Post #324556 by tiki mick on Thu, Aug 9, 2007 5:35 PM

I am thinking around 5 grand. That's what I heard. However, the sound is like nothing else. The coolest thing is, unless you own one of the older ones (they stopped making them in the early 80s, I think) they have not created any new models in 25 years! All you can find are sample based digital keyboards, but no matter how good, they never capture the nuances or visceral feel of the real thing. For anyone who does not know, a Fender Rhodes piano is an acoustic-electrical instrument consisting of a regular hammer-action keyboard striking metal 'tuning forks'. This gives it a celeste style tone acoustically, but since there are pick-ups under each tone bar, the sounds you can make transcends the original tone in a huge way. Some early pioneers on this instrument were Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul and herbert Hancock, but of course this instrument was used on countless records by so many artists. it's a signature sound, much like the Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano (used on many supertramp songs) or the Hohner Clavinet (Zep's "trampled under foot" or Stevie Wonder's "superstition".)

As you can tell, I am pretty fascinated by non-digital keyboards!!