Pianet
Encyclopedia
The Pianet was a series of electric piano
s built by the Hohner
company of Trossingen, West Germany
from the 1960s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias
, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar
. The Pianet evolved from the earlier reed-based Hohner electric piano the "Cembalet" which like the Pianet was intended for home use.
Sound is generated by an array of metal reeds which are plucked by foam
pads impregnated with adhesive
(actually a proprietary viscous oil
) connected via metal rods to the keys so that, on pressing a key, the pad is released and makes the reed vibrate. An electrostatic pickup
consisting of a segmented vertical plate mounted orthogonal to and just beyond the ends of the reeds transmits the sound to an amplifier
. The Pianet's sound was piano-like, sharing sonic similarities to the Wurlitzer series of electric pianos as both relied on metal reeds as their sound source.
During its period of manufacture the Pianet was offered in a number of designs. The original valve-based model released in 1962 was simply named "Pianet", and it was soon followed by solid state versions Pianet C (also CF & CH), the lidless Pianet L with metal legs and built in speakers, and the ubiquitous Pianet N (versions I & II), which came with side mounted legs and an optional underbelly amplifier. The Pianet N was the final incarnation of the early Pianet. The early Pianets were distinguished in appearance by their lids which opened upright into a music stand. The first Pianet (Mark I) and the Pianet L had no additional effects or controls while the C and N models were equipped with a vibrato circuit (a switch mounted next to the keyboard). All Pianet models (except the L and Combo models) came with volume pedals. The Pianet soon found popularity with music groups of the 1960s, leading Hohner to produce the Combo model, designed for the performing musician, without legs, being designed to sit atop an organ
or acoustic piano
.
In the 1970s Hohner produced the final models; the Pianet M and T. These featured a change in design from electrostatic pickups and foam pads to passive pickups and rubber
pads as after a time the original foam pads were found to disintegrate. The reeds were also changed from the rough finish of the earlier type to a smooth finish. This resulted in a different sound, mellower than that of the early models, better suited to the sounds of the 1970's. While popular with semi-pro musicians due to its low price and portability, it made a limited impact on major recording artists, though some notable musicians such as Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie were proponents of the instrument. The M model, designed for home use, was built with a wooden case with internal speakers and a phaser circuit. The T model, most commonly found on the used market today, was again built for the gigging musician. It had no legs and in a departure from earlier models finished in wood veneer, is finished in black vinyl leathercloth. Its final breath came oddly as the Clavinet Duo model which combined a Clavinet (essentially an electric clavichord) with the Pianet T in one (albeit heavy) instrument. Production ceased by the early 1980s.
by The Zombies
, Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen
, Summer in the City
by The Lovin' Spoonful
, I Am The Walrus
, Getting Better
, and You Like Me Too Much
by The Beatles
, "This Guy's in Love With You
" by Herb Alpert
, "These Eyes" by The Guess Who
, and Joy to the World by Three Dog Night
. In the glam rock
era, the Pianet was used by Bryan Ferry
on the first few Roxy Music
albums, for instance featuring prominently in their hit Editions of You.
The Pianet is enjoying a renaissance (e.g. Bugge Wesseltoft
's Change) due to its unique sound and the availability of new pads for the earlier models, most of which had been reduced to unplayability due to pad decay. It is also popular as a substitute for the Wurlitzer electric piano
, which has a similar mechanism for generating sound but is typically much heavier, requires more maintenance than the Pianet, and is overall more expensive.
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
s built by the Hohner
Hohner
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
company of Trossingen, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
from the 1960s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias
Ernst Zacharias
Ernst Zacharias is a German musician and engineer. In the 1950s and 1960s, he invented various electro-mechanical musical instruments for the German musical instrument manufacturer Hohner, including the Cembalet, the Clavinet, the Guitaret, and the Pianet...
, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar
Lloyd Loar
Lloyd Allayre Loar was a Gibson sound engineer and master luthier in the early part of the 20th century. He is most famous for his F5 model mandolin, L5 guitar, H5 mandola, K5 mandocello, and A5 mandolin....
. The Pianet evolved from the earlier reed-based Hohner electric piano the "Cembalet" which like the Pianet was intended for home use.
Sound is generated by an array of metal reeds which are plucked by foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
pads impregnated with adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
(actually a proprietary viscous oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
) connected via metal rods to the keys so that, on pressing a key, the pad is released and makes the reed vibrate. An electrostatic pickup
Electrostatic pickup
An electrostatic pickup converts mechanical motion to an electrical signal by means of varying electrical capacitance. This type of pickup, in which the moving plate is a vibrating metal reed, is used in some types of electronic pianos and organs as an inexpensive method of generating...
consisting of a segmented vertical plate mounted orthogonal to and just beyond the ends of the reeds transmits the sound to an amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
. The Pianet's sound was piano-like, sharing sonic similarities to the Wurlitzer series of electric pianos as both relied on metal reeds as their sound source.
During its period of manufacture the Pianet was offered in a number of designs. The original valve-based model released in 1962 was simply named "Pianet", and it was soon followed by solid state versions Pianet C (also CF & CH), the lidless Pianet L with metal legs and built in speakers, and the ubiquitous Pianet N (versions I & II), which came with side mounted legs and an optional underbelly amplifier. The Pianet N was the final incarnation of the early Pianet. The early Pianets were distinguished in appearance by their lids which opened upright into a music stand. The first Pianet (Mark I) and the Pianet L had no additional effects or controls while the C and N models were equipped with a vibrato circuit (a switch mounted next to the keyboard). All Pianet models (except the L and Combo models) came with volume pedals. The Pianet soon found popularity with music groups of the 1960s, leading Hohner to produce the Combo model, designed for the performing musician, without legs, being designed to sit atop an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
or acoustic piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
In the 1970s Hohner produced the final models; the Pianet M and T. These featured a change in design from electrostatic pickups and foam pads to passive pickups and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
pads as after a time the original foam pads were found to disintegrate. The reeds were also changed from the rough finish of the earlier type to a smooth finish. This resulted in a different sound, mellower than that of the early models, better suited to the sounds of the 1970's. While popular with semi-pro musicians due to its low price and portability, it made a limited impact on major recording artists, though some notable musicians such as Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie were proponents of the instrument. The M model, designed for home use, was built with a wooden case with internal speakers and a phaser circuit. The T model, most commonly found on the used market today, was again built for the gigging musician. It had no legs and in a departure from earlier models finished in wood veneer, is finished in black vinyl leathercloth. Its final breath came oddly as the Clavinet Duo model which combined a Clavinet (essentially an electric clavichord) with the Pianet T in one (albeit heavy) instrument. Production ceased by the early 1980s.
Users
Early Pianets were used on a number of hit recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including She's Not ThereShe's Not There
"She's Not There" is the debut single by the British pop band The Zombies. It reached number twelve in the UK Singles Chart in August 1964, and became a top-ten hit in the United States...
by The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
, Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen is a 1960s garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks...
, Summer in the City
Summer in the City
"Summer in the City" is the title of a song recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful, written by Mark Sebastian and Steve Boone. It came from their album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1966...
by The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
, I Am The Walrus
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
, Getting Better
Getting Better
"Getting Better" is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon . It was recorded by The Beatles for the 1967 album Sgt...
, and You Like Me Too Much
You Like Me Too Much
"You Like Me Too Much" is a song by The Beatles written by George Harrison, that was recorded on 17 February 1965. It was first released on the Help! album in the United Kingdom and on Beatles VI in the United States, both in 1965....
by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, "This Guy's in Love With You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
" by Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
, "These Eyes" by The Guess Who
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
, and Joy to the World by Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
. In the glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
era, the Pianet was used by Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
on the first few Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
albums, for instance featuring prominently in their hit Editions of You.
The Pianet is enjoying a renaissance (e.g. Bugge Wesseltoft
Bugge Wesseltoft
Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft is a Norwegian jazz musician, pianist, composer and producer. He has his own label named Jazzland Records. In the 1990s, Bugge has made a transition from Nordic jazz traditions exemplified by the ECM record label to a style sometimes referred to as "future jazz" or...
's Change) due to its unique sound and the availability of new pads for the earlier models, most of which had been reduced to unplayability due to pad decay. It is also popular as a substitute for the Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, which has a similar mechanism for generating sound but is typically much heavier, requires more maintenance than the Pianet, and is overall more expensive.