1967 Fender Rhodes Suitcase 73 Sparkle Top Vintage Electric Piano Raymac Rare!

Up for sale, a 1967 Fender Rhodes "Sparkle Top" Suitcase 73 in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. Extremely rare in any condition, the Sparkle Top Rhodes pianos are sought after for their sweet, bell-like tone that bridges the gap between the growl and richness of the later Rhodes pianos with the sparkle and chime usually associated with Wurlitzer electric pianos! A classic sound that can be heard on pioneering Rhodes recordings by Miles Davis and Billy Preston (most notably with the Beatles on "Let it Be"), the combination of Raymac tines and square tone bars makes for a Rhodes sound that is unmatched in its uniqueness and rich tonal character. Made in extremely small numbers compared to later Rhodes models, the Sparkle Tops very rarely come up for sale and this particular piano is a prime example of early Rhodes tone!

Within the Sparkle Top family, there are both "A" and "B" versions of this piano, this one being a "B" version that has the arguably more desirable hybrid wood/plastic hammers (as opposed to the teardrop felt/wood hammers), which have much greater longevity and strike with a more pronounced attack. This is likely one of the first pianos to ever have these hammers installed and we can verify their originality by the stock bridal straps that connect the hammers and early Sparkle Top era damper rail. Also, this piano sports two harp supports (unlike the one support seen on the earliest Sparkle Tops), and this adds to greater consistency between the two halves of the harp, assuring that the tines and hammers are properly lined up across all registers. The last notable upgrade between the earlier and later Sparkle Tops was a sustain pedal that folds up for transport, unlike the original fixed pedal that stuck out and gouged many a door frame while hoisting the speaker cabinet!

The piano features consistent and smooth action across all registers, with limited side-to-side motion of the keys and key bushings that do not warrant replacement, but do make for a very quick action. The original damper felts are intact and still do their job well showing only minimal wear. The piano has also been professionally tuned and voiced, making this an ideal choice for a studio or serious gigging musician. The original Jordan preamp with 1966 pot codes is 100% stock and all controls work as they should including the lush vibrato. While many folks tout the benefits of the later stereo vibrato offered by the Mk I pianos, we have a real soft spot for this initial mono vibrato circuit, which has a very wide range of speeds and a strong pulse that can be felt in a way that is simply more present than the stereo circuit.

Inside the speaker cabinet, this Rhodes sports four speakers that are all to original factory spec and the Jordan power amp, which looks to be completely stock as well. The speaker complement includes two Jensen C12N speakers facing the audience and two alnico CTS 10" speakers facing the player, all in excellent condition with their original speaker cones. While the CTS speakers sport 1967 date codes, the Jensens appear to be from a few years earlier with 1963 date codes, likely making them correct replacements for the usual Fender labeled C12N that would be contemporary to the piano. The power amp overall has very little excess noise, although when left on for hours at a time it does occasionally exhibit a bit of pop and crackle, as any amp from this era with original capacitors is prone to do. Rest assured, we've tested this piano thoroughly and the amp is working well.

Cosmetically, this piano is a strong 8.5/10, with one cigarette burn on one key, a near flawless silver sparkle fiberglass top, original silver sparkle grillcloth that is aged but clean with no snags or rips and original black tolex. The namerail shines up with a mirrored chome finish and all logos are present including the rare, early metal "Seventy Three" and large "Fender Rhodes" logo on the bottom rear of the cabinet, which is often missing or damaged, unlike the clean logo seen here! The small sticker that covers the small rectangular cutout seen on all Sparkle Top namerails has been removed and two jacks have been added in the original hole, presumably for an Effects & Pedals loop although we have yet to test that feature. There is light wear around the edges of the tolex, a few scuffs on the corners and a couple expected scratches on the top and bottom, but no serious wear or signs that this piano was ever heavily gigged. Likely a well kept and maintained studio piano that has now found its way to market!

Don't miss out on this rare chance to own an exceptional & original "Sparkle Top" Fender Rhodes piano!