Keeping keyboard plugin spikes from killing?

I can't seem to keep volume spikes from jumping into clipping territory when playing Scarbee Fender Rhodes via ES24 , with the (incredible) Overloud Vintage Keyboard FX in the channel strip, and its preamp component purposely set hot so as to get the hot-rodded Fender Rhodes sound (per their instructions).

I'd hate to take the guts out of the Scarbee or the VKFX, since they sound so great together and are a killer deep resource, but when I'm playing and dig in there are spikes that go up into and over clipping range. Just quick transient spikes. And they bruise everyone's eardrums for a brief time, even tough I'm not playing loud overall.

I have done the following (though not all at once): set the velocity to limit at 110 in MainStage's controller filter graph, lowered the velocity curve of my actual keyboard controller, tried a few keyboards, inserted compressor and fiddled, inserted limiter and fiddled, loaded only the 4-voice samples thinking that maybe by not using the 12-voice samples I'll lose the spiking layer (nada), lowered the ES24 volume, lowered the channel strip, but would have to lower the regular volume to a barely audible level in order to compensate for the spikes I get. Yes, I am a pretty hard player, because I've played keys for many years and can dig in, but haven't had this issues with other Logic instruments. It's ok without the VKFX but once you use that there's no going back, and I should be able to use a plug after all.

Maybe the right compressors or limiter settings would help; I've messed with that, but it's complex and maybe I didn't get the right settings. I also don't want to kill the characteristic Rhodes attack sound, or the bark sound. Maybe it's something else.

Appreciate any help on this; I've done a lot but still spiked.

Neil