LOUNGE LIZARD RHODES SERIES

The result is a very expressive instrument with a characteristic smooth tone which can also be made to growl or bark when played harder and the pickups introduce nonlinear distortion. The vibrations of the tine bar are picked up by an electromagnetic pickup and sent to an amplifier, very much like in an electric guitar. It acts as a resonator adding sustain to the sound. The other part of the fork, parallel to the tine, is called the tonebar. The struck portion of the fork is called the tine and is made of stiff steel wire. A note played on the keyboard releases a damper and activates a felt-tipped hammer which hits a metal bar having the shape of a tuning fork. The mechanism of an electric piano is relatively simple. In the recent years, the electric piano has enjoyed a resurgence through its extensive use in rock, jazz, fusion, hip hop, R&B, and house. It has been popularised in thousands of songs by legendary musicians and bands such as Ray Charles, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Supertramp and many others. The electric piano, with its distinctive sound, has marked the history or rock and jazz in the sixties and seventies. In 1955, the EP-100 piano was released and followed by many other models until 1982. The Wurlitzer company became interested in this idea but replaced the piano strings by metal reeds. In the thirties, the inventor Ben Meissner had developed an electrostatic pickup design he used to amplify a conventional upright piano. Harold Rhodes was not the only one to work on the electric piano.

LOUNGE LIZARD RHODES SERIES

From then different models were introduced including the Mark series as well as the two 88-note Suitcase and Stage models until 1984 when production ceased. But it is not until 1965, after the takeover of Fender by CBS, that the instrument really came to life when a 73-note model was released. The electric piano as we know it today grew out of a partnership between Harold Rhodes and Leo Fender who released a 32-note version of the instrument. The first instruments he built were made of aircraft pieces and were intended to entertain army servicemen. The electric piano was invented by Harold Rhodes (1910-2000) during the forties when he was in the army.

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