Matt's Gearspace
Rhodes

Rhodes Mark I Stage 73

Legacy since 1979
Released 1970

The Rhodes most people picture: the Suitcase piano without its amp, on four screw-in legs, with a volume knob, a bass boost and a single jack out. Passive and heavy, but the sound through a valve amp is the 1970s. Early-70s wooden hammers and late-70s plastic ones feel and sound noticeably different, so play before buying.

Spares: Rhodes sells the common wear parts on its own website: tines, hammer tips, damper felts, pickups, grommets and springs, made for every Rhodes and Fender Rhodes. Official spares ↗

Replaced by Mark II Stage 73

Specifications

General

Manufacturer
Rhodes
Status
Legacy
Released
1970

Keyboard

Keys
73
Key action
Hammer-action
Aftertouch
None
Keybed
73 wooden keys; wood-and-plastic hammers to 1976, all-plastic after, neoprene tips from 1971

Sound

Tone source
Tines
Sound engine
Electromechanical: hammer-struck steel tines and tonebars read by electromagnetic pickups; passive, needs an external amplifier
Polyphony
Full polyphony (73 notes)
Features
Passive, no power needed, Volume and bass boost controls, Detachable legs, Sustain pedal with push rod, Fender branding dropped around 1974-75

Connections

Outputs
1/4-inch unbalanced
Pedal inputs
Sustain (mechanical)

Size & weight

Colours
Black
Weight
59 kg

Heard on

Artists and records that used it, as Rhodes tells it.

  • Ray Manzarek (The Doors), “Riders on the Storm”

Accessories

Add-ons made for this electric piano.

  • Rhodes Drop-Over Cover cases and cover
    Current
    Type
    Dust cover
    Fits
    Rhodes MK8; Mark I, Mark II, Mark III EK-10, Mark V and Mark 7 73-note
    —
  • Rhodes Soft Key Cover cases and cover
    Current
    Type
    Key cover
    Fits
    Rhodes MK8; vintage 73-note Rhodes
    —
  • Rhodes Non-Slip Hood Mat cases and cover
    Current
    Type
    Hood mat
    Fits
    Rhodes MK8; vintage 73-note Rhodes
    —

Featured in

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