BRITTON WETHERALD: There's something more exciting around the way for keyboard users though I think.

MIKE PAYNE: Yeah. Absolutely.

BRITTON WETHERALD: Oh yeah.

MIKE PAYNE: That's your segue?

BRITTON WETHERALD: Yeah.

DREW KRAG: Nice segue.

MIKE PAYNE: I appreciate that though it goes in kind of antsy for a segue.

BRITTON WETHERALD: Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, but there's something really exciting and I took a look on the forum about it too because you know I play a little bit of keys. It's not great, you know, but [OVERLAPPING]

MIKE PAYNE: Well, it actually is a very cool reissue. Another one, since we're on the topic of reissues.

BRITTON WETHERALD: And Fender but the Fender had a partnership for a while.

MIKE PAYNE: Right, and that is the Rhodes Piano, which is now back. Before Winter NAMM 2007, if you wanted a Rhodes, you'd either have to deal with emulation or plenty of repairs on an older model. Rhodes will be announcing nine new models with their Mark 7 technology at the NAMM Show this week. We found a few details about the new Rhodes which will be offered in 61-, 73-, and 88-key models. The new Rhodes will include LCD screens, passive to active MIDI capability, dual panel USB ports, and a three-band EQ in line with the Rhodes preamp. Exciting stuff. What do you guys think about that?

DREW KRAG: Ahh.

BRITTON WETHERALD: I want -- This is muddy, murky territory for me because like the original Rhodes was a great electric piano but...

DAN AGOSTO: One of my favorites, the other one a Wurlitzer.

DREW KRAG: Absolutely.

DAN AGOSTO: What do you have Britton?

BRITTON WETHERALD: I have a compact organ which is a lot different which is the Farfisa Compact.

DAN AGOSTO: But what I mean it's all like vintage keyboardy stuff. This is an electric-acoustic one.

MIKE PAYNE: Right.

BRITTON WETHERALD: Yeah, yeah. So they're keeping -- I wonder how they're going to deal with the digital electro-acoustical thing. Is it going to be a digital piano or is digital?

DREW KRAG: I'm curious that --

MIKE PAYNE: I don't think it's even digital.

DREW KRAG: Well, the LCD screen. Would it imply that? But I don't really know.

MIKE PAYNE: But I don't think there's any digital signal processing.

DREW KRAG: But USB ports? That's for the MIDI I believe.

DAN AGOSTO: Okay. Here's what I'm thinking. It will be electro-mechanical, at least this is hoping. It will be electro-mechanical. The USB ports will be an output for an internal A-to-D converter.

DREW KRAG: Okay.

MIKE PAYNE: Okay.

DAN AGOSTO: So you'll be able to record directly. Those I can take relief. MIDI ports, there'll be MIDI sensors.

DREW KRAG: That's what I [OVERLAPPING]

DAN AGOSTO: That's no big deal. Pitch bend?

DREW KRAG: [LAUGHS]

MIKE PAYNE: [LAUGHS]

DAN AGOSTO: Hopefully that only applies to the MIDI that it's outputting. The LCD screen? What I'm thinking is that there will be presets but they will be mechanical presets, and I'm hoping that there will be little servo motors that control like the tines a little bit. You can move them up and make them a little more bell like, you know, because back in the day people would open it up, take their soldering gun, and start messing with their -- either they want to make or give it more attack or wanted to smooth out the sound a little bit. I'm guessing they will have presets that will allow you to actually do that without opening it up.

DREW KRAG: That would be great. I don't know if --

BRITTON WETHERALD: [OVERLAPPING] more key territory but it sounds really expensive.

DREW KRAG: Yeah. I don't know if the weight supports that either.

DAN AGOSTO: It's Rhodes man. There's Rhodes enthusiasts out there that will buy it.

MIKE PAYNE: What do you guys think the price would be on something like this.

DREW KRAG: Somewhere $2,000 to $4,000 is my guess.

BRITTON WETHERALD: It's not $4,000. I will --

DAN AGOSTO: I think it could get up there for the 88.

DREW KRAG: For the 88.

DAN AGOSTO: If it does have these like different mechanical presets.

BRITTON WETHERALD: You've got to keep in mind that this is kind of along the same lines as like a Moog Voyager which is MIDI that controls the analog signal, so it's like all the digital control doesn't hmm, you know what I mean? So it will be like the same sort of principle and stuff.

DAN AGOSTO: I'm still thinking that the keys --

BRITTON WETHERALD: That's a $3,000 keyboard.

DAN AGOSTO: I'm still thinking that the keys are like when you press down the key there's actually going to be a lever that forces the hammer to hit the tines.

DREW KRAG: See, I disagree with that because just because they say it's lighter, and I've ripped open a Rhodes. I know what's in there. It looks like a skeleton of craziness.

BRITTON WETHERALD: [OVERLAPPING]

DREW KRAG: If they've kept that same design, I don't see how it could be any lighter.

DAN AGOSTO: I carried a C [OVERLAPPING]...

DREW KRAG: But I'm really curious to see, you know.

DAN AGOSTO: ...down a basement.

DREW KRAG: I have to mention one thing that they did that was really good is the idea of using Anvil cases for the outer. I mean we've all seen Rhodes before. I mean they're all beat to hell, you know.

MIKE PAYNE: Right.

DREW KRAG: If I had a dollar for every Rhodes that I've seen, it was ripped and torn. I'd just buy one of these when they come out.

BRITTON WETHERALD: This is good that they're doing this but my -- Now, it just makes me want to say that Vox and Farfisa need to come back with a vengeance. Now we can have all the cheesy organ, you know, classic piano [OVERLAPPING]

BRITTON WETHERALD: Personally, I'd like to see another Clav come out.

DREW KRAG: Oh yeah.

BRITTON WETHERALD: That's my baby. I love those things.

DREW KRAG: Oh yeah, dude.

BRITTON WETHERALD: So like those are -- we need -- All these old keyboards need to come back. ARP, come back with better synthesizers. Every -- All of you, come with a vengeance.

DAN AGOSTO: But please --

BRITTON WETHERALD: This is my call to you.

MIKE PAYNE: Are you going to buy them?

BRITTON WETHERALD: Come forth. I would buy -- I would stop being a vintage snob if like more companies like Rhodes are coming back.

DAN AGOSTO: But please Rhodes, let it be mechanical.

BRITTON WETHERALD: Yeah.

DREW KRAG: Yeah. I hope so.

MIKE PAYNE: No kidding.

DREW KRAG: I think it will probably boost the price of vintage Rhodes as well, so it will work out.

MIKE PAYNE: And the thing is honestly like if you were to buy like a hardware emulator like the Nord Electro, I mean that's even kind of pricey so if the price is maybe a thousand over that, it'd be marketable. I mean it's [OVERLAPPING]

DAN AGOSTO: And it has a MIDI out, so you can get a little, you know, get a Moog Voyager rack mount and get a little Motif rack mount, and you got all your sounds anyway.

MIKE PAYNE: Yeah.

DAN AGOSTO: And it's just -- it's muddy territory because I'm a little suspicious that it's going to be digital.

MIKE PAYNE: I don't. I don't see how they're [OVERLAPPING]

BRITTON WETHERALD: I have my suspicions as well [OVERLAPPING] it's going to blow up in its face.

MIKE PAYNE: Yeah. If it was digital, it'd be emulation.

DAN AGOSTO: No one's going to dig it if it was digital.

MIKE PAYNE: I mean it's an electro-acoustic instrument. I don't see how it could be digital.

DAN AGOSTO: A ROMpler.

MIKE PAYNE: Yeah, and it would have to be a ROMpler, and I don't think they're going to do that.

DAN AGOSTO: Neither do I.

DREW KRAG: Time shall tell.

BRITTON WETHERALD: Cool.

DAN AGOSTO: I'll find out Wednesday.

BRITTON WETHERALD: It's good speculation. I don't even care about the next thing that's coming up. I'm sorry but I'm not interested.

DAN AGOSTO: [OVERLAPPING] care about.

BRITTON WETHERALD: I do. I [OVERLAPPING]

MIKE PAYNE: I'm hoping you have something to say about it.

DREW KRAG: There's a lot of people that care I think.

BRITTON WETHERALD: [OVERLAPPING]

DREW KRAG: People don't have a lot of money.

BRITTON WETHERALD: [OVERLAPPING] People are not as stupid as [OVERLAPPING]

MIKE PAYNE: We've built it up enough. I mean let me.