Harold Rhodes' genius devised an asymetric variant on the basic idea. This has a number of advantages. Most of the vibrating amplitude is concentrated in one tunable slender wand or tine. The other arm of the fork is more rigid, facilitating an accurate method of mounting. Since it vibrates less, its pitch is not so critical, only the tine needing provision for adjustment.

The tine is removable, for easy replacement. This is needed as the high vibrating amplitude makes breakage common with heavy playing. A system of pickups is used, requiring no sound board. Volume is thus limited only by amplifier power available. For recording, a direct connection is possible, avoiding ambient noise & problem acoustics.

This instrument deservedly took the music world by storm, becoming almost as ubiquitous as the Hammond organ. Its mellow, laid back tone & distinctive strike harmonics have been heard on many milestone records over the years. Popularity for many types of music is undiminished.

Lighter than the Hammond, it is easily carried, although it helps to have The Incredible Hulk as a friend. Weight of the 88 key Stage model is 66 Kilos, less for the 73. The 54 key version is not so popular although, being more lightly built, it can be carried by one person.

The Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano, this is basically the same model as the Rhodes Mark One. What we call the MK3 action, all plastic hammers with neoprene tips & aluminium action frame.

This one has a Pratt Read keyboard, with one piece key tops.

The main differences are cosmetic, the harp cover is flat with ribs, in place of the popular 'round top'. This enables another keyboard to be stacked on top, unfortunately this often results in unsightly scratches. If possible, choose one without these, unless it is otherwise in worse condition. It also has a large projecting lip above the control panel, part of the music rest.

The famous Stereo Suitcase models have a second cabinet with four 12 inch speakers & two 40 Watt amplifiers. This forms a base for the keyboard, in place of the Stage model's legs.

Stereophonic tremolo is included, the makers call it 'Vibrato'. This switches the signal from one pair of speakers to the other in 'ping pong' manner, a surprisingly effective sound. Later versions use an updated pre-amplifier, with five pin coupling lead, integrated circuits & slide controls. The tremolo is not as good, older models are more sought after.

Over the years a number of devices have been made to add ping pong tremolo to the Stage models, some are good. Some effects units have an 'auto pan' feature, although similiar in principle, these do not sound the same. All is not lost however, see elsewhere on this site.

Amplification.

A common question we are asked is "what is the best type of amplifier for a Rhodes Piano". As with many such questions there is no definitive answer, but an amplifier must satisfy a number of requirements. It must be able to handle the wide frequency range of a keyboard instrument, especially with the 88 models. It should also be able to handle the pure, sine wave like, sound without distortion. At least up to sufficient volume for the situation. Many well known amplifiers can do the job, many more can't.

Starting with valves (tubes): The Fender Twin Reverb is often suggested as the ideal amplifier. It certainly is reasonably loud & clean, but falls short at the bass end. Its open back design causes phase cancellation at lower frequencies, it is designed for lead guitar.

It does have two twelve inch speakers & one hundred Watts of output. This is the best specification for the instrument, many players find the twin suits them just fine. If the bass end is important a sealed twin enclosure would be better, possibly one intended for bass guitar. Not with most standard 15 inch speakers though, these can't reproduce the treble.

A strong clue can be gathered from the suitcase model, this has four 12 inch speakers driven by two forty or fifty Watt amplifiers. It is difficult to do better than this. Twelve inch cones are light and stiff enough to handle the highest note. Four have enough area to move a lot of air for the bottom end. So a 4 by 12 or two 2 by twelves are an ideal.

I tune & set up pianos using two Tannoy Monitor Red cabinets. Each has a fifteen inch speaker, with a co-axial horn driver sharing the same magnet. Each enclosure is eight and a third cubic foot bass reflex. When a suitcase top is then connected to its own cabinet the treble is actually louder.

This is because the 12 inch speakers are not 'High Fi', they are optimised to suit the piano. They do not need a response going far beyond the top note. Speakers designed for full range guitar are also usually suitable.

We have tried a Marshall 4 X 12" cabinet which works fairly well, its internal volume is limited so bass is not too strong. Marshall amplifiers are not usually ideal, they are again designed for guitar, easily driven into distortion.

The Roland Jazz Chorus-120 (JC-120) works well & sounds good. Its acoustic chorus is effective with the piano sound. Again it is open backed, so the bass end is weak.

To be continued...

Safety.

The Stage piano is not powered, it therefore has no integral safety issues. Mains safety is controlled by the amplification equipment it is connected to.

The Suitcase model has a three conductor American mains connector & includes an earth connection.