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Description
The Electra Piano is one of the lesser-known keyboards designed by Ernst Zacharias for Hohner. A patent for the action design was awarded to him in 1969, and the diagrams show what is in effect a fusion of a Rhodes and a Wurlitzer. It has individual tuning fork-style tone generators, but with a reed instead of a tine. Each assembly is mounted on rubber, and an electromagnetic pickup is mounted on a section of the tonebar which bends down to the side of the vibrating end of the reed. This can be bent towards or away from the reed to determine volume and dynamics. The action design is very similar to that of a Rhodes, with the hammer cam sliding over strip of felt on the back of the key as the key is depressed. A screwhead protruding from the back of the hammer cam can be adjusted from a slot in the rear of the case to set the escapement.
The Electra Piano has a few design flaws, the most significant being the dampers: as they damp directly onto the free ends of the reeds, they tend to wear out as the vibrating reed cuts the felt to pieces. The upper reeds tend to lose sustain, possibly due to the degradation of the rubber mountings, which are difficult to replace. After changing the felt dampers for a more durable material (rubber or even leather are more appropriate), and voicing the pickups, the Electra can a beautiful-sounding piano.
There was also a portable version of the Electra Piano called the Electra Piano T.
Videos
Grall Olivier
HOHNER Electra piano demo
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Hohner Electra Piano.
Mods and upgrades
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Incorporating a series 100k resistor on the return path significantly reduces noise when using pedals with the Hohner Electra Piano.
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Setup and maintenance
Features and functionality
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The flapping noise issue may not be related to the pedal's power supply filtration, as high-quality isolated PSUs were used without resolving the problem.
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User experience
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Power cycling either the piano or pedal chain temporarily stops the noise, but it usually returns after a varying period of 20 seconds to 5 hours.
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Some users with large gear collections, including 28 guitars and multiple amps, express frustration over the lack of hardware modules for vintage electric piano sounds, indicating a niche demand.
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Artist usage
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According to Sound on Sound, a Hohner Electra Piano was played on the Beatles' track "Come Together":
The instrument was used on some famous tracks: the Beatles’ "Come Together" has a brief Electra solo, and Led Zeppelin used one on number of tracks including "Stairway To Heaven."
According to The Beatles Bible, it was Paul who played the electric piano solo on this track.
The Keyboards of Led Zeppelin & John Paul Jones website covers John Paul Jones's use of the Hohner Electra Piano:
Jones preferred recording with the Hohner instead of the popular Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos, as he liked its stiff keyboard action better. John Paul Jones didn't use the ElectraPiano live; only in the studio. This is because its wooden casing was more like home furniture, and was not too portable. It's sound was not clear live. "It didn't really cut through. Plus, it wasn't really built for road work. It was the sort of thing you'd have in your front room. I think that's what it was designed for," said Jones.
"Stairway To Heaven" is Led Zeppelin's most famous track, and the Hohner piano is played in a supporting role beginning at 2:14. Jones recalls playing directly into the console and using the Hohner for the piano chords with left hand bass. The part is very subtle, a supportive texture underneath the guitar tracks that follows the chord progression.
Following "Stairway To Heaven" on Zeppelin's fourth album is "Misty Mountain Hop," a bouncing heavy rock song that is based around a strong syncopated ElectraPiano riff. The riff continues throughout the song and is heavier sounding than the "Stairway To Heaven" piano, as it was recorded through its amp and speaker, not directly to the console.
Led Zeppelin's most obvious "keyboard" song comes from the Houses of the Holy album. Beginning with a long electric piano instrumental, "No Quarter" was Jones's featured solo section in the live show for many years. The Hohner is processed through an EMS VCS3 synthesizer to create a 'wobbly' sound. In concert, Jones extended the song with lengthy improvisations and duets with Jimmy Page on guitar.
"Down By The Seaside" is another Hohner ElectraPiano song, with Jones playing a traditional country-pop piano arrangement.
In this video, Corea can be seen playing a Hohner Electra-Piano at the Isle of Wight Festival with Miles Davis in 1970. Corea can be seen throughout the video, but there are some good close-up shots around the 9:00 mark.
This Hohner ad reads “Gordon Beck plays the Hohner Electra-piano.”
Sound on Sound’s piece on inventor Ernst Zacharias claimed Beck performed the most definitive Electra Piano recording:
The definitive Electra Piano recording features the British jazz pianist Gordon Beck playing a long solo introduction to ‘Ariadne’ on the Nucleus album Labyrinth from 1973. Here, we encounter in full the gorgeous harp-like quality of the Electra.
The article later had this to say about Beck’s deal with Hohner:
One story we heard from a student of Gordon Beck was that Beck had an endorsement from Hohner to use the Electra Piano. He devised his own portable chopped version of the Electra, which he claimed Hohner copied for the T. When he was presented with the factory version he was so disgusted with the way his design had been adapted that he gave up playing Hohner instruments and from then on used Rhodes pianos instead.
Album Usage
The Hohner Electra Piano has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
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Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Hohner Electra Piano, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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