Talk:Rhodes piano/GA2

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I researched and wrote most of it together with inventor and creator Harold Rhodes himself as well as Joe Zawinul among others back in 1996. As you can see we have numerous approvals and praises from both the Rhodes family as well as many other prominent people in the Rhodes history, if you read through the site. I still have contact with people who worked with Harold Rhodes at the factory as well as many of the prominent artists playing Rhodes. I've played and worked with Rhodes pianos for 40 years, and am the Rhodes Supersites lead historian since nearly 20 years. Many of the facts and sources on the Wiki page are completely wrong and full of guesses. I won't waste any energy in trying to correct all, so please be aware you are spreading lots of disinformation to many people wanting to know about the Rhodes. I see no reason for this and I think is is just very sad. Frederik Adlers www.fenderrhodes.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fregot (talk • contribs) 02:14, 6 March 2014 (UTC) I've been working with the Rhodes for almost 40 years. 18 years ago, in 1996, after extensive research and contributions by Harold Rhodes himself, Steve Woodyard, Mike Peterson, John McLaren and others from the company and factory, I also together with James Garfield founded the Rhodes Supersite. Among significant people I've been in contact with are Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, George Duke and many, many others. I'm running one of Europes more famous workshops serving between 50-100 pianos each year all over northern Europe. I'm a official service center for Major key ( The original factory in Fullerton ), Rhodes Music Corporation ( The Mark 7 ) as well as the new Vintage Vibe pianos. My articles have since nearly 20 years been published in music magazines over the world. Besides talking to the inventor and his closest men, all of the significant musicians I have met through the years, I also have a vast collection of manuals, memorabilia, all the old Fender catalogues, archives of Keyboard Magazine and Down Beat. It is with sadness I read the Rhodes Piano page here on Wikipedia, since it never has been as bad as it is today. Nearly ever sentence contains mistakes and wrong facts, I'm afraid. I have no wish to go into arguments about this nor have I the time or desire to go into the complicated process Wikipedia uses to change contents and question what's been published. Many of the sources and references cited in the text have "borrowed" or distorted facts and whole sentences from my writings and the www.fenderrhodes.com. Hopefully this will be corrected by you pople who I guess strive to keep Wikipedia a great source of true information and facts. I will post a corrected version of the present text. You can do as you wish with tit, but it will be of much better use for your readers. Fregot (talk) 11:06, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Rhodes piano From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rhodes piano

A Rhodes Mark II Manufactured by Harold Rhodes (1946 - 1959) ( Not a Rhodes piano. The Pre Piano was manufactured by Harold Rhodes Hollywood INC. 1946-48 ) Fender Electric Instrument Company (1959 - 1965) CBS(1965 - 1983) William Schultz (1983 - 1987) Roland Corporation (1987 - 1991) Rhodes Music Corporation (1997 - present) ( 2007-2010) Dates 1946 ("Pre piano") 1959 (Piano bass) 1965 (Fender Rhodes Electric Piano) 1970 (MkI Stage and Suitcase models) 1979 (MkII) 1984 (Mk V) 1987 (Roland Rhodes MK 80) ( Not a Rhodes piano ) 2007 (Mark 7) Technical specifications Polyphony Full Oscillator Induced current from a pickup Synthesis type Electromechanical Effects Tremolo, stereo auto-pan, EQ ( Only on Suitcase models ) Input/output Keyboard 73 or 88 keys External control Line out or DIN/XLR connector to external amp / speaker board Sustain pedal The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano or simply Fender Rhodes or Rhodes) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became particularly popular throughout the 1970s. It generates sound using keys and hammers in a similar but simpler manner as an acoustic piano, but the rubber or felt hammer tips strike metal tines, which are then amplified via individual electromagnetic pickups. The instrument evolved from Rhodes inventing a keyboard instrument ( the Army Air Corps piano ) that could be taught to and played in hospital beds by handicapped and wounded soldiers during World War II. These instrument were built with parts from scrapped airplanes, and development continued after the war by founding Harold Rhodes Hollywood Inc. and releasing the Pre Piano. After a long absence during the -50’s, Rhodes together with Fender started marketing the Piano Bass, a cut-down version of the piano, but the full-size instrument did not appear until after the sale to CBS in 1965. CBS oversaw mass production of the Rhodes piano in the 1970s, and it was used extensively through the decade, in all kinds of music. It fell out of fashion for a while in the 1980s, principally due to the emergence of polyphonic and later digital synthesizers, especially the Yamaha DX7, even though much research and improvements were performed which led to the MkV in 1984. The company was eventually sold to Roland, who invited Rhodes to design and educate their team in Tokyo, but eventually manufactured digital versions of the piano that Rhodes disapproved of and rejected. In the 1990s, the instrument enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, resulting in Rhodes re-obtaining the rights to the piano in 1997. Although he died in 2000, a new version of the instrument was reissued for a while in 2007 , and his teaching methods are still receiving active use. Contents

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• 1 Features • 2 History o 2.1 Early models o 2.2 Under CBS o 2.3 Later models o 2.4 After CBS o 2.5 Dyno My Piano • 3 Notable users • 4 See also • 5 References • 6 External links Features[edit]

The Rhodes piano generates its sound by hammers hitting swaged metal tines mounted in Tone Generator Kits

	Rhodes Mark I Tube amp

MENU 0:00 A Rhodes Mark I played on a tube amplifier(overdriven). ________________________________________ Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Rhodes piano features a keyboard with a simpler layout than an acoustic piano, the original models contain 73 keys and there are also 88 key versions. The touch and action of the keyboard is designed to be as close to an acoustic piano as possible. Pressing a key results in a hammer striking a metal tine attached to a tone bar resembling an assymetrical tuning fork, known as a tone generator kit. The vibrations from the tine are picked up by a pickup, in front of the tine, which induces an electric current in a similar manner to an electric guitar. The basic mechanical act of hitting tines do need an external power supply since it will make a very quiet sound if not plugged into an amplifier. The Suitcase models of Rhodes include a built-in power amplifier and a pre-amp with an EQ and the famous Stereo Vibrato that is actually an auto-pan that bounces the output signal from the piano in stereo across two speakers.[5]This feature is mistakenly called "vibrato" (which is a variation in pitch) on some models to be consistent with the labelling on Fender amplifiers. Although the Rhodes has a resemblance to an acoustic piano, its sound is very different.[5] The sound produced by the tines has a more mellow timbre,[6] and can be varied depending on the postiton of the tine to the pickup. Putting the two close together increases dynamics. The instrument's sound is related to the Wurlitzer electric piano, which uses a technology where the hammers strike metal reeds instead of tines. The Rhodes has its own characteristics, and the Wurlitzer produces its own sdignificant harmonics when the keys are played hard, giving it a "bite" that is called “bark” on the Rhodes. History[edit] Early models[edit]

A version of the Pre Piano, for home use and teaching Rhodes started teaching piano when he was 19. He dropped out of studying at the University of Southern California in 1929 to support his family through the great depression by full-time teaching. As a teacher, he designed a method that combined classical and jazz music which became popular across the United States, and for a while had his own hour-long nationally syndicated radio show. Rhodes continued to teach the piano through his lifetime, and the piano method continues to be taught today by a team led by Joseph Brandsetter By 1942, Rhodes was working for the Army Air Corps, where he was asked to devise a teaching program to provide therapy for soldiers recovering from combat in hospital. Some of them were unable to sit and play a common acoustic pianos, so he decided to develop a miniature keyboard instrument that was made from parts from airplanes. Rhodes won a Medal of Honor award for his achievements during the war and sequently created an new electric model into production for homes and piano teachers during the 1950s. These were called "Pre-Piano". In 1959, Rhodes entered a joint venture with Leo Fender to manufacture the instruments. Fender, however, disliked the higher tones of the pre-piano, and decided to limit manufacturing to a keyboard bass using the bottom 32 notes, known as the "Piano Bass". The instrument introduced the design that would become common to subsequent Rhodes pianos, with the same tolex covered body as Fender amplifiers and a fiberglass lid. The lids came from a neighbouring boat manufacturer who supplied whatever colour happened to be available; consequently a number of different coloured piano basses went into production. Under CBS[edit]

A 73 note Fender Rhodes Electric Piano ( Sparkletop ) Fender was bought by CBS in 1965.] Harold Rhodes stayed with the company, and released the first Fender Rhodes piano, a 73 note model. The instrument came in two components - the piano itself, and an accompanying power amplifier and speaker, which sat underneath it. Like the piano bass, it was finished in beige or black tolex, and came with a fiberglass lid. During the late 1960s, some models of the Fender Rhodes Celeste could also be ordered, using different parts of the top and middle octaves respectively of the Fender Rhodes piano. The Celestes were exclusively made and were made in small numbers and are now hard to find. The Student and Instructor models were also introduced in the late 1960s. They were designed to teach the piano in the classroom. By connecting the output of a network of student models, the teacher could listen to each student in isolation on the instructor model, and send an audio backing track to them. This allowed the teacher to monitor individual students' progress. In 1969, the MkI series were introduced featuring the now most common 73-note Stage Piano. It was a lighter and more portable alternative to the existing two-piece model, featuring four detachable legs (from Fender pedal steel guitars), a sustain pedal and a single output jack to hook up any external amplification. The amplified version continued to be sold alongside the new Stage model and was named the MkI Suitcase Piano, both with alternate 88 note models also becoming available. Later models[edit]

The Rhodes Mk V was the last model to be released by the original Rhodes corporation During the 1970s, various internal improvements were made to the construction and amplifier, with the result that some players prefer Rhodes pianos manufactured during a specific timetrame. In 1971, the hammer tips began to be manufactured out of neoprene rubber instead of felt, in order to increase their lifespan. In 1975, the harp block which supported the tines was changed from wood to aluminum. Although this made production cheaper, it altered the tone of the instrument, to the extent that enthusiasts prefer to seek out the earlier models. In 1977, the power amplifier design was changed from an 80 to a 100 watt model. The Mk II model was introduced in late 1979, which was simply a set of cosmetic changes over the most recent Mk I models. The Rhodes Mk III EK-10 was a combination electric piano / synthesizer instrument, introduced when CBS brought ARP Instruments in 1981. It used analog oscillators and filters alongside the existing electromechanical elements. The overall effect was that of a Rhodes piano and a synthesizer being played simultaneously. The instrument was unreliable with a problematic production, particularly when a shipment of 150 units to Japan caused interference with the local television reception. Compared with the new polyphonic synthesizers being marketed at the same time it was limited in scope and sound, and very few units were sold. The final Rhodes produced by the original company was the Mk V in 1984. Among other improvements, it had a lighter plastic body and an improved action that increased the dynamic range. The Mark V is not built into a wooden case, therefore somehow more delicate for touring musicians to transport to gigs. One of the problems with the production was the big demand and low budget, leading to slight variations in quality. Collectors are advised to take care when buying a second hand instrument. After CBS[edit] In 1983, Rhodes was sold to the CBS boss William Schultz, who closed down the main factory in 1984 and subsequently sold the trademark to Roland in 1987. Roland manufactured digital pianos under the Rhodes name, but Harold Rhodes, who went to Japan to help start production, disapproved of the final instruments.

The Rhodes Mark 7 was released in 2007 Rhodes subsequently re-acquired the rights to the instrument in 1997. However, by this time he was in ill health and died in December 2000. In 2007, the new company Rhodes Music Corporation introduced a new version of the original electric piano, called the Rhodes Mark 7. This version of the Rhodes was housed in a molded plastic housing. Dyno My Piano[edit] During the late 1970s and 1980s, Chuck Monte developed an after-market modification to the Rhodes, known as "Dyno My Piano". It was inspired by the famous ‘E-Rhodes’ and it consisted of a series of alterations and additions to further enhance the sound. It included damper modifications, tone regulation, a custom eq, sometimes a lever that moved the harp back and forth, making the hammers strike the tines in different spots, and some other additional electronics. A similar sound was later produced by the Yamaha DX7 with a patch (known as the DX7 Rhodes) that made it very popular during in 1983, this caused the sound to keep the sound alive and gain new life. Notable users[edit] The first notable Rhodes user was The Doors' Ray Manzarek, since the group had no bass player, so he decided to play the bass parts on a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass with one hand, while playing organ with the other. The Rhodes piano became a popular instrument in jazz in the late 1960s, particularly for several sideman who played with Miles Davis. Herbie Hancock first encountered the instrument in 1968 while booked for a session with Davis. He immediately became an enthusiast, noting that the amplification allowed him to be heard better in groups when compared to the acoustic piano. Hancock continued to experiment with the Rhodes over many years, including playing it through a wah wah. Another former Davis sideman, Chick Corea started using the Rhodes prominently during the 1970s, as did Weather Report founder Josef Zawinul. Zawinul favoured the sound of the Rhodes over the Wurlitzer, because it had a fuller and rich tone. From 1969's In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew onwards, the Rhodes became the most prominent keyboard on Davis' recordings until the mid-1970s. Billy Preston has been described as "The Ruler of the Rhodes" by Music Radar magazine, and played one during The Beatles' rooftop concert in 1969, and on the group's hit single Get Back. Many of Stevie Wonder's recordings from the 1970s feature him playing the Rhodes, often alongside the Hohner Clavinet. Donny Hathaway regularly used the Rhodes. His hit single, This Christmas, which receives seasonal radio play on African American stations, makes a prominent use of the instrument. Although first known for playing the Wurlitzer, Ray Charles switched to playing the Rhodes in the -60’s and his performance of "Shake A Tailfeather" in the film The Blues Brothers is a classic. Fregot (talk) 11:06, 8 March 2014 (UTC)