The weight of the Rhodes Mark 7 electric piano

If/When the Rhodes Mark 7 hits the street, one should carefully review the consequences of its light-weight design. Rhodes design engineer Mike Peterson designed the prototype Rhodes Mark IV, which weighed significantly less than previous models. Unfortunately, the reduction in weight had some unintended, and possibly undesirable, side effects:

The weight reduction program succeeded at reducing weight, but introduced a serious side effect. The various non-musical noises made by the piano mechanism increased dramatically. The traditional design made noise too, but the massive wood box kept it contained. The new, thin, lightweight case seemed to amplify the noise, almost like an acoustic guitar body. Of course, none of the noise got into the amplified sound, but when the piano was directly connected to a mixer in a studio, a nearby open microphone could easily pick it up.

http://www.fenderrhodes.com/models/mark4.php

The Mark V weighs in at 100lbs for the 73 key model. The Rhodes Mark 7 73 key model weighs in at approximately 85lbs (http://www.rhodespiano.com/sizes.htm). I am at a loss as to how the Rhodes Mark 7 engineers were able to shave off 15lbs from the Rhodes Mark V design, which weighed 100lbs with lid and sustain pedal. Perhaps they don’t include the sustain pedal in the Mark 7 weight calculations. Perhaps they don’t have a lid for the Rhodes Mark 7….I have yet to see a picture or illustration of a lid for the thing.

It must be one of these two possibilities, because the Rhodes Mark 7’s pictured have the same harp assembly, wooden keys, and aluminum and wood structures as the Mark V. In other words the “guts” appear to be identical between the Mark V and Mark 7. So, if the weight reduction didn’t take place in the “guts”, they had to reduce weight somewhere else. You can’t significantly improve on the weight of the Mark V case….it is thin plastic. So, the only things I think are left are the lid and sustain pedal. Maybe that is how they arrive at the 85lb weight for the 73 key Rhodes Mark 7.

If they did, /somehow/, manage to shave the pounds from the guts or case, I think we will see the same problems Mike Peterson ran into with the Mark IV due to its reduced weight. So…I will hope that they just aren’t including the lid and sustain pedal in the weight. Right?

Anyone else care to take a guess?

4 Responses to “The weight of the Rhodes Mark 7 electric piano”

  1. Rob A says:

    Joe>I am at a loss as to how the Rhodes Mark 7 engineers were able to shave off 15lbs from the Rhodes Mark V design, which weighed 100lbs with lid and sustain pedal. Perhaps they don’t include the sustain pedal in the Mark 7 weight calculations.

    Perhaps they just made up a number. How many people are going to weigh one themselves?

  2. […] owing down to the new Rhodes Music Corporation Rhodes Mark 7 endorsement from Jeff Lorber? The weight of the Rhodes Mark 7 electric piano Mark V action technology mysteriously vanishes from the Rhodes Mar […]

  3. Daniel Craig says:

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  4. DG says:

    The mk 7 73 weighs 99 lbs according to the final figures from RMC.
    The mk 7 has no lid either so in effect it weighs more than the mk v.

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