Page 2: Rhodes MK8

Playing The MK8

The testing room in the Rhodes factory was set up with a variety of different Rhodes: a Mark 5, a Mark 1 ‘suitcase’, a Mark 2 and a MIDI‑equipped Mark 7 that had been extensively modified by Dan. Completing the circle of Rhodes were two MK8 prototypes, one very stylish with an olive green lid and the walnut case option, the other the main testing prototype which was finished in standard black Tolex. Sitting down at this piano, the massive step up in quality from all previous Rhodes was obvious. The standard of Tolex finish and the painting of the lid are top‑class, and the keybed really does feel like it comes from a Steinway.

Sitting down at this piano, the massive step up in quality from all previous Rhodes was obvious.

And how did it play? The MK8 is a beast of a Rhodes, with tons of bark and bite across the register. Getting back to the classic, warmer Fender Rhodes sound from the early ’70s certainly seems to have been the priority and the tone reflects that, as does the built‑in EQ: the treble dial in the front rail unit sounds calibrated more to control the high‑mid frequencies in which the Rhodes bark is most prominent, so those looking for a Dyno‑style treble boost will be disappointed (to be fair, no‑one has used that sound since 1987). The mid EQ allows all sorts of sound‑sculpting possibilities even before the envelope follower is introduced. The modulation and mixing options on the tremolo section are really incredibly musical, and I could quite happily have sat experimenting with this synth‑Rhodes until late into the night. But eventually remembering that the purpose of our visit was to review the instrument and not to inflict my Jan Hammer tribute on Dan’s staff, I managed to turn the tremolo dial back down to zero and get my lab coat back on. In order that we could hear right into the soul of the MK8, Dan kindly agreed to bypass the electronics and take a feed straight off the harp into one of the test amps.

In the midrange, the MK8 was still barking away like crazy. But I made sure first to test sustain pedal response, one of the most difficult things to get right on a Rhodes. Press down sustain pedal, play wide‑span random chord, release chord, then release pedal very gently. The occasional hanging note while half‑pedalling is very hard to eliminate, but if this is happening on multiple notes, and if certain octaves are unbalanced, then there is a problem. The MK8 performed admirably here, with clean, even note cutoffs. The stopping power of the dampers was also extremely good across the board, so that even the hardest staccato hit was stopped dead. All Dan’s attention to detail with the damper arms and felts has paid off.

Escapement on a Rhodes is the distance between hammer tip and tine after the tine has been struck, but with the key still fully depressed. Due to the wide swing of Rhodes tines, especially low down, it is not really feasible to set the action to play as sensitively as that of an acoustic piano. It is possible to spend a very long time as a tech walking the line between a sensitive action on one hand and ‘spud’ notes on the other. Escapement is a matter of taste, however, and there are plenty of players who like it set with a bit in reserve. This is how Dan had set the test MK8 up, so it was a fraction high for me, but with the luxurious feel of that keybed under my hands it still felt amazing. Later I was shown a MK8 in the workshop with a lower escapement setting, so there is definitely scope for adjusting touch sensitivity to taste.

In terms of the basics of voicing, there are different schools of thought about how close the pickup head should sit to the tine and how high the tine should rest in relation to the pickup head, as well as how these two adjustments should vary across the keyboard range. Tine height regulates the ratio of fundamental and harmonics in a note. A setting too high will result in a dull, muddy sound, while a setting too low will sound nasal as excessive second harmonic is introduced. Even further and the note will jump an octave! The distance the tine is set from the pickup regulates volume and dynamic, with a closer setting giving more of both, but an overly aggressive adjustment in a search for extra bite can result in the tine striking the pickup head when hit hard. The MK8 was voiced very close, with a really nice harmonic mix, and in my brief experiment with pickup placement and tine voicing, I found the changes in timbre and volume vary pretty much as they do on an original Rhodes. Tine sustain was mostly consistent across the board: just a few tonebar clips, which increase sustain on treble tone generators, had been needed in the top octave.

Selling Points

So if you are in the market for a top‑quality electro‑mechanical piano, does the MK8 represent a good buy? It carries a high price tag, but compared to buying an original Rhodes, it has a number of advantages. First, the last Rhodes came out of the factory in 1985, so by now, most examples are in need of a major overhaul which can cost a considerable sum. With a MK8 all the components are brand new, and many, such as the keybed, electronics and case, are of far superior quality to the original. And you get basically a Mark 5 action — try finding one of those for a reasonable price in anything like playable condition! Second, customer service. Dan is very keen to build a good relationship with MK8 owners, as well as the wider Rhodes community, so there will be the opportunity to talk through the initial setup of your MK8 prior to purchase as well as plenty of tech support afterwards.

Third, the name rail electronics. To match these with another piano, you would need to budget for a few Moogerfoogers, and then still be lacking the firmware updates and the directness of the name‑rail controls. Fourth, price differential. Even though the MK8 is expensive, original Rhodes have risen so much in price over the last couple of years that the difference is nowhere near what it would have been three or four years ago. Fifth, options to customise. You will be able to specify lid/pedal colour, Tolex, case material, and whether the name rail should be black or silver. Then throw in the ability to fill up the right‑hand side of the name rail with effects, and maybe add to your MK8 with future innovations from the factory. Sixth, convenience. The clever integrated stand and the weight reduction, the relocation of the audio outputs and the new sustain pedal all make the MK8 very easy to live with. Seventh, and last but not least, supporting local industry and innovation. The new Rhodes company has the potential to change how music manufacturing works in the UK, as well as offering a template business model for genuine reproduction of any sought‑after vintage musical instrument.