RMI electric piano - harpsicord
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RMI electric piano - harpsicord
I know... not a synth. Are these worth checking out? There's one selling locally and it seems like an interesting piece of equipment but I don't know much about electric pianos.
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If it's the RMI Electrapiano (which has a Harpsichord preset) and you've never heard one, Ron Mael used one with Sparks around 1974 on the 'Kimono My House' album - notably on 'This Town Ain't Big Enough'. I'm pretty sure Ray Manzarek used one on The Doors' 'Waiting for the Sun', too.
It's certainly one of the more unique sounding electronic pianos - well worth checking out in my opinion.
According to Peter Forrest's A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, it doesn't use divide-down technology like a lot of early electronic pianos, but an oscillator for each voice - something to bear in mind in terms of repairs/maintenance.
If it's the RMI Electrapiano (which has a Harpsichord preset) and you've never heard one, Ron Mael used one with Sparks around 1974 on the 'Kimono My House' album - notably on 'This Town Ain't Big Enough'. I'm pretty sure Ray Manzarek used one on The Doors' 'Waiting for the Sun', too.
It's certainly one of the more unique sounding electronic pianos - well worth checking out in my opinion.
According to Peter Forrest's A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, it doesn't use divide-down technology like a lot of early electronic pianos, but an oscillator for each voice - something to bear in mind in terms of repairs/maintenance.
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I've played a few of these, but it has been a couple of years...
One thing to keep in mind is that the electrapiano didn't have any sort of velocity or touch sensitivity (can anyone confirm this?). It does have a nice warm sound, and it would give you a unique edge.
The RMIs were popular with the prog-rock guys, and it's all over Yessongs, most noticeably on the harpsichord solo in Siberian Khatru.
One thing to keep in mind is that the electrapiano didn't have any sort of velocity or touch sensitivity (can anyone confirm this?). It does have a nice warm sound, and it would give you a unique edge.
The RMIs were popular with the prog-rock guys, and it's all over Yessongs, most noticeably on the harpsichord solo in Siberian Khatru.
Do the funky Alphonzo.
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If you ask me.. Its a synth!
anyways, I've got one and play it all the time. If your looking to fuzz it up a bit I've found the Fender Blender reissue to work with it perfectly. The pedal takes lots of tweaking but its well worth it. Tony banks had one built right into his RMIs cabinet.
Also, I would not buy one if it does not come with the pedal unit. The amp envelopes on mine do not close correctly unless its plugged in.
anyways, I've got one and play it all the time. If your looking to fuzz it up a bit I've found the Fender Blender reissue to work with it perfectly. The pedal takes lots of tweaking but its well worth it. Tony banks had one built right into his RMIs cabinet.
Also, I would not buy one if it does not come with the pedal unit. The amp envelopes on mine do not close correctly unless its plugged in.




