Fender Rhodes 1967 Sparkle Top

Rent a rare early Fender Rhodes with a tone all its own.

The Soul of the 60’s

With so few silver sparkle top Fender Rhodes pianos produced, the unique sound isn’t always known about.  Recordings such as the Beatles’ Get Back and late 60’s recordings by Miles Davis are great examples of this early instrument.  Finding one for sale can be incredibly difficult, let alone one not needing a massive restoration.  This is the opportunity to rent and experience what a restored, felt-hammer Rhodes can sound like.  Check out David Paich jamming on it for the Fender Rhodes documentary.  

Rare 1960's Fender Rhodes Tone

Fully Restored, Far Better Than Factory Performance

Very Low Production Numbers

Interesting Mono Vibrato

1967 Fender Rhodes Sparkle Top

A completely restored, rare and beautiful sparkle top Fender Rhodes – the sounds of the 60’s never had it so good. This era of Rhodes has a very distinctive and unique tone with real acoustic piano-style hammers and early tines.  Through the 4 original 1967 Jensen speakers, Get Back with this hip and happenin’ beauty.

  • Volume, treble & bass EQ, vibrato controls
  • Mono vibrato, similar to a Wurlitzer electric piano
  • ¼” jack for external speaker

Action, Keys, Harp, Voicing, Electronics and more

An incredible amount of work went into creating this unique instrument from the ground up.  Noted below is the various work performed to make this a killer Fender Rhodes Piano.

Action and Keys

A Fender Rhodes is only as good as it feels.  The piano received the works for action treatment to make it a joy to play.

  • Key pedestal bump mod for light action

  • Key dip was correctly set

  • Keys were uniformly leveled

  • Tightened key bushings

  • Adjusted damper felts for tight note-offs

Harp: Voicing, Position, Tune

The key to an amazing tone and dynamic response is to really dial in the Fender Rhodes harp.  Tone bar and pickup voicing, as well as the harp’s relation to the hammers, will make or break an ideal sound.

  • Escapement was correctly set for the instrument
  • The harp strike line was properly located
  • Multiple voicing passes yielding a uniform tone and dynamic bark
  • Full tuning to equal temperament
  • Hammer heads shaved for maintained performance

    Electronics

    Vintage amplifiers need lots of love to ensure that they will be reliable, especially when it comes down to depending on them live or in the studio.

    • Preamp rebuilt with high quality components to retain the vintage sound

    • Power amp rebuilt to minimize hum and buzz while being rock solid and reliable 

    • All grounding points solidified or improved upon

    • Original vintage speakers to retain the factory tone

    Office Location

    Los Angeles, CA 91406

    Open Hours

    Monday – Friday: 8am – 6pm PST
    Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 5pm PST

    Email

    info@retrorentals.net