Re: Fender Rhodes

Tony Reid (t-bird@salata.com)
19 Feb 97 15:41:36 -0800


da> Anyone know when the "Fender Rhodes Mark I" and the "Fender Rhodes
da> Mark II" were manufactured?
da> Probably in the early 70's or in the end of the 60's, but I want the
da> exact years.

i'm completely guessing here, but since i *do* know that the (harold) rhodes
electric piano is part of wartime (wwII) technology (it was intended for
theraputic piano lessons--made w/spare parts, so to speak), i would guess
that maybe we'd be talking about the 50's or *early* 60's--paging mr. r.
scott, paging mr. r. scott...

da> I have also heard that Frank Zappa was one of the first musicians to
da> use the Rhodes on a recording... but who is the very first user?

again guesses, but i'm pretty sure that ray charles' "what'd i say" was
recorded in the early 60's (remember that elbis--intentional typo--covered
this tune when he was still considered cool, so i would guess frank was
still
in high school at the time) on a rhodes--or was that a wurlitzer? of
course,
if it was a wurlitzer, then the rhodes would already have been in existence
for some time meaning... that someone else even *earlier* had probably
recorded w/the rhodes! pretty involved for a guess, huh?

da> It's quite hard to find serious information about that lovely
da> instrument that almost every "Acidjazzer" are familiar with. I have
da> visited the page with the Rhodes technical manual, but I didn't find
da> the answers to the questions above.

my suggestion would be to contact keyboard magazine, and see who they
recommend as an authority--they've done many articles on vintage
instruments.

t-bird