Rhodes Deluxe MK8 — an electric tine piano for the demanding

Name: Rhodes Deluxe MK8 (w/ stand)
Brand: Rhodes
SKU: 57699
Price: 14329.75 EUR
Availability: InStock

The MK8 is the return of Harold Rhodes' legendary electromechanical tine piano — precision-built in the UK, with redesigned mechanics, new pickups, and a complete analog signal path. The Deluxe is a version with a walnut finish, a darkened hood, and a full suite of onboard analog effects.

Overview

Synthesizers and samples can imitate the Rhodes, but none captures what happens between the steel tine, the alnico pickup, and the fingers — the dynamics that respond to every nuance of the attack and change timbre with volume. The MK8 is not a vintage reissue — it is an instrument designed anew while retaining the same physics, with improved performance at every critical point: tine, pickup, damper, mechanics.

The instrument is handmade in the UK. The 73-key keyboard (E8–E80) comes from Kluge Klaviaturen GmbH, the frames are made of oak and beech — materials used in the best acoustic pianos. The Deluxe MK8 proves itself on stage, in the recording studio, and in any context where an authentic electromechanical sound is the only acceptable option.

Key Features

Electromechanical sound generation — steel tines and tonebars made of Baltic birch; the sound is created physically, not digitally.

73-key Kluge Klaviaturen keyboard — oak and beech frame, spruce keys, ABS hammers with built-in lubrication and four-zone tips for a consistent feel.

Precision-wound alnico pickups — anti-slip mounting for accurate voicing, flat heads for precise volume adjustment.

Analog bucket brigade effects — VCA compressor, stereo phaser, chorus, and delay; true bypass; control via two expression pedals.

Vari-pan with audio-rate modulation — 4 waveforms (square, ramp, triangle, sine), ranging from classic stereo pan to polyphonic synth-like layers.

MIDI (Deluxe MK8 MIDI version) — USB MIDI In/Out, DIN MIDI Out, high-resolution key position monitoring, Channel and Polyphonic Aftertouch, isolated electronics.

Deluxe design — walnut body, black finishes, darkened transparent hood.

Vari-Pan: an effect you cannot replace with a plugin

The Vari-pan in the MK8 is a custom analog modulation circuit with independent rate and depth control and four selectable waveforms.

In low-speed mode, it delivers the classic, deep stereo tremolo effect of the 70s Rhodes. At higher rates, it crosses into phase modulation territory, achieving an organic, lively sound impossible to achieve digitally. At audio-rate speeds, the instrument behaves like a polyphonic AM synth — the depth parameter determines the amount of clean Rhodes signal in the mix. Both expression pedals control rate and depth independently, allowing for real-time expression without touching the instrument.

Specifications

Type: Electromechanical tine piano, 73 keys (E8–E80)

Keyboard: Rhodes custom spruce by Kluge Klaviaturen GmbH, oak/beech frame

Mechanics: ABS hammers with built-in lubrication, quad-zone hammer tips, aerospace-grade damper combs, black wool felts

Pickups: Precision-wound alnico, anti-slip mounting

Preamp: Analog, true signal path; drive; envelope; tri-band EQ ±15dB with sweepable mid (VCF resonant filter); vari-pan 4 waveforms + audio-rate

Effects (Deluxe): VCA compressor, stereo bucket brigade phaser, stereo bucket brigade chorus, stereo bucket brigade delay; true bypass