Major Key is a part-time business, so it may take a week or two to process your order. If you need parts immediately or you can't find what you need here, check with one of our distributors. If you're outside of the US, buying from a more local reseller will save you money on overseas shipping costs (which tend to be very high, especially if you're only ordering one or two parts!).
MAJOR NEWS FLASH!!!
Tuesday, October 28: WE ARE BACK!!! John R. McLaren is back and is taking names and kick'n butt!! He thanks all of you for your expressions of concern and support.
If we haven't reached out to you yet, we will.
Watch this page for upcoming exciting news. Hint: John is working on some of those projects he has bouncing around in his brain! And this time he'll finish them!
We also want to announce the addition of two new members of the MK family: Kristian "The Shark" Moberly, and Robert "Bambi" Wagner.
Wednesday, November 12: As part of the company rebuilding process, we have a new internal server. Unfortunately, we have had some problems, like email getting parked but not delivered- ouch! This has been corrected and we are responding to all today. Our apologies for any problems this has caused.
As to parts, availbility, pricing and so on, we will be updating the parts pages in the next few days to reflect current inventory and pricing. We will also soon be incorporating a new online order system that will show our on hand inventory.
Finally, we have some really interesting stuff in the pipeline, history related. Can't let it out of the bag quite yet, but as a teaser let's just say that it's amazing what can be found in a dusty box packed away for a decade or more!
A lot is happening at Major Key, and we wanted
to keep you all informed:
New from Major Key: The
SC-73 Electric Piano Preamplifier with Vibrato!
Any stage piano can now have the sound of the legendary suitcase
pianos, with their classic tone due to their on-board preamp
with vibrato. The SC-73 brings all the mojo of the suitcase
tone, but taken to a whole new level with the built-in Harmonic
Clarifier. Got a thing for the suitcase tone? We do too, and
you won't believe your ears when you experience the SC-73.
The Major Key preamp model SC-73 is a re-creation of the
Rhodes Suitcase 73 preamp with an exciting twist. The input
signal is connected to a low noise, studio grade, op-amp that
properly loads the pickup rail of a suitcase piano and amplifies
the signal level. Next the signal is fed into a fully professional
BBE Sonic Maximizer circuit, the same circuit found in the
company’s 482i unit. This is where the exciting twist
happens. The BBE circuit adds depth and clarity to the entire
audio spectrum and brings out all the harmonic richness of
any Rhodes. With independent controls over the low and high
frequencies you will discover a wealth of tonal variations
that previously were unavailable.
From the BBE circuitry the signal travels to the tremolo
circuit, the very same circuitry found in the original units
- even the use of the original Vactec VTL5C3 optical isolator
device. Great care has been taken with the tremolo circuit
to assure that its tonal character and “vibe”
remained faithful to the original. The unit operates with
an internal, fully regulated, +/- 15 volt bi-polar power supply
which provides excellent headroom and superior signal integrity.
SC-73 price and availability to be announced soon!
The Factory
Tour has begun! Get an inside look at Major Key's
manufacturing processes and the people who make it all happen.
We are looking for Distributors!
Due to the high cost of shipping parts internationally, we
need distributors to order parts in bulk for resale in other
countries (the US & UK are already covered). Contact
us at majorkey@majorkey.com
if you are interested.
PayPal is back!
If you need to make a purchase by credit card, please use
it to send your payment. Our PayPal address is orders@majorkey.com.
HISTORIC FEATURE: THE SAGA OF THE RHODES EK-10
Have you ever heard of the Rhodes EK-10 with its on-board synthesizer? Major Key is proud to bring you in-depth coverage of story behind the forward-looking, but tragic, Rhodes EK-10 piano.
IN MEMORIAM
04/04/06: We are sad to announce the passing of Fender/CBS
R&D engineer and Major Key collaborator Steve Boulanger,
a close friend of John's and a brilliant man. Steve was best
known for prototyping Fender guitar designs and for his work
in the Fender Custom Shop. He was most recently employed by
G&L Guitars to modernize the guitar factory, at the same time
helping to develop new Major Key projects. Things won't be the
same around here without you, Steve....
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
Major
Key's MKHC-1 Harmonic Clarifier is a preamp designed
to replace the Volume and Bass Boost controls found
on the Stage Piano models. The MKHC-1 is
based on a BBE
chip that has been custom-programmed for the Rhodes
piano's frequency response, providing controls for Gain,
Lo Contour and Process (click the image for a close-up
view). Gain and Lo Contour are new names for your
old friends, Volume and Bass Boost, with Lo Contour
giving you a much deeper and fatter bass response. So
what is the Process knob for? This is the preamp's main
feature, enhancing the piano's overall presence, giving
it a more punchy sound. If you're looking for "bark and
bite", the MKHC-1 does them both.
Harold's Idea: In 1987, Harold Rhodes came to BBE
to have lunch with John and his father, as he had done
several times before. Harold was fascinated by the relatively
new BBE Sound technology, so they gave him a Model 411
single-channel BBE instrument preamp. This was a single-space
rack unit with Gain Control, Process and Bass Boost. Harold
liked it so much that he loaned it to a friend, who liked
it so much that he kept it for himself. So they sent Harold
another unit. Well, guess what...Harold gave that one
away, so he went back to John's father and asked for a
third one. This unit he kept! In Harold's own words, "every
Rhodes piano must have this BBE Process incorporated in
it". So now, nearly 20 years later, we are trying to make
Harold's vision a reality....
Audio Demos:
We recorded a 1978 Mark I direct (sans amp), splitting
the pickup rail output such that one channel was processed
by the Harmonic Clarifier while the other was not. The
MKHC was set with the Gain at 12 o'clock
(50%) and the Process & Lo Contour knobs each
at 1 o'clock (around 60%). This is a practical
setting that gives you both an enhanced bell-tone and
a fat low-end, without going overboard. Both outputs were
connected to mic preamp inputs on a Mackie 1202 mixer,
patched to a 24/96 digital audio interface and recorded
in MOTU DP4. Except for the MKHC, no EQ or other processing
was applied. Each song has two versions: one in mono
demonstrating the MKHC's effect, the other in stereo with
the unprocessed tone in the left channel and the Harmonic
Clarifier tone in the right. Listening to the stereo versions
with headphones will give you the best impression.
This latest rev of the MKHC-1 features a
new silver faceplate and black knobs to match the look
of the Mark I. For owners of previous versions,
an update
kit is also available.
Super
Rhodes-Side Service Kit The Super Rhodes-Side Kit
gives you everything you need for making repairs
on the road. Includes assorted parts, such as damper
felts, key pedestal felts, hammer tips from each
group, various hardware, glue, grommets, tuning
springs, 3 short tines, 1 pickup, glides, etc.
