounding Rhodes, and not just because it's what I have. I skipped a lot of MK2s before I bought mine. None of them have a tolex top. The MK1 versions have a curved top which can still support a synth btw , but it's still the same material.

I have a polysix sitting on my rhodes right now. For the Stage version you can consider those to be like a guitar in terms of signal output, i. From what I've read the MK2 has more of a 'bell' type sound but the action is a little better. I've played a few of them and listened to a lot of demos and I have that impression too. My flavor runs more to the fuzzy Kid A sound.

There are a few other differences between the two Suitcase versions, the MK2 has a more powerful amp, which is good because the MK1 isn't that loud, even when turned to 10 I guess that's why they have the preamp outs.

Anyway, my preference is for the MK1s for the reasons stated. No idea what version is more popular with the genres you mentioned. My Studio. They are all pretty similar from the basic sound standpoint, but they can indeed sound very different, depending on how much they have been ab used, tines replaced, coated with nailpolish, dyno-my-piano'ed, EQ'd, etc. More than the sound itself, which can be tweaked relatively easily, I'd look at the playability of the keys - I've played some that were a joy to play and smooth as butter, and I've also played some that had very stiff keys which made it very tiring to play for long periods of time.

Years ago I used to have a Fender Rhodes EightyEight mk1 which was a bit hard to play, but had a gorgeous sound. The downside was that it was huge and heavy. These days I have a late '70s Rhodes SeventyThree with a lovely, buttery action, and great sound as well and EQ on board , round top.

I'm not too versed with the later flat tops or the current ones, but I think they all sound similar. It would be very cool to get the model with MIDI Originally Posted by Mr. I had very good luck some years ago, when I met a guy who wanted me to play on his original Fender Rhodes Mark I from Its sound was just beautiful and when I was done with my playing, the guy just gave me the Rhodes as a present and even drove it to my studio.

I asked him several times, if he really knew what he was just doing, but he didn't gave in But if you don't have that luck or the nerves to look for a Rhodes in good condition, I would recommend this current product: Vintage Vibe Piano. Followup, as mentioned, find one in good condition if you're serious. My MK1 was in awful, awful condition when I bought it. It took a lot of work to get it playable again and the feel leaves a lot to be desired. It has THE sound for me so I haven't considered dumping it.

But the action feels like I'm playing a sponge and I can only get about 30 - 45 minutes of playing before I have to stop. Generally speaking they're easy to maintain. They're mechanical keyboards, and fairly simple at that.

Most work and repairs are easy to do. However, unless you're a pro, don't expect a great setup Bear in mind though, that they are large, expensive, and need frequent work done to them.

In short, plan on sinking money into them on a fairly routine basis. I can't tell you how much, I've never owned a Rhodes, although I love the sound also. But it's a well known factor.

If you just like the sound of it all, then you're in luck, because there's a lot of it out there. Logic even has a very good built in electric piano as part of its core package.

But there are tons of software packages out there that model that sound. And unlike things like acoustic guitar or electric bass, the most common MIDI controller is a keyboard, which directly translates into the electric piano's controller also, so you can play the MIDI keyboard and get realistic performances with it.

And that last one is what I do until I'm a rich man, I have a weighted, 88 key, and cheap Casio electric keyboard that I use for all my MIDI controlling that isn't drums. So in short, a simple USB MIDI controller and a good software package will get you all the Rhodes sounds you really could want, but if you want an actual, physical electric piano, then pull out your wallet and get to work.

Post by rhythmjones » Mon Apr 13, pm Larry Mal wrote: If you just like the sound of it all, then you're in luck, because there's a lot of it out there. I never had any maintenance to do except when I broke a tine or maybe it was a tine that went out of tune They are heavy to lug around. If you're not a piano player, I would also play one before you buy one because it's not like playing an organ style keyboard, meaning it's harder to play, more like a real piano but at the same time, not like a real piano at all.

I said that there was no maintenance needed on these but you have to consider too that I was playing relatively new instruments.

These same instruments are now 30 or 40 years older. I don't know how well neoprene which was used for the hammers ages. The same would go for the electronics. But the plug ins sound good, and virtual amps pretty much don't. I wish they did. Post by seenoevil » Mon Apr 13, pm Hey, everyone. Thanks so much for the input. You all had good points so I won't quote anyone and just talk.

Yeah, the real deal instruments really kind of scare me. Although, I have checked out some of the aftermarket resources and I don't think I could ever be stuck with an unusable antique. It would be some dime, but it is doable. I've played guitar since I was a kid, and as a result, I kind of pussy footed up the scale.

Now, I'm too jaded to spend any real money on a "nice" guitar. I've gotten to good at leveling and beveling frets. Plus, I'm pretty confident cocky about my playing and feel my tone comes from m'fingers. So, now I can't be bothered to buy a nice guitar and I'm stuck with imports. My point is that I have a whole new instrument to explore and I kinda want to just jump before I know too much and get too picky. As for the MIDI idea. I'm not against it totally.

I thought about it, but didn't know if it was feasible. I already have a mac with logic on it! But, alas, it is an iMac. So, creating a gigging rig would involve the expense of a cpu Used macbook maybe to get up and running. Somebody brought up how guitarists would scoff at rig modelers. Not me!