In the section of the article “THEN: The Vintage Keys of Thriller” (by Michael Boddicker) included in the source URL describing the main comping sound of “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.” Quote: "Andy Leeds owned an Eddy Reynolds-modified, flat-top Rhodes 88.”

Used on Monster, as specified in Herbie Hancock’s Electronic Instrument Glossary from September 14, 2016.

Rhodes 88 Suitcase Piano – An 88-key Fender Rhodes Electric Piano with updates, including plastic hammers to reduce its weight, built-in 100W stereo amplifier and ¼” outputs, allowing this instrument to be plugged directly into a mixing console. Herbie played the Suitcase Piano on his 1980 album Monster.

Ray has a Rhodes 88 as you can see on the great "Down the Rhodes" documentary. Not entirely sure it's a Suitcase but it very much seems like it.

This image shows Amos' gear as including a Rhodes Suitcase 88.

In this photo, Ray Charles can be seen behind an 88-key Rhodes Mark I Suitcase Piano.

"Spent the most years with a suitcase Rhodes 88."

In the live performance of his album "12" at La Trastienda on September 11, 2012, Gonzalo Aloras plays a Fender Rhodes Mark I Suitcase 88, as seen in the full concert video on YouTube.

Ware's 88-key Mark I suitcase Rhodes, the instrument on which he composed many of his songs, was auctioned on April 30, 2026 via Wax Poetics.

This Fender Rhodes Piano was owned by Leon Ware from the late 1970s through to his passing, forming a central part of his creative life during a defining period of his career.

By this point, Ware had already established himself as one of soul music’s most influential songwriters and producers, best known for his work on I Want You (1976) by Marvin Gaye, a landmark record that helped define the sound of modern soul. Across his career, he also wrote and produced for artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Minnie Riperton, shaping a lineage that runs from Motown through to neo-soul.

From the moment it entered his studio, the Rhodes became integral to his songwriting process. Much of Ware’s music from this period onward was composed on this instrument, whose warm tone sits at the heart of his signature sound, intimate and expansive.

The instrument features prominently on Taste the Love, a Rhodes-led project that reflects Ware’s later creative direction, where layered keys and fluid arrangements became a defining characteristic of his work. More broadly, it represents a period in which he was exploring increasingly sophisticated and emotionally rich compositions, bridging soul and jazz.

Configured as a Suitcase model with integrated amplifier and speaker cabinet, this Rhodes reflects the premium studio setups of the era. It was later fitted with a Gulbransen KS20 MIDI adaptor, a period modification that speaks to evolving studio practices and Ware’s continued engagement with new production technologies.

As a working instrument, this Rhodes is not simply associated with Leon Ware’s music - it is embedded within it. Used consistently across decades of writing and recording, it represents a direct link to the process behind one of soul music’s most distinctive voices.

Key Details

• Fender Rhodes Suitcase Piano (Mark I, 88-key, c. late 1970s)

• Model FR 7054, Serial No. 495-5194

• Owned and used by Leon Ware from the late 1970s through to his passing

• Integrated amplifier and speaker cabinet (Suitcase configuration)

• Fitted with Gulbransen KS20 MIDI adaptor (period modification)

• Primary songwriting instrument throughout Ware’s later career

• Featured on Taste the Love, a Rhodes-driven body of work

Collectibility

Provenance: From the personal studio of Leon Ware, owned and used by the artist for the remainder of his life

Rarity: Artist-owned core songwriting instrument from a seminal figure in soul music, complete in Suitcase configuration and retained within a single ownership lineage

Historic Context: Central to the creative output of Leon Ware’s later career, following his pivotal role in shaping the sound of I Want You and the evolution of modern soul into quiet storm and beyond