ABOUT MAJOR KEY
When the factory closed in 1985, Harold Rhodes continued
his commitment to supporting Rhodes players around the world.
Harold would request parts as needed from John R. McLaren
(son of John C. McLaren, former president of CBS Musical
Instruments*), who would ship them out free of charge to Harold's
"clients" (as he called them). This developed into a part-time
business for John over the years, and as the supply of original
parts began to run out, the need for new ones increased. John's
industry connections gave him an avenue for replenishing the
stock, in many cases remanufacturing the parts to the original
factory specifications.
Major Key's parts are either brand new or "new/old stock" (i.e. leftovers from the factory). Our focus is on the components that have a tendency to wear out after you've been playing your piano for a while: tines, pickups, hammer tips, damper felts, etc. We are also involved in developing enhancements for the Rhodes, the first being the MKHC-1 Harmonic Clarifier. You can expect more new products like these from us in the future.
* CBS Musical Instruments included the Fender and Rhodes brands, as well as Steinway pianos, ARP synthesizers, Rogers drums & church organs, Gulbransen organs, Gemeinhardt flutes, and Lyon & Healy harps. If you've ever wondered why the Stage Piano's sustain pedal rod looks like a part from a hi-hat stand, that's because it is!
THE TEAM
Paul Gagon is the Vice President of Engineering at BBE Sound Inc. He has spent over 28 years in the music and sound industry designing products for companies such as Fender Musical Instruments, Jackson/Charvel, International Music Incorporated (IMC) and during the last 15 years, BBE. Paul has designed products in the areas of sonic enhancement, magnetic pickups, recording consoles, vacuum tube and solid state amplifiers, instrument preamps, and a host of other products in the MI market. As well as being a gifted musician, he has played a key role in the design of the BBE Process, as well as the development of the BBE IC chips used by the company's numerous licensees.
Paul's contribution to Rhodes history is well remembered by his contemporaries from the CBS era. He designed the last, most successful suitcase preamp and is the Developmental Head Designer for the Harmonic Clarifier, as well as the new SC-73 Electric Piano Preamp based on the BBE Process and the original vibrato "ping-pong" circuit. His sense of humor is well known, a friend and inspiration to all.
Gary Drake has had an interesting and diversified career. He worked as:
- Amplifier Division Lead Technician under Paul Gagon at CBS Musical Instruments (late 70's & early 80's)
- Reliability Technician at Beckman Industrial for the DOD (1980's)
- Quality Technician at Hughes Aircraft
- Supervisor of Cabinets and Amplifier Quality Auditing for Fender Instruments (late 80's)
- Quality Engineer for several upstart companies in Missouri
- Controller for a Major Guitar Factory
And now...Special Projects Engineer under Paul Gagon for Major Key! Paul and Gary have both been around the world, and somehow they have been brought back together to supplement each other's contribution to new products for the Electric Piano World. In the music business, you can never leave (think "Hotel California"...). Gary has worked with and has contact with some of music's finest artists, has refined his technical, writing & music skills, and has applied his production engineering skills to help improve and speed up the production of all Major Key products.
THE DISTRIBUTORS
Major Key has several resellers worldwide, and we are looking
for more in other countries (the US & UK are already
covered). Email us at majorkey@majorkey.com
if you are interested in becoming one. Our current distributors
are listed below:
USA distributors pending. Please check back soon.
Peacefreak Rhodes Service Center
Lnlycke, Sweden
+46-31-88 16 44
freddan@fenderrhodes.com
http://www.freddan.biz
Vintagebua
Oslo, Norway
+47 410 48 084
jon@vintagebua.no
http://www.vintagebua.no
Keyboard Services Scotland
Aberdeen, Scotland
011-44-224-744585
alanmorrison@onetel.net
Micheletti Pianoforti
Roma, Italia
+39 0687182305
info@rhodesitalia.com
http://www.rhodesitalia.com
Joao Coelho
Lisboa, Portugal
+351 96 8709206
tomazcoelho@netcabo.pt
http://fender-rhodes.pt.vu
NEWLOC Backline Sales & Rentals
Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 4834 4848
jerome@newloc.net
http://www.newloc.net
Taste und Technik
Ahnsen, Deutschland
+49-5722-81471
info@tasteundtechnik.de
http://www.tasteundtechnik.de
Marcel Groot
Netherlands
0031-627568241
info@wurlitzer-epservice.nl
http://www.ep-service.nl
Sydney Keyboards & Audio Repairs
Harris Park NSW Australia
02 8802 7019
info@sydneykeyboards.com.au
http://sydneykeyboards.com.au
Musikhaus Ortel
Friedberg, Deutschland
(49) 6031-91880
musikhausortel@yahoo.de
Eboardmuseum
Klagenfurt, Osterreich
0043 699 19144180
prix@chello.at
http://www.eboardmuseum.com
Urban Music
Tokyo, Japan
(03) 3795-3571
sales@urbanmusic.com
http://www.urbanmusic.com
Brownlight Industries
Te Aro, Wellington New Zealand
rynal_ritchie@hotmail.com
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