This is the first Seventy Three I purchased when I decided to begin restoring these pianos. It was in terrible shape when it came to me, with many dead pickups, corroded metal and a broken tine. It appeared to have been stored in a damp location as the plywood was stained and mildewed, the hardware rusty and the Tolex falling off.

This is a late model, produced during a period when Rhodes had turned to plastic keys to combat problems caused by irregularities and seasonal changes in the standard wooden keys. The plastic keys do not utilize felt for the guide bushings relying instead on the tight tolerances made possible by the molded components. The result is an action that does not feel quite as smooth as that of wooden-key models. It is however, very consistent and should remain so indefinitely regardless of age or changes in ambient temperature and humidity.

Most restoration time was devoted to cleaning the various metal components and re-winding pickups. Literally every screw was removed and either cleaned on a wire wheel or replaced. Nearly thirty pickups were re-wound with new 38 gauge pickup wire. Vintage Vibe supplied replacement hammer tips, tone bar mounting hardware and their back check system.

My hope for future pianos is to sell them for a modest profit which will be donated to charity. For this first piano, I’m pricing it at cost and donating the entire amount. Please contact me for more information or to purchase this instrument.

Price: $1,000 SOLD

Weight: 135.8 lbs

Blog posts about this piano
Costs associated with the restoration

Photos of the restoration process	Photos of the finished piano
I Should Care	Bach's Sinfonia 1	Bach's Two-Part Invention 4
Checking the pickups before restoration	Full Keyboard Check