Even prior to the advent of rock ‘n’ roll, piano companies realised that there was potential to create a piano with a degree of electrification.
One advantage being that amplifying a piano’s strings could open up a host of possibilities…
Friends’ electric
Several companies, including Baldwin and Kawaii, explored this concept, but by far the most successful example came from Yamaha. The CP series, and most notably the CP-80 and its smaller sibling the CP-70, became regular stalwarts in both studio and live environments. Classified as electric grands, these instruments adopted a conventional piano mechanism, including hammers, strings and dampers, with the addition of piezoelectric pickups, located under the piano’s bridge. The resultant sound is highly unique and identifiable, sounding much like an acoustic piano, but with a recognisable mid-range quality that really cuts through a mix. Even though the CP-80 was first produced in 1978, it remains a sought-after classic. Through the late ’70s and ’80s, bands such as Earth Wind & Fire used them endlessly, with a huge resurgence during the ’00s, when the band Keane used a CP as a central component to their sound, on just about all of their earlier recordings. Even now, electro-disco pioneer and producer Lindstrøm is a heavy CP-80 user, as are the band Snarky Puppy, who made extensive use of their own CP-80 on their latest Grammy award-winning recording, Empire Central.