🤘 So glad to hear it, thanks very much for the message. I was hoping there would be some fellow woodworker/engineers out there to come across this project!
As a woodworker, rocket scientist, computer scientist, astrophysicist, lumberjack, professor of philosophy, and president of the United States, this video really hit home with me. Thank you for your hard work, and it turned out amazing. 👍
Awesome work man, what a cool project! The Reface series are so darn fun but I can’t imagine how much better it’d be with a nicer keyboard and speakers.
The CK88 is like a Reface CP and YC combined, with some MX sounds too. Yeah, it's fun! I don't think it has the toy piano from the Reface, but nobody misses that.
Thanks so much for checking it out! Yeah the reface series is quite underrated, but beloved in the “underground”… I’ll be picking up another one and figuring out what I can do with it 🤙
I admit that I was slightly disappointed that you weren't going to recreate the actual Rhodes mechanism, as that's what the title suggested to me, but I still watched and enjoyed the entire video. Nice work!
As someone seriously considered building it from the scratch, like coils, pickups, actions (from fatar, I guess) and stuff when I was in colledge, since I couldn't afford the real rhodes, this is the topic I really dig into. thanks for sharing this awesome project! (I just end up satisfied with VST with nice audio interface with okay response delay)
As a wood patternmaker and aerospace toolmaker your process of engineering, design, CNC modeling and hand work is oustanding to say the least...absolutely beautiful. Top shelf pro work.
This is the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for. You’re literally doing the kind of work that I’ve been chipping away at for a while now. I’m grateful to all the music technologists/musicians and woodworkers/Maker’s out there. Combining the skills and passions is one of the keys. This video and build is a special piece of art. Grateful✨Much love and many blessings in the new year
As a guy who mostly makes wood scraps and never finishes songs, I salute your skill, tools and commitment to such an overwhelming project. The result is nothing short of stunning.
I waited so long for this vid and it surpassed everything I had hoped for. The piece is brilliant. That build is a dream. So much work. The detailed video is also so so so well done my man. Thank you so much for this. So fkn dope.
if you've been waiting since I originally mentioned this project then you've definitely held out for quite a while haha! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for the kind words!
This is gorgeous. I kind of want a keyboard in an enclosure, which is truly my own thing. The most important aspect to me of this build is how you created a thing which is a response to classic design, and which projects it into your own aesthetic space, which ends up being both retro and futuristic. I love that you gave us your design notes and thoughts, about color, about reveal. About things woodworkers, designers, and craftspeople care about. Musical instruments should be objects of craft and care, and this is a master class in creating something beautiful. I adore the back panel and the top strips which form a speaker grille and an incredibly warm and retro looking wood keyboard instrument.
As an extremely furry puppy with an owner whose name is John MacArthur Rhodes, I can appreciate the dog-person slur of your voice and the professionalism displayed in the build quality of the wood box. Great Work!🎉
Clear, in depth, entertaining, extremely well shot and edited, good soundtrack and the project is wonderful. You can’t get closer to tutorial perfection!
The Reface CP is my all time favorite digital keyboard and I use it extensively in gigs because of its portability and sound. I truly admire what you have done here; Yamaha Music Corp needs to see this.
Where are the tines? Pickup coils? its not a homebuilt Rhodes when its just a very super nice made wooden case holding electronics and plastic keybed. Love how it looks and it's a very nice project, I love it, but your title is very misleading click bait.
This was the first video I found while searching ideas on constructing almost exactly what you constructed. Amazing work! I would love to build this minus the speakers. Thoroughly enjoying the reface and would love to glorify it.
This is the first time I'm seeing your channel and this is fantastic content. I miss my Mark 1 88, my Hammond M3, and very early pre-lawsuit Paul Reed Smith clone. I have an 88 key M-Audio keyboard that I would happily sacrifice to a project like this. I would love to see a build list for this.
I was absolutely shocked seeing that this Chanel only has 1k subscribers. The production quality of this video is some of the best I've seen on the platform. I love the concept, and I definitely want to get my hands one one of those Yamahas now. Awesome content man!
Thanks so much man! Haha I worked like crazy on this video (and project), it’s what pushed me over the 1k subscribers…so glad it seems to be connecting with people and isn’t too niche’d down! 🤙
I understand you wanting to build it yourself, but for that kind of money wouldn't it have been cheaper to get a Yamaha CP1 second hand, you would have either spend the same kind of money and have had real hammer action. I do appreciate the time and effort you put into this build.
@@RobertSlover imagine being mad at getting clickbaited into watching an awesome video of a guy making a beautiful keyboard. Anyway he says it's not a real rhodes in the first 3 minutes of a 55 minute video
A thing of true pristine beauty. I'm speechless. This is a wholesome art, the recording, the editing, the voice-over, the idea, the story, the woodworking, the instrument. Hats off
So funny, I bought the reface and then got the same 61 key controller to have full-sized keys. Used to own a Mark 1 studio Rhodes (with 4 12’s) and mistakenly sold it after 40 years. The Yamaha does indeed punchcard way over its size. Awesome job on your custom enclosure.
I own a Reface CP and a Keystation 61 and I've been dreaming of combining them into a single unit for gigging. Fear of damaging my gear during teardown has kept me from diving in -- this video is exactly the reference material I needed. Thank you so much for the in-depth coverage!
Awesome! Glad to hear it, hope the teardown project goes well! Just keep track of the individual screw locations and all that, if you end up feeling like it’s getting too complicated you can easily put everything back in place without any trouble. There are no “can’t be undone” moments that I encountered with either the reface or keystation (up until the point that I bandsaw apart the entire keystation haha). Good luck!
This is incredible. The piece looks amazing and is so thoughtfully designed. Video is so well done and I really appreciate the great explanation of the rationale behind every design choice. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while and now I’m 10x more inspired. Looking forward to seeing more!
Clickbait. Actual video is “CAN YOU REHOUSE A DIGITAL PIANO?” I used to work a real electro-mechanical piano manufacturer in 2017, building a Rhodes is categorically not this.
I'm a woodworker and an audio engineer, and for years i've thought for brief moments "what if i try to build a wooden rhodes by myself, with the metal strips and the pickups and all" and when I think about stuff that way, i only get the motivation to do it whenever someone makes a huge youtube video going into detail on how to make it. I clicked this video thinking it was finally going to be that, but when I saw your project idea it opened up a lot of possibilities I haven't thought about, because handmaking a rhodes is probably extremely expensive. This is a brilliant idea sir, and you gained a new subscriber! Thank you
I very much enjoyed watching this. Felt very contemplative with the music and your calm voice. As a just starting woodworker and a hobby electronic dawless musician two of my favorite things come here together and gave me lot of inspiration. I am grateful for that. Thank you!
This is about the most inspiring thing I've seen this year. Design thinking and craftsmanship at its zenith. I use a Crumar Seven as the centerpiece of my rig, which is a pretty cool build, but your instrument makes it look like a child's toy. I was almost drooling at the finished piece. Good on ya, man!
That’s the word I thought of : inspiring it certainly is. Way ahead of my skill level but I might have a crack at a simple desk for my music making now !
I love the Reface Rhodes, and also used to work in carpentry. Your skills are amazing and this build is so fun to watch. Thanks for taking us on this ridiculous voyage 😁😁😁I know where I'm going for studio furniture!
Easily one of the top videos on this platform. Great woodworking driven by love of the craft and love of music. I'll be going through your whole catalog before too long! Simply stupendous
Incredible. Have been dreaming up the same kind of thing since they put out the CP Refaces. So many details you have added are such a huge improvement, and I'm stoked to see that the first one done was done in such an inspiring and high quality way. The weighted keys and integrated speakers are such a great touch. Would love a little bit more detail on how everything is wired together on the inside -- do you have photos of how you wired the power strip and the cable routing? Planning on doing a similar build but on the Wurlitzer side of things, with smaller speakers and a smaller keyboard. Thanks for making that possible.
Thank you very much! Yeah I wanted to detail exactly the power setup, there are actually power strips that have a master outlet that controls the remaining outlets when it’s powered on. So it could be set up that once the amp is powered on the remaining elements come on (midi controller/CP) I think that would be a simpler way to go than I did, but I’d already wired it up my way. Also, I know how I wired mine is safe / but it’s still modifying an electrical path and I don’t want the liability of showing people how to modify a power strip haha!
If I hadn’t seen how it was made I would have thought it was made in some huge factory, great job hope to see your next project, I really call this a master upgrade!
This is so nice, and I’ve seen this comment a few times here….as an avid YT watcher I truly did not think people would think so highly of this video, it’s so nice to hear it as I did put a ton of work in! Thanks so much for watching and your comment
Nothing short of inspirational! Thank you for including links to every bit of the build, the wheel weights specifically being an eye opener for me. Amazing!
Thank you! The wheel weights were the moment for me that really broke open the project honestly, I knew it would be long build and I didn’t want to have something tacky feeling at the end of it. For $12 and just a little time it’s like the most worthwhile mod for these style keys. Even outside of this project, a MIDI controller could be slightly disassembled, weighted, and then assembled again and now you’ve got a much nicer weighted feel to your controller 🤙
I love the sound of these Refaces and wondered if it was possible to transfer it to a bigger keyboard. You went a 1000 steps further than that! Great project! Congrats!
Just came across your channel, being a fellow musician and hobbyist woodworker this has completely blown my mind. I've been lusting after a rhodes for sooooo long, this build has inspired to try and create a similar thing. If you ever decide to make plans for these I'd love to use them! Thanks for making such inspiring videos dude!
Cool project. But why skimp on the sound and keybed? Pianoteq has way better sound than the reface. And for keybed there would have been way better actions. Surely more expensive but with all the time and casing investment it totally would have been worth it.
Love this. Appreciate your style and persistence. I am also a woodworker/instrument maker and recording & electronics engineer like others in your audience. The build sections would be better without the bg filler music. The content is stimulating enough. Thanks for sharing your creative journeys.
impressive. i created and oiled and waxed the walnut and cherrywood sidepanels for all my newer synths, cos I like this retro aesthetics so much, but this, this is a ueber - master level. respect
My god what a video!! Amazing seeing months of work in a super well edited and narrated hour of joy. I’m a huge fan of my CP so seeing it transform into a beautifully crafted piece was so enjoyable. Best hour I spend in a while. Gorgeous result, congrats!
Exactly. Very nice job on the reface, but it's not an electro mechanical keyboard, like an actual Rhodes.. I assumed he was going that route, since Vintage Vibe makes tons of repro Rhodes parts, and even has their own line of electric pianos. 🤷🏻
i got to say that's a damn good job sir. That takes hard work and dedication and it looked like you enjoyed every minute and the detail is stellar. I really appreciated every moment of this. This was therapeutic to watch. Well done
As an autistic analog gear designer, hearing impaired mix engineer, cloistered introvert, and new client who just ordered a centerpiece rack from you for my overtly-retro studio rebuild, I've now had all my suspicions confirmed regarding your impeccable artistry, insane attention to detail, and overall levels of "the good crazy". Molto bene!
Beautiful design work on the wooden cabinet. That front facing section is gorgeous. The fluted top is rich looking and the overall shape of the side panels are cool. I do think you could have made the whole process simpler by just plugging a midi keyboard controller into a hidden Yamaha module. Disassembling those keyboards looked terrifying to me! Great job, you are definitely a meticulous craftsman. I feel like I did years ago watching Norm from This Old House kicking ass!
