Rheem Kee Bass

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via this auction

Pic of the inside circuit board below.

"Rheem Kee Bass (spelled K-E-E instead of the conventional "Key") Vintage Keyboard Bass Organ/Synthesizer in excellent condition and in good working order. A cool vintage variant on the ever popular Rhodes Piano Bass, this keyboard is essentially an extended bass section from your favorite Combo Organ, with various controls to shape the sustain and tone. The Rheem Kee Bass is unique in that it was the only bass organ ever produced in the 1960s and really adds some great, tweakable low end to your keyboard setup.

If you've always counted on the bass section of your Vox Jaguar or Farfisa Compact and wished you had those features in a portable package, the Rheem is a perfect fit! With controls for Fuzz, Sustain, Percussion (note attack/decay) and Tone, you can easily dial in a sound that will sit well in a band environment. The "Bass Booster" lever is easily the coolest feature on the unit, allowing you to boost low end presence and gain with one easy control that's easy to manipulate on the fly. Perhaps most famously used in sample form for the bass on the Raveonettes entire "Lust, Lust, Lust" record, this keyboard bass is the perfect secret weapon for your keyboard stash.

All keys work as they should, respond evenly and are in tune! Under the hood, this Rheem is 100% original and has the unique distinction of having a tuning pot for each individual note if you had the wild hair to stretch tune your Kee Bass. The original power cable and cover are also included and both latches still work well. Cosmetically, this Rheem is quite clean, with some wear on the rear logo and left cheek block, but no serious wear of any kind!"

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Vintage Rheem Kee Bass Monophonic Bass Synthesizer and Stool

via this auction [note the stool is not part of the auction - see update below]

"This is a vintage Rheem Kee Bass bass synthesizer. This was made in the 60's, and is basically a 2 octave analogue organ that just plays bass notes. It is a monophonic unit with high note priority. Has several keys including mellow/bright, fuzz, sustain/percussion (sort of like a traditional pedal) and decay, as well as a bass boost. Unfortunately it doesn't have the power cord, so we have been unable to test it. It does come with its original cover."

And and excuse to check out Devo's Whip It!.

Update: Image below of a Rheem stool to sit on while you play your Rheem Key Bass! Note this is not part of the auction. This one was spotted and sent in via Pea Hicks of Optigan.com.

Synth stool.

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Rheem Kee Bass

via this auction

"late 60's Rheem kee bass suitcase piano."

Update: check out the online Virtual Rheem Kee Bass on the Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum.

Rheem Kee Bass

via this auction

"1960's Rheem Kee Bass; or as Rheem pitched it, the "Kee-Bass Solid State Electronic Bass Simulator"!"

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The Virtual Rheem Kee Bass

This is actually a follow-up to the previous post. I took a look at the online virtual instruments on keyboardmuseum.org's (Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum) Virtual Playground and saw the Rheem Kee Bass. I hadn't played with it before, so I thought I'd take a look. What I was presented with is the image on the left with functional keys. The switches in the image do not work, however there is a switch above the image that lets you chose between Mellow and Fuzz mode. It should give you an idea of what the Rheem Kee Bass can sound like. Be sure to check out the rest of the Virtual Playground while there. You will find a ton of classic drum machines and more.

Rheem Kee Bass

images via this auction

"This item up for bid is the Rheem Kee Bass monophonic bass synthesizer. The Rheem company better known for their water heaters made 2 organs, the larger Mark VII and the strictly bass note model the Kee Bass. The Kee Bass was made in the late 1960's. This unit is in it's own carrying case that closes up like a suitcase (see photo)... This is essentially a 2 octave analogue organ that only plays bass notes. This is a mono phonic unit with high note priority meaning that if you play two notes at the same time it will only play the higher of the two. The Sustain/Percussion tab functions like this: Switched to "Sustain", it plays like a regular organ - press a key and it sounds continuously until you release it. Switched to "Percussion", it plays like a piano. Press and hold a key, and the sound dies out; how fast depends on the setting of the Decay Slow/Fast switch. In percussion mode the fade out of a note will sometimes continue on to the next note you play so you have to let the note fade before playing another note. The Bass Booster, Mellow/Bright and Fuzz tabs do what you'd expect, although the Mellow/Bright is a pretty subtle effect."

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Rheem Kee Bass

via this auction

"Rheem Kee Bass, this rare mid-60's bass synth was made by the Rheem corporation, known mostly for building furnaces and hot-water heaters. The overall condition is excellent, with all functions and switches working properly. A beautiful piece of rare vintage gear. Power cable is included."

Sylvia Massy's Vintage Rheem Kee Bass

via this auction

"The wiring harness located on the top of the unit was a modification performed quite some time ago. I was told it was for a footswitch/pedal, but I am not entirely sure how it worked or the mesaning for its existance. However, the wiring has been left this way and the keyboard still works as it should.

The red psychadelic vinyl coating is not cracked and still looks wonderful under bright lights!

The current owner of this Rheem Kee Bass is none other than Sylvia Massy. Click her name for more info!"

See the seller's other items for more.

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Kee-Bass Combo Organ Bass Synthesizer

via this auction
"1967 Rheem Kee-Bass Combo Organ String Bass Synthesizer. The Kee Bass is monophonic keyboard with high-note priority. The Sustain/Percuss tab functions like this: Switched to "Sustain", it plays like a regular organ - press a key and it sounds continuously until you release it. Switched to "Percuss", it plays like a piano. Press and hold a key, and the sound dies out; how fast depends on the setting of the Decay Slow/Fast tab. The Bass Booster, Mellow/Bright and Fuzz tabs do what you'd expect. Controls:

"Star Trek Transporter-style" Bass Booster lever.

Tabs: Tone Mellow/Bright, Fuzz Off/On, Mode Sustain/Percuss, Decay Slow/Fast, Power Off/On.

For more information than you could possibly want, check out:
http://www.combo-organ.com/Rheem/index.htm"

Re-Badged Rheem Kee Bass NDK Kee Boo Vintage 60's Analog Bass Synth / Organ

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via this auction

Note this is the first time, this specific model has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH. Curious bit of synth history. There have only been two other NDK posts before this.

"For sale is a rare NDK 'Kee Boo' a variant of the Rheem Kee Bass Analog Bass Organ. Both share an identical circuit, only differences are the Black Sparkle opposed to Red Swirl and Boost knob instead of slider. This Kee Bass was recently serviced and had new precision locking tuning pots installed as some of the original pots had become faulty. The original power cord pocket shows No signs of damage, and the original power cord has had some hot glue added to reinforce the joints against pulling wear. The Tolex is in great shape. The plastic red jewel that cover the bulb is broken. The bulb itself is fine though. The chrome bulb surround is included along with the NDK badge that was originally glued over the words "Kee Bass" on the rear plate. Ready to play for many years to come! Extremely low sub bass, fantastic for Dub and electronic."

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Introducing the Martinic Kee Bass

Published on Oct 3, 2019 Martinic

"Available for FREE here: https://www.martinic.com/kee-bass

Introducing…

The KEE BASS from Martinic

Bring some groovy, bassy vibes back from the ‘60s and straight into your music with our faithful emulation of one of the first monophonic string bass simulators... the Rheem Kee Bass!

Our Kee Bass VST/AU plugin is based on the original electronic schema and an actual physical Kee Bass. Firstly, we modeled the instrument precisely (no sampling at all), then we added a few modern features to make it more versatile and unique.

RETRO BASS TONES

Physical modeling of vintage Rheem Kee Bass (no samples used)
• Bass Fuzz sound - built in
• Percussion - Fast decay
• Percussion - Slow decay
• Sustain
• Bright-Mellow option on all sounds
• 2 Full Octave Keyboard
• Modeled Solid State Electronic Circuitry
• 2.5 MB Portable Lightweight Beauty
• Compatible with any VST/AU host

MODERN FEATURES

• Level adjust
• Adjustable 25-note tuning
• Extended 128 MIDI note range • Velocity-sensitive
• All settings MIDI learnable
• Poly mode
• Low/high/last note priority
• Attack/decay adjust
• Low pass filter with resonance
• Filter LFO/envelope modulation
• Wide range of presets
• Fine tuning
• Transpose/octave shift"

Rheem Kee Bass

via this auction

"RHEEM KEE BASS 60s Analog synthesizer keyboard Organ."

VINTAGE 1967 RHEEM KEE BASS ANALOG SYNTHESIZER

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via this auction

"For your consideration is this very nice all original example of a 1967 Rheem Kee Bass analog synthesizer, serial number 2566-162. A great sounding monophonic piano bass synth featuring 25 keys, Tone, Fuzz, Mode (sustain), and Decay rocker switches, plus a variable Bass Booster transporter-style lever. Back panel has Fine Tuning and Level Adjust trim POTs with an old T.V. style power cable. Two cracks on the control panel, some tape residue around the Tone switch, and one of the latches on the lid is missing. Otherwise, all original, great looking and sounding vintage analog piano bass synth in perfect working condition."

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RHEEM Kee Bass

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.

Previous RHEEM posts

Rheem Kee Bass

images via this auction

"The tone has so much muscle that with external effects you can achieve some very cool sounds. Its a mono-keyboard, which means you can only play one note at a time.. but it would be extremely muddy if you could play more than one. Just have to remember to tune before every performance, and to take it in every once in a while to make sure all the notes are in tune with each other. Sounds awesome overdriven through a loud and shitty bass amp. In its purist form it mimics the low-end of an organ but with less warbling or reediness. Also good for a very full 60's bass sound or something to hold down the low end in a buzzy synth band.

CONTROLS:
The bass boost lever boosts the bass (there's not much to it without the lever all the way up). The TONE switch chooses either a low fat bass or a brighter version. The difference is not immediately apparent unless you also have on the next switch... FUZZ which turns the tone nasty. MODE acts as a kind of attack envelope; SUSTAIN has a relatively short attack but still soft, while PERCUSSION creates a light percussive "pop" at the beginning of the note...very subtle but adds punch. DECAY set to "slow" will let the note fall away a bit after you take your finger off the key, while "fast" means the sound stops as soon as you lift up on the back, there are metal knobs to adjust FINE TUNING and LEVEL." Devo with the Rheem Kee Bass pictured below.

RHEEM KEE BASS

via this auction
"This is a Vintage 1960's Rheem Kee Bass. It sounds absolutely great. These have been used for all kinds of music, including bands as old as The Doors and as new as Black Moth Super Rainbow. It has been fully tested and is in great working condition. All keys, buttons, bass booster, on/off, output, light, level adjust., fine tuning, latches and handle work as they should. Cosmetically, it is in very good condition except for a couple of cracks in the satin flame wrap above the keys (see photos). The original power cable is included. Huge monophonic bass sounds."

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Sample Katra Vintage Synth Five Star Bundle Videos

Published on Sep 20, 2013

Remember you can skip through videos using the controls at the bottom of the video player. There are some good demos of synths you don't get to hear often including the Rheem Key Bass.

Get the samples here: http://www.samplekatra.com

"Video introduction of the Five Star Bundle by Sample Katra. Five Star Bundle is a suite of five vintage analogue synth Kontakt instruments."

Playlist:
Five Star Bundle by Sample Katra • Vintage analog synth instruments for Kontakt
Eclectic Piano by Sample Katra • Yamaha CP35 electric piano for Kontakt
Handclap Boss by Sample Katra • Boss HC2 Hand Clapper for Kontakt
Percussion Boss by Sample Katra • Boss HC2 Hand Clapper for Kontakt
Surreal Strings by Sample Katra • Yamaha SS30 string synth for Kontakt
K Bass by Sample Katra • Rheem Kee Bass synth for Kontakt

Rheem Kee Bass

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via this auction

"Rheem Keebass Kee Bass Vintage Organ Bass Synthesizer 1960's Japan"

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Vintage Rheem Kee Bass Combo Organ/Bass Synth w/ Case

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via this auction

"Vintage 1960's Rheem Kee Bass combo organ/bass synth. This is an awesoe sounding bass keyboard that is in great condition. Super smooth with huge low end thanks to the "Bass Boost" slider. Can get gritty with the built in Fuzz. Works great with the exception of the upper position of the Sustain and Percussion mode switch. We have another one of these that works perfectly, and honestly, there isn't much of a difference between the two settings anyway. Sounds great as is or would likely be a pretty simple fix. This is really one of my favorite bass keyboards and the tone sits perfectly in any track. Plus, it's about the coolest looking keyboard I've ever seen."

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RARE Vintage '60s Rheem Keyboard Bass

via this auction