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The Rhodes refurb: a preface to the coming Pac-Man restoration

So last Monday, April 6, I purchased a working vintage upright Pac-Man from a gentleman in Long Island for the very reasonable price of $500.

My Pac-Man

This purchase represents the culmination of a childhood obsession, and the realization of a teenage dream. Pac-Man debuted in 1980. I was born in 1981. I grew up with Pac-Man. I have fond early memories of my dad propping me up in front of machines in arcades at the Woodbridge and Menlo Park malls. I had Pac-Man PVC figures, wind-ups, cups, T-shirts, vitamins, stickers. Even the Coleco tabletop game. I watched the short-lived Pac-Man cartoon. I wasn’t aware of the late-era disco record “Pac-Man Fever,” but I certainly had a bad case of it.

Early on in high school I searched high and low for a Pac-Man tee, scouring Manhattan’s vintage clothing shops. I found one, but it was a baby doll with glitter. Yeesh. I thought about learning how to make my own silk screens. Then, sometime around junior year, the T-shirt designers for trendy chains must have heard my pleading. Pac-Man tees started cropping up in various stores in the Staten Island Mall. And different designs too. I bought them all.

Sophomore year, on the annual marching band bus trip to Orlando, Florida, I drooled over a Ms. Pac-Man that sat, unloved, in a rest stop who-knows-where. My friend snatched the removable marquee graphic and gave it to me as a souvenir. It hung on my wall for years.

So I started to look into buying a full-size arcade machine. This was pre-eBay, so after doing some online research, I was convinced the best and cheapest way to buy one of these things was to attend a video-game auction (bring a pick-up truck and an extension cord, the sites advised). Unfortunately, it seemed that all of these auctions were located in the Midwest. The dream was put on hold…

But before I get any further into documenting my experience with the new large, yellow addition to my apartment, here’s a quick recap of my first experience with any type of restoration work; in this case, some minor fixes to my dad’s 1975 73-key Rhodes Mark I electric piano.

Last summer, while employed only part-time, I decided to work on the cosmetically impeccable Rhodes with the aim of brightening the sound and improving the action. After lots of reading at the Rhodes Super Site and elsewhere, I decided the best way to do this was to replace the tone bar hardware (wood screws, grommets, washers), and install Vintage Vibe’s Miracle Mod. (I also bought a new Rhodes name plate, a replacement brace knob, and rubber feet.)

Here’s a random sampling of photos, mid-refurb:

This was, for the most part, meticulous, repetitive (73 keys, 73 tone bars), painstaking work, especially the Miracle Mod installation. But after a few months of on-and-off work, it was done. I did a very rough voicing, and hey, it sounded better and the formerly sluggish action was now light and quick, albeit with a bit more key-noise.

When I finally moved the beast into my fourth-floor apartment (yes, there’s an elevator), I called up Frankie, the “Wurlitzer Doctor,” who advertised his services via Craigslist, to come by and give the thing a professional tuning and voicing. He said it was one of the best-looking Rhodes he’d seen in a while. I had to make some tiny adjustments the next day, but the piano sounds great — mellow and twinkly, with a just a hint of bark in the bass — even out of a tiny Peavey KB 1 (hey, it’s an apartment). I’m sure it’ll sound even better out of my Roland KC-550.

Add comment | 15 April 2009

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Rally, March 5

Add comment | 11 February 2009

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Bar(ac)k the Vote: Name Obama’s Puppy

Last night, Obama announced that he will give his daughters a new puppy as an inauguration present. Let them know what they should name him or her…

read more | digg story

Add comment | 5 November 2008

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Barack Obama!

Add comment | 5 November 2008

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VOTE BANDULOS 2008!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

It’s time for the 2008 AWE Readers’ Poll, and we need your votes to win 12 months worth of Island-wide bragging rights. AWE is the weekly arts and entertainment pullout section of the Staten Island Advance.

You can read about the poll here.

The official rules are as follows:

  • Only one pick per category.
  • At least half of the ballot must be completed for your votes to count.
  • Only one entry per person. All entries must include a full name and contact number or e-mail address.

There are at least two ways to vote:

  • For the somewhat tech savvy, you can download the ballot as a Microsoft Word document; type an “X” next to your selection for each category, or write in your choice next to “Other”; save the document; and upload it to AWE here.
  • For the ink-and-paper, snail-mail inclined, you can fill out the printed ballot from the Thursday July 10th issue of AWE, or print and complete the Word document, and mail it to:

2008 AWE Readers’ Poll
Staten Island Advance
950 West Fingerboard Road
Staten Island, NY 10305

Now for the most important part!

With all due respect to those nominated, we oh-so-humbly suggest that you cast your ballot for the following choices, and we thank you in advance for your support:

  • The Bandulos for “Best Impossible-To-Label Band/Duo”
  • We also encourage you to write in “The Bandulos” for “Best Cover Band,” where we’ll go toe-to-toe with our friends The Blue Meanies, Man Down, and other great SI cover bands.
  • Our very own Nicole Pignatelli for “Best Diva”
  • Our good friend and collaborator, reggae legend Milton Henry for “Best Original Solo Pop/Rock Artist”
  • Our good friends and collaborators Dead End Kids for “Best Hip-Hop Act”

Remember, be sure to include at least your name and email address, and fill out at least half of the ballot for it to count.

Add comment | 15 July 2008

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Oh, 1989 you…

Caught Kickboxer on HBO the other night and it brought on a wonderful wave of nostalgia. From the guitar- and synth-heavy score, to Van Damme’s unrivaled collection of tank tops (that’s right, A.C. Slater), to the right-leaning, all caps typeface in the opening credits, this film screams late-’80s.

The final fight scene (see below) has it all: punches, kicks, knees, elbows, flips, fire, broken glass, sexual tension, a scary Asian man, a wacky black sidekick, a paraplegic, and so much more. And it was, of course, the inspiration for this timeless scene from Hot Shots! Part Deux.

Kickboxer (1989)

Add comment | 13 May 2008

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Can you spot the irony?

Add comment | 16 April 2008

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R.I.P. Frosty Freeze

Legendary b-boy Wayne “Frosty Freeze” Frost died yesterday, April 3rd. I never had the honor of meeting the man, but the Bandulos are proud to be playing at the benefit/tribute for Frosty on Friday April 11th.

Here’s a tribute that was posted on YouTube yesterday:

The AP obit is here, and the NYTimes obit is here.

Add comment | 4 April 2008

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Leigh on Fox News!

Leigh’s report on THON was aired on Fox News at around 7:50pm tonight. Congrats!

Here’s the video, courtesy of ThePalestra.com:

Add comment | 26 February 2008

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Milton Henry & The Bandulos

Live at the Knitting Factory!

We’re headlining the Version City Monthly ska/reggae dance party on Saturday February 2nd, Groundhog Day.

Add comment | 25 January 2008

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