Rhodes creating ‘its best keyboard yet’

In July, the chairman of Rhodes Music Group, Matt Pelling, announced that the company was rebranding. While the sound of the Rhodes piano remains popular, the brand has fallen out of the limelight over the past few years.

The company says that the look, feel and sound have all been finalised. Apart from sharing behind-the-scenes production photos, Rhodes has not given any information about the new look and sound.

“Compared to the old pianos, it’s got all the vibe and soul, but everything that wasn’t precisely built has been built with massive detail,” Rhodes chief product officer and long-time pianist Dan Goldman said. “I think it’s the ultimate collision of the vintage world and the modern world. I think what we’ve achieved in the last two years is going to blow people’s minds.” 

Rhodes Music Group has spent two years doing in-depth research and development on the instrument. Now operating in Leeds, UK, with its own factory, the company says it brought together several experts and Rhodes fanatics from around the world to work on the project.

The instrument will form part of the new management’s mission to honour Harold Rhodes’ legacy with the “best electric piano imaginable.”

When Pelling announced the rebranding, he said that the new company would “stay true to Rhodes’ heritage while future-proofing the Rhodes brand for new generations of artists”.

The Rhodes piano, also known as the Fender Rhodes piano after it was acquired by Fender, became popular in the 1970s. In 1987, Rhodes was sold to Roland, which manufactured digital versions of the piano without permission from Harold Rhodes, before he re-obtained the rights to the piano in 1997.