Get your Clavinet sounding FUNKY!
Whether it’s a tuning or a full service of your Clavinet; we provide a series of options to get it back to the super funky sounds it deserves to be.
Note: If unsure of any of these terms consult the Glossary
‘Tune-Up’ Service:
Time: 3 Hours
Cost: £200 (+ parts if needed)
Our quickest and most affordable option. This service can be done on-site as we don’t need to remove the keyboard or do serious work to the electronics. This service includes a tuning of the clavinet, and a diagnostic to make sure everything is working ok. If there are any small repairs needed, we can fix them up; but for entire replacements of parts, please see our Standard Service.
The ‘Tune-Up’ service includes:
- Tuning to A440hz
- Regulation of hammer tips
- Key leveling
- Diagnostic of electronics
- Small repairs eg. sticking keys, broken hammer tips, broken strings, sustaining notes etc.
Standard Service
Time: 5-7 Hours
Cost: £300-350 (+ parts)
A standard service of your Clavinet comes with a tuning as standard, it only takes about 20 minutes. With the remainder of the time we work on the most essential things needed to bring the most out of your Clav. For the sound, replacing the hammer tips is ideal. For the touch, replacing key springs and bushings is the one.
For more extensive work such as new strings – check out our Full Service
Hammer tips are the ‘weak point’ on Clavinets. They are made of soft rubber so often deteriorate over time. Occasionally they can become mushy and cause keys to stick. Replacing the hammer tips is an effective way to improve the touch of problem notes and give your clav more attack and definition. We will even the height of the hammer tips as we replace them to give each key an even key-dip when it is pressed.
Due to the type of music Clavinet’s are paired with (ie. the funk!), they usually take quite a beating from percussive, hard playing. This can make the keys uneven which not only looks bad but affects the touch. Levelling and squaring the keys will put this right.
If the touch of your Clavinet is spongey, notes click, or the key just feels a bit loose; then its likely the bushings need replacing.
New key bushing will give a tight feel to the keyboard, remove the side-play, and eliminate clicking sounds frorm your Clav.
When keys become sluggish or release slowly then it’s time to replace the key springs. New springs give that ‘snap-back’ that gives a Clav or electric keyboard its responsive touch. Replaceing all the springs makes each key feel equal in terms of weight and touch. Clavinet keys are more similar to a modern keyboard than a Rhodes or a Wurlitzer (which are more like an acoustic piano), so this repair is simple, doesn’t take too long, and will last for a very long time.
This may or may not be needed. If your Clav sounds ok, but a bit uneven, then its probably the other factors we mention here. But if one part of your Clav doesn’t sound at all and/or there’s just something wrong with the sound – it’s likely a pickup issue. We replace Clavinet pickups with VV replicas that will make it sound like it used to.
Full Service
Time: 12-16 Hours
Cost: £500-650 (+ parts)
Our full service for Clavinet involves everything in the Standard Service plus more involved work such as restringing, pick up replacement, and/or electronic repair.
- Hammer Tip replacement & alignment
- Key leveling
- Key bushing replacement
- Key spring replacement
- Tuning to A440hz
- Diagnostic of electronics
In the remaining time we can undertake one or more of the the following:
The key to the funky sound of the Clav is in the strings! Much like a guitar, old strings on a Clavinet make it lifeless and flat. If the hamer tips are new and the sound could still be improves, then new strings are the next step. We use the Vintage Vibe strings along with their signature Clavigel to dampen them. This way saves hours of tedious work wrapping yarn around each string.
After the stringing we will do several tunings to stabilise the pitch of the piano. New strings on Clavs tend to go out of tune quickly so we do this to stabilise it as much as we can.
This may or may not be needed. If your Clav sounds ok, but a bit uneven, then its probably the other factors we mention here. But if one part of your Clav doesn’t sound at all and/or there’s just something wrong with the sound – it’s likely a pickup issue. We replace Clavinet pickups with VV replicas that will make it sound like it used to.
If there is lots of hum or static in your Clav, then theres a good chance that the pre-amp’s electronics are not working properly. With this repair we will fit new transistors and capacitors to reduce the hum as much as possible. Clavinets are notoriously ‘noisy’ instruments, so hum may not be eliminated but rebuilding the pre-amp can make a big difference.
