Back at Superbooth 2022, a striking new black-and-gold Rhodes MK8 caught our eye—along with everyone else's. Now, what was originally a prototype is now being offered as a limited-edition model, due to popular demand.
In celebration of the Rhodes' 75th anniversary, the revived Rhodes brand will create 75 black-and-gold MK8s. And you can now order yours directly from the Rhodes Music Official Shop on Reverb—click below to go to the appropriate shop.
This latest iteration of the Rhodes company was launched in 2021 by superfans of the original electric pianos, who spare no expense to put the classic sound and feel into a modern instrument.
Dan Goldman, Rhodes Music's chief product officer, worked with instrument designer Axel Hartmann to create this distinctive edition, which features an all-black 73-note oak and beech keyboard from specialists Kluge Klaviaturen, with a sleek transparent cover above the hammers so you can watch them work.
Other features, according to Rhodes, include:
- Analog Preamp: True analog signal path. Volume, drive, envelope controls. Expression pedal control of volume, mid sweep (wah), pan speed, pan depth. Rhodes custom analogue tri-band (low/mid/high) active equalizer (+/- 15db range). Voltage-controlled, resonant midrange filter. Rhodes custom vari-pan with variable rate/depth. 4 wave shapes and audio-rate modulation.
- Analog Effects: Rhodes custom stereo effect processor: VCA compressor, phaser, Bucket brigade chorus, delay. Expression pedal control of phaser speed, chorus speed, delay time, delay feedback.
- Power Supply: 15-Volt, 4-pin locking XLR external supply with universal voltage.
- Pickups: Rhodes custom precision-wound alnico pickups with anti-slip adjustment for accurate voicing and flat-ended pickup heads for accurate volume adjustment.
- Action: Rhodes custom high-impact ABS hammers and combs, quad-zone hard-wearing tips, aerospace-grade damper combs, black natural wool damper felts.
- Tone Generation: Rhodes custom precision steel tines and tonebars, sustainably sourced Baltic birch tine and pickup rails.
Naturally, the limited edition will cost more than the standard model, coming in at USD 13,495/£10.995/ €12.995, including the analog effects option.