Электромеханическое пианино Hohner Pianet

Electro mechanical piano built by Hohner

The Hohner Pianet is a type of electro mechanical piano built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany and designed by Ernst Zacharias. The Pianet was a variant of his earlier reed based Hohner electric piano, the Cembalet, which, like the Pianet, was intended for home use. Hohner offered both keyboards in their range until 1968. The Pianet production consisted of two distinctly different mechanism groups with characteristically different sound. The first group, lasting from introduction to 1977, had ground stainless steel reeds, a pick up using variable capacitance, and leather faced activation pads. The second group from 1977 until the end of production used rolled spring steel reeds, electro magnetic pick ups, and moulded silicone rubber activation pads.

The Hohner Pianet is an electro mechanical instrument, and needs to be connected to an amplifier to produce an audible sound. It had 61 keys ranging from F1 to F6 (43.6 Hz – 1396.9 Hz). Later models had 60 keys, missing the top F. Each key is a single lever element pivoted on a fulcrum point with a spring to return it to the rest position. The key is extended at the rear so that a pad can be mounted over a tuned spring steel reed. This pad adheres to the reed when at rest, and lifts and releases the reed causing it to vibrate when the key is depressed. The vibration of the reed is converted to an electrical signal by a pick up. The resulting sound has a complex mixture of harmonics when the reed is first struck, which later reduces to a cleaner sustained tone. Early Pianets feature a knee lever volume control. The early 1960s Pianets (Pianet, Pianet C, Pianet CH, and Pianet N) featured lids which opened in an upright 'V' to form a music stand. This feature was introduced on Cembalets and became common to both instruments. The C and N models were equipped with a vibrato circuit operated by a switch mounted next to the keyboard. The N models used a variable resistance volume pedal cabled to a socket on the rear of the keyboard.

The Pianet evolved from the earlier Cembalet, introduced in 1958. Both instruments were designed by Ernst Zacharias. Zacharias became interested in keyboard instruments such as the clavichord, harpsichord and organ as a teenager, and studied electrical engineering at the University of Kiel. He began working for Hohner in 1954 after meeting designer Siegfried Mager. The Pianet evolved through a number of model changes. These included both self amplified versions and versions that required the use of an external amplifier and speaker. The most popular model, the Pianet N (denoting "natural wood finish"), evolved through two different specifications. The N had side mounted ‘inverted V’ legs, and could be equipped with an optional 12 watt valve amplifier, the Amplifier CP, which mounted below the unit in front of the player's knees. The Pianet soon found popularity with music groups of the 1960s, including the Beatles, the Zombies and Manfred Mann. This led to Hohner to producing the Combo Pianet model in 1972. It was designed for the performing musician, without legs, and intended to be placed on top of another instrument.

In 1977, Hohner began producing the second group of models and ceased production of the Pianet N and Combo Pianet. The second group had two models, the Pianet T and M, and a hybrid version combined with a Clavinet, the Pianet/Clavinet Duo. These featured a change in design from electrostatic pick ups and leather and foam pads to electromagnetic pick ups (like the Rhodes piano) and silicone rubber pads. The reeds were also changed from the ground finish of the earlier type to a smooth milled finish, making them incompatible with earlier models. The new range of Pianets had a mellower sound than earlier models. While it could not lend it itself well to rock music, it was aligned more with musical tastes of the time, such as the sound of a Rhodes through a chorus pedal. It was advertised as being practical and portable, but this was misleading as it did not have an inbuilt amplifier or speakers. The M model, designed for home use, was built with a wooden veneer console case with internal speakers, while the T model was vinyl covered and designed for live performance. Subsequently, Hohner produced the Pianet/Clavinet Duo model which combined a Hohner Clavinet (essentially an electric clavichord) with the Pianet T in one instrument, with an integrated preamp that allowed the player to combine the two sounds. Production ceased around 1983.

During the production life, the case, mechanical features and electronics changed with developments in electronics, cheaper manufacturing, and fashion. These were coordinated with Cembalet production changes from the C models onward. Specific manufacturing dates are difficult because of undated sales figures and a lack of consistent worldwide availability.

This variant can be seen on the cover of a Hohner demonstration record for the Pianet. It has an upper case profile with a taper towards the front. It has a gold hammertone painted aluminum fascia panel below the keys with a lock fitted centrally. The keys are injection moulded plastic. It stands on two shaped panel legs joined by a modesty panel. There is a piano like volume pedal fixed on a timber extension from the modesty panel. The optional amplifier unit available for the N model is mounted underneath the keyboard between the legs. Vibrato effect is standard.

Early Pianets were used on a number of hit recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including "She's Not There" by The Zombies; "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen; "I Am the Walrus", "Getting Better", "The Night Before", "Tell Me What You See", "You Like Me Too Much" by The Beatles; "This Guy's in Love With You" by Herb Alpert; "These Eyes" by The Guess Who; and "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. In the glam rock era, the Pianet was used by Bryan Ferry on the first few Roxy Music albums, for instance featuring prominently in their hit "Editions of You". It was a staple of the "classic lineup" sound of Curved Air (1970–1972), featuring prominently on their first 3 albums, played by both guitarist/keyboardist Francis Monkman and violinist Darryl Way. The 1972–74 lineup of progressive rock pioneers King Crimson used a pair of Pianets in live performance, played both by the group's violinist David Cross, and the guitarist, Robert Fripp. Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks used the Pianet prominently in the group's early career, as a lead instrument through a homemade fuzz box. Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie was a noted proponent of the Pianet N and Combo Pianet from the first group of products. In an article written by Bob Doerschuk in the October 1980 issue of Contemporary Keyboard she outlined why she preferred the sound of the 1960s Pianets and why she eventually replaced them. The Pianet is enjoying a renaissance (e. g. Bugge Wesseltoft's Change) due to its unique sound and the availability of new pads for the earlier models, most of which had been reduced to unplayability due to pad decay. It is also popular as a substitute for the Wurlitzer electric piano, which has a related reed based mechanism for generating sound but is typically much heavier, requires more maintenance than the Pianet, and is overall more expensive.

Following the end of production, replacement parts for Pianets became progressively harder to find because they were no longer being supported by Hohner. The principal problem was the activation pads for 1960s manufactured models, which used a Urethane foam damper behind the leather surface. This decomposed with age, making the pads unusable. Hohner intended the pads to be a service replaceable item (like the strings of a guitar), and sold spares while the instrument was in production. After the supply ran out, restorers and players had to create their own pads. The second group of Pianets, the T and M, used silicone rubber for their pads. They have aged extremely well and are still functional in most keyboards, as of 2012. The silicone pads of the T & M are not suitable for the 1960s Pianets. Their adhesion properties don't suit the ground reeds of the first group of instruments, and they produce a static discharge that is amplified by the capacitive pick up of the instrument. In the 2000s, a number of businesses took up the servicing and maintenance of vintage keyboards, so pads suitable for both groups of Pianets are now available. The mechanical structure of keys, pivot rail, reeds, reed bar and pick up are the same in the 1960s Pianets from the "Mk.1" and C to the Combo, so spares to get a Pianet working can come from most models. While the electronics differ from model to model, they can be exchanged if the aim is to make a keyboard playable rather than to restore it.