Rhodes Suitcase Thirty-Twoowner: Fred DiLeone
This is a '79 Piano Bass that I converted to a mid-range piano. This mod has been done before...create a small mid-range harp from a scrapped 73-note, re-wire the Piano Bass pickups and install appropriate hammer tips and dampers. It turned out to be a pretty handy little Rhodes for gigs that were only a few tunes. Problem was, I missed having a sus pedal and the piano didn't sit well on top of my Hotrod DeVille, Hence, the Suitcase Thirty-Two!
I retrofitted a stock Rhodes 4-pin preamp and damper components to fit in the confines of the shorter (and shallower) P.B. case, and designed plans for the amplifier base. Special thanks to the skilled carpenter John McCarthey, who built the base complete with dovetail joints and removable speaker baffles. I then tolexed the whole thing, fitted the hardware and loaded the cab with stock Rhodes amp components, sus pedal, and two 12" Eminence for stereo vibrato. This thing sounds beautiful, and really cranks!
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