# Electric pianos: Rhodes, Wurlitzer 200A and Hohner Clavinet D6

> Vintage electric pianos compared: how the Rhodes, Wurlitzer 200A and Hohner Clavinet D6 make their sound, models to know, weights and what wears out.

Canonical: https://sstsynths.com/electric-pianos
Updated: 2026-10-31

Vintage electric pianos make their sound mechanically: a Rhodes hammer strikes a metal tine, a Wurlitzer hammer a steel reed, and a Clavinet pad a tensioned string, each beside a pickup. Here is how the three differ, which models matter and what wears out.

## Three mechanisms, three sounds

All three instruments have a real keyboard action and something metal that vibrates when struck, read by a pickup much as an electric guitar's strings are. What is struck, and how, gives each its voice: the Rhodes rings like a bell, the Wurlitzer barks when pushed, and the Clavinet snaps like a funk guitar.

*What each key strikes, and where the pickup sits (simplified).*

**Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Clavinet compared**

|  | Rhodes | Wurlitzer | Hohner Clavinet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Struck by | Hammer | Felt hammer | Rubber pad |
| Vibrating part | Thin metal tine joined to a tone bar | Quarter-inch steel reed | Tensioned steel string, pressed against an anvil |
| Pickup | Electromagnetic | Electrostatic, running at 170 V DC | Two electromagnetic sets, above and below the strings |
| Keys | 54, 73 or 88 | 64 on most models | 60 (F1–E6) on most models |
| Made | 1965–1984 by the original company | 1954–1983, about 120,000 in all | 1964–1982, about 38,000 in all |

## Rhodes piano: tines, Stage and Suitcase

Pressing a Rhodes key swings a hammer against a thin metal **tine** joined to a larger tone bar; together they act like a tuning fork. A pickup opposite the tine turns its vibration into a signal. A Rhodes makes a quiet sound even unplugged, like an unplugged electric guitar. Moving the tine relative to the pickup changes the tone — close together gives the bell-like sound — and it sustains longer than a Wurlitzer.

**Rhodes models and changes**

| Year | Model or change |
| --- | --- |
| 1965 | First Fender Rhodes piano, 73 notes, with a separate amplifier and speaker cabinet underneath (later called the Suitcase) |
| 1970 | The 73-note Stage Piano: lighter and portable, four detachable legs, one output jack; works with any amplifier |
| 1971 | An 88-note model; hammer tips change from felt to neoprene rubber |
| 1975 | Harp supports change from wood to aluminium, slightly changing the resonance |
| 1977 | Suitcase amplifier goes from 80 to 100 watts |
| 1979 | Mark II: cosmetic changes; a 54-note model is added |
| 1984 | Mark V, the last from the original company: lighter plastic body, improved action |

The Suitcase's built-in amplifier has a tremolo that bounces the sound between two speakers, labelled "vibrato" on some models to match Fender amplifiers. A 73-key Rhodes weighs about 130 lb (59 kg). Quality under the CBS-era owners was inconsistent; the business was sold to Roland in 1987, and later companies have made new models — the Mark 7 (from 2007) and the MK8 (announced in 2021), which weighs 75 lb (34 kg). A 1976 advertisement claimed that 82% of the top 100 Billboard albums featuring electric piano used a Rhodes.

## Wurlitzer electronic piano: the 200 and 200A

Though marketed as "electronic", a Wurlitzer makes its sound when a felt hammer strikes a steel **reed**, read by an electrostatic pickup. Its tone is closer to a sawtooth wave than the Rhodes' near-sine: sweet and vibraphone-like when played gently, then a slightly overdriven *bark* when played hard. It was first designed for classrooms, and its lack of acoustic noise meant it could be played quietly on headphones.

- **140 (1962):** the first with a transistor amplifier and an on-board tremolo (fixed rate, adjustable depth), also mislabelled "vibrato".
- **200 (1968):** a moulded plastic lid, 56 lb (25 kg) without legs or pedal, a 30 W amplifier and two speakers facing the player; about 88,000 made, the most popular model.
- **200A (1974–1983):** an improved shield over the reeds and pickups to reduce the mains hum of the 200; the last model in production.
- **200B (1978):** the 200A without amplifier or speakers, powered by a pair of high-voltage batteries to cut hum.

The common repair is a broken reed: with hard playing, reeds eventually snap from metal fatigue. Each reed is tuned by a blob of solder at its tip, filed to the right weight, and its elongated screw holes allow fine tuning. Dirt between a reed and the pickup can cause pops or bursts of distortion; pressing the key repeatedly, or compressed air, usually clears it. The action itself was deliberately over-engineered and often still works well decades on.

## Hohner Clavinet: the D6 and its switches

The Clavinet, made by Hohner of Trossingen, West Germany, is an electric clavichord. Under the keys lies a harp of 60 steel strings; each key presses a small rubber pad onto its string against an anvil, like a guitarist's hammer-on, and yarn damps the string when the key is released. The keyboard is touch-sensitive, and pressing harder stretches the string slightly, which gives a form of aftertouch.

**The six rocker switches of the Clavinet D6 (1971)**

| Switch | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| Brilliant, Treble | High-pass filters that thin and sharpen the tone |
| Medium, Soft | Low-pass filters that round it off |
| AB, CD | Choose which pickups are used, like a guitar's neck and bridge pickups |

A mechanical mute slider sits on the right. The D6 has a black vinyl case with a teak top and a removable lid. Earlier models were designed for home and Baroque music — the Clavinet I of 1964 in teak with a battery amplifier, the red-vinyl Clavinet C of 1968 that could run on a 9 V battery — while the E7 of 1979 improved shielding for loud stages and had brackets to sit on top of a Rhodes, and the Clavinet Duo (1978) combined a Clavinet with a Pianet T. Production ended in 1982.

Clavinets are often played through a wah pedal, an auto-wah, a phaser or a chorus. Their pickups are unshielded, so lights, switches and transformers nearby can cause interference; rubber hammer tips deteriorate with age and stop keys working; and the keys fit no other Hohner instrument. Strings, sealed away from fingers, last longer than a guitar's. Since 1999 replacement parts have been made by enthusiasts' suppliers.

## Electric pianos on a session

1. **Know what it plugs into.** A Rhodes Stage needs an external amplifier or DI; a Suitcase has its own amplifier and stereo tremolo; a Wurlitzer 200A has speakers and an output; a Clavinet has a preamp with a line-level output.
2. **Keep the Clavinet away from dimmers.** Its unshielded pickups hum near lighting, switches and transformers.
3. **Expect a little maintenance.** A broken Wurlitzer reed or a dead Clavinet key is a normal repair, not a disaster; ask whether spares came with the instrument.
4. **Plan the lift.** A 73-key Rhodes weighs about 59 kg; a Wurlitzer 200 about 25 kg without legs.
5. **Consider the DX7.** Its E Piano 1 preset imitated the Rhodes so well in the 1980s that some players replaced their Rhodes with it; see the [Yamaha DX7](/yamaha-dx7) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a Rhodes and a Wurlitzer?

A Rhodes hammer strikes a metal tine joined to a tone bar, giving a mellow, bell-like sound with long sustain; a Wurlitzer hammer strikes a steel reed, giving a sharper tone that barks when played hard. Most Wurlitzers have 64 notes and built-in speakers; Rhodes pianos have 54, 73 or 88 keys.

### What do the switches on a Clavinet D6 do?

Brilliant and Treble switch in high-pass filters, Medium and Soft switch in low-pass filters, and the AB and CD switches choose which of the two pickup sets are heard. A separate slider mutes the strings.

### How heavy is a Rhodes piano?

A 73-key Rhodes weighs about 130 pounds (59 kg). The modern MK8 announced in 2021 weighs about 75 pounds (34 kg).