No, Virginia, it’s Stage 54, not Studio 54, and it’s a new electric piano, .not a disco. Furthermore, 54 is the number of keys on this new product from Rhodes Pianos, not the number of celebrities one is guaranteed to see on any given night at the above-mentioned bistro.

Surely you know the story by now. Harold Rhodes, in an effort to do something for his country, designed the first Rhodes piano for use in American military hospitals, where recuperating GFs were given these early pianos to practice and plunk around on—something to pass the time in a sick bay. From the beginning, Rhodes was convinced that his idea of using a piano key action to strike a tuning fork would be both mechanically sound and pleasing to-the ear.

In the years since, that basic idea has held up, even fburished, through decades of ever more rigorous playing conditions. The Rhodes piano line has become a standard in the industry. The Rhodes Stage 73 is probably the most popular model in the line, but the Stage 88, Suitcase 73 and Suitcase 88 enjoy considerable popularity as well. (TheSuitcase models, you recall, are those outfitted with their own self-contained amplifier/ speaker cabinet.)

So what’s all the fuss? After all, the Stage 54 is just a smaller version of the Stage 73, right? No astounding new developments, fight? Wrong. . There have been developments which, while they may not seem so “Astounding” on the surface, point to a trend among keyboard manufacturers.

First of all, the reduced size is somethbgthatis happening elsewhere in the industry, as we shall see later. Second, there’s the new corrugated top, novi) standard on all Rhodes pianos. The designers of the Rhodes realized the necessity of such a top (finally!) because of the Rhodes’ position as the foundation of so many keyboard rigs now in used in the field. Keyboard players have to stack their own instruments o.n top of the Rhodes, for fear that it would faB off in mid-performance. So here we have a rare case of “big industry responding to the real needs of the consumer,” which is astounding in itself, right?

Another improvement, though not a particularly new one,is the addition of tone control circuitry on the Stage 73 and Stage 54. Previously, this more sophisticated control panel was limited to the more expensive Suitcase models, but again Rhodes saw fit to provide all Rhodes owners with maximum versatility (Atta way, guys!). So here we have a less expensive, easier-to-carry, sturdier, and more versatile piano that maintains the integrity of its predecessors in the Rhodes line. Notsbad for a piano with only 54 keys, huh?

Another popular line that recently introduced a a scaled-down version of a successful product is Yamaha, the emerging giant in the industry who revolutionized the portable piano market a few years ago with the introduction of the Yamaha Electric Grand. (The Electric Grand, an engineering masterpiece, is so much in demand that customers have to stand in line to place their orders!)

Beyond the Grand, the CP-30 has been Yamaha’s best electronic piano to date. But now, like Rhodes and others, perhaps sensing a tightening of the keyboard player’s budget in these inflationary times,-Yamaha has introduced the CP-20, an abbreviated version of the CP-30.

The CP-20 weighs in at a modest 89 pounds, carrying a 61-key punch, as opposed to the 76 keys on the CP-30. The single biggest difference between the two is the stereo capability erf the CP-30. The CP-20 operates in mofio only, but has many of the features that made the CP-30 so popular.

The CP-20 has four distinct tones: Piano 1, Piano 2, Harpsicord 1 and Harpsicord 2, which can be operated in any combination by one of the four rocker switches on the left of the panel. In fact, all of the controls are located on the left side of the CP-20, so that the player can have his most free hand for control of tones, volume level and so forth.

One of the advantages of an electronic piano such as this is the pitch control, which allows the player to tune the entire keyboard to other fixedpitch instruments, such as an organ. Also, there is a delay control that determines the amount ot time that notes linger after the keys are struck.

A tremolo circuit is included, with variable speed and intesity controls. There is also a separate bass and treble control on the CP-20, as well as a balance control which controls the relative strength of the Piano and Harpsichord sounds of the instrument.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the CP-20 is the keyboard action. The keys are the same size as those of a grand piano, and they have the same “feel” as that of a “traditional” instrument. Although the instrument is electronic, the action is velocity-sensitive; that is, the harder the keys are struck, the louder the sound, and Vice-versa.

Another important aspect of the CP-20 that traveling keyboard players will be especially interested in is the almost complete absence of moving parts in the CP-20. Only the keys themselves and the leaf-switches that they activate are movable, which means that there is no need to worry about breaking a “reed” or a “Tone bar” in the middle of a set. Likewise, there is no complicated and tedious tuning process to go through with the CP-20. Finally, another good feature is the wide, flat top surface which lends itself well to stacking other keyboards on top.

' One of those other keyboards could conceivably be an ARP product; after all, ARP does make some of the more prestigious synthesizers and string synthesizers in the industry. The Odyssey, the Omni-2, the Quadra—aB have reached superstar status in an area of special interest that is hardly a decade old; that it, live performance keyboard synthesis.

--But who would have thought that ARP would concern itself with building an instrument that would offer a direct challenge to those other electric/electronic pianos already mentioned? Afterafl, ARP has beenjn the past a step beyond basic keyboards, something more specialized and sophisticated than an ordinary piano.

WeB, ARP’s new 3303 is hardly ordinary, and perhaps “direct chaflenge” is a misleading description, because in fact ARP is trying to outdo the other manufacturers with a multi-keyboard that includes several electronic piano sounds, as well as a host of others.

The new offering from ARP is’ a 16-voice stereo electronic piano which includes electric and acoustic piano, sounds, harpsichord, clavichord, vibes and organ sounds, as weB as several others.

Like the Yamaha, the ARP has a touchsensitive keyboard, and full-size grand piano action. However, the 3303 has two expression pedals. One provides sustain, and the other .provides a soft vibrato much like the pedal on a standard pianp.

In addition to the 16 preset voices which can be activated by pressiriga button, the ARP 3303 has a built-in phasor. According to ARP’s Hal Boyer, this phasor circuit is the same as the popular Mutron phasor, part of a product line recently acquired by ARP. Furthermore, the 3303 has a “detune” function that is quite helpful in creating the sound of a well-worn barroom acoustic piano. A master tuning control and a,vibrato circuit are also included on the front panel of the 3303. '

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On the rear panel there are mono, stereo and XLR-type outputs which facilitate a variety of amplification and/or recording applications, as well as a headphone jack, which comes in handy when the musician is trying to practice at home or one the road.

Earlier this year there appeared in this column (see “What Price Keyboards,” Feb. 1980) an observation of a trend toward lower-priced, easier-to-operate synthesizers. I would like to augment that observation by saying that there seems to be a pervasive trend toward simple, versatile, jess expensive keyboard instruments in recent months that is not limited to synthesisers, but extends throughout the full range of the electronic keyboard' industry. Why this is happening, I can only guess, but “why” is not important. The important thing is that musicians be aware of these new trends and products before they buy that new keyboard. Here’s to “heightened awareness,” ya’ll... W