1980 Rhodes Mk II Suitcase 88 Vintage Electric Piano, RetroLinear Serviced w/ Mk I Action & Pickups

Up for sale, a 1980 Rhodes Mk II Suitcase 88 vintage electric piano in exceptional condition and perfect working order. An early Mk II example, this piano has the all-black cosmetics and flat harp cover of the Mk II, while retaining the wooden keys and more desirable action assembly of the Mk I pianos that preceded it, along with the Mk I's more reliable pickups wound with copper-colored wire.Fully serviced by RetroLinear, every aspect of this instrument has been attended to, ensuring studio and stage-ready performance. Both the preamp and power amp have been recapped, the action has been serviced as needed including escapement and strike line adjustments, and the piano has been tuned and voiced.The tone and feel of this piano is exceptional, and this Rhodes has been extremely cared for over the past 40+ years. The piano takes full advantage of the power and clarity of the Janus preamp to deliver smooth transitions from the lower, growly bass octaves to the bell-like notes in the highest registers of the 88 key range. The middle octaves are voiced slightly favoring the harmonic overtones, which keeps complex chord voicings clear and balanced. The low end ranges from mellow, round bass notes with a soft touch to the famous Rhodes growl when digging in.The Janus preamp works as intended, with Bass/Treble sliders, a Volume knob, and Speed/Intensity controls for the famed stereo vibrato. The effect is lush and smooth, with a wide range of depths and speeds that fully take advantage of the stereo field. More percussive and punchy than earlier Rhodes vibratos, the Janus vibrato can go from slow and swampy to machine gun fast with the turn of a knob. The power amp has a strong and even response from both sides of the stereo unit, and the original Schumacher power transformer is intact, dating to the 21st week of '80. This Rhodes also has a very low noise floor, ideal for studio situations, and the cabinet retains a quad of original 12" speakers (two facing the performer and two facing the audience). The speakers were manufactured by Pyle, with date stamps from the 44th week of '79.The action is extremely smooth, consistent and springy, with a fast attack and key bushings that are in excellent shape. It's safe to say that his piano has seen limited use over the decades and the original hammer tips and damper felts show little wear. The flat key caps that replaced the rounded caps in '74 also have a feel that is much more akin to an acoustic piano, and it's one of the smaller tweaks made by Rhodes that's virtually universally praised by players.The harp itself is extremely clean, with original pickups, tines, and tonebars. The serialized Rhodes graphics on the harp are nice and bold, and an additional RetroLinear sticker has been added to the harp as well. All knobs and original clean Rhodes badges are intact, and the nickel-plated hardware is all present too with only modest wear, comprising the latches, handle caps, and corners. The flat black harp cover even retains the music stand accessory.Cosmetically, this piano shows minimal wear, with original smooth black tolex and black grillcloth, and any wear on the enclosures is extremely reserved. This Rhodes would be ideally suited for a studio.