Fender Rhodes Suitcase Electric Piano - Signed and Played by Ray Manzarek of The Doors

Hello, and thanks for looking at my auction! 

Up for sale is a very special instrument...a beautiful 1977 Rhodes Suitcase Electric Piano that not only plays like a dream but sounds amazing as well. What is special about this piano, is that it was played by and signed by keyboard legend, Ray Manzarek of The Doors! 

The Story:

Ray played this piano at the 2000 Televised VH-1 Storytellers Doors Reunion Concert which featured the 3 surviving members of The Doors, along with featured guest singers of bands such as Jane's Addiction, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cure, Creed, etc. In addition to Ray playing my Rhodes, I also let him borrow my Rhodes Piano Bass, Gibson G-101 organ and Vox Continental organ.  All of the keyboards featured at that concert were from my personal collection. Ray asked, through a mutual friend, if he could use them for the show since he had long ago sold all of his original gear he used in the 1960's and 1970's. I gladly offered them for him to use, and after the show that night, he signed his name for me in black permanent marker under the lid on the sound board of the Rhodes...a moment I will never forget! After that, Ray used it a few other times, one of them being at the writing and recording session with DJ Skrillex, and was used for the song "Breaking A Sweat" - recorded in Los Angeles in 2011.

Reason for selling:

This was a very difficult decision to arrive at, but I am selling this because I have always dreamed of having a large analog modular synthesizer in my collection, and I have decided to start selling a few valuable things, such as this, to raise funds for it. I had never planned on selling my Rhodes, but the time has come to let it go to someone else who will hopefully appreciate it and treasure it as much as I have.  It was purchased brand new in 1977 by my grandfather and I have owned it and cherished it since 1991.

Condition:

It is in 'very-good' to 'excellent' condition, and has only left my studio a handful of times for other studio recording sessions, and to let Ray use it when he needed it. Cosmetically, it has a few minor scuffs and minor tears in the tolex here and there. It also has a few scratches in the black aluminum on the amplifier. There are no major rips or gouges anywhere on the tolex, the grill cloth or the plastic harp cover. As can be seen in the photos, the overall condition is incredible for being almost 40 years old! Electronically, it is in perfect working condition and is one of the nicest Rhodes pianos I've ever played. All of the knobs and sliders work perfectly, as well as the stereo vibrato/tremolo function. The only things that have been done to this piano over the years are: 1. replaced the "Seventy Three" chrome logo above the right hand side of the keyboard, as the S and T were missing (which can be seen that way in the video) 2. replaced the power/audio 5-pin XLR cable that connects the piano to the amplifier (video shows a straight XLR connector and I replaced it with a right-angle XLR connector) and 3. replaced the main power switch on the amplifier itself (these power switches get worn out over time, and I used an exact replacement as the original). Other than that it has been tuned when needed without any other issues.

Authentication/Validation/Additional Info:

I have since become the Keyboardist for the Robby Krieger Band (guitarist of The Doors) and I have been filling Ray's shoes playing his iconic keyboard parts since his passing about 3 years ago. I can honestly and truthfully, and with a clear conscious, confirm that this is the actual Rhodes piano that Ray Manzarek of The Doors signed and played at the described events, as well as other instances, and Robby Krieger himself can attest to this. I was with Ray the night the Storytellers Concert was filmed and I was with The Doors for 3 days, setting up my keyboards and assisting Ray with moving them and getting sounds dialed in. To see examples of Ray's unmistakable signature, and to compare it with the one in the photos of my Rhodes piano, a simple Google Images search of "Ray Manzarek signature" will bring up some examples that identically match the one on my Rhodes.

I have a DVD of the VH-1 Storytellers Concert that I will include as a gift to the new owner of this Rhodes, as a reminder of the night that Ray played and signed it...a very cool and intimate concert setting of Ray, Robby and John making music together again!

Serial Numbers and Date:

Piano Serial # is K 609/07 and Amplifier Serial # is E700491. (These numbers are not supposed to match.) The date code is 1877, meaning that it was manufactured during the 18th week (May) of 1977. 

Shipping:

I have not yet boxed or crated the piano, so I am not exactly sure how much it will weigh or cost to ship. As of now, I am planning covering all of the shipping costs for the buyer. In the event that this piano is being shipped to a very remote or distant location and shipping costs are through the roof, I will work with the buyer to figure something out that works for us both. I am open to helping out as much as possible. 

Closing: 

I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read through all of the information I have provided and I encourage anyone to ask any additional questions to clarify anything that is stated above. I am open to price negotiation, transportation, delivery and pickup options, providing additional photos and anything else I can do to further prove the authenticity of this instrument, or to describe it's condition any further. Please feel free to ask any additional questions and I will do my best to provide as much information as I can. Thanks!