9. History: The story behind the Electro 2 instruments
NORD ELECTRO 2 V2.0x
As shown here, Rhodes electric pianos had a different key-mechanism design than what was used in Wurlitzer electric pianos. The Rhodes mechanism was of simpler construction.
The Rhodes Mark II is very similar in design to the Mark I. The differences include an improved mechanical design, plastic hammers with neoprene rubber instead of felt. The keys were made of plastic and metal; previously, wood was used.
A Rhodes electric piano shown under-the-hood. The basic patent in the Rhodes comprised the tine, or metallic asymmetric tuning fork, which made the actual tone. The upper metal parts are the legs of the tuning forks; the underneath parts comprise the tines. The black part mounted on one of the upper tuning forks helps alleviate unwanted harmonics.
This shows quite well the tuning-fork design with the tines. This model features plastic hammers with neoprene tips. The dampers are underneath the tines. Note the springs attached to each tine. Moving them tuned the note. The coils are the white things to the left in the figure. The photo also shows the solution for tuning lower notes when the leg of the tuning fork needs to be curved to get the right balance and tone (top of picture).
Here is another viewing angle that illustrates the action of a Rhodes electric piano's mechanics. The lower note has been hit and the damper is now muting the decay. A secondary note is going to be hit. You also can see the magnet tip. In this case, the piano has been adjusted to "deep" timbre. You can see that the tine is set a bit above the center of the magnet tip.
