The Pianet was a series of electric pianos built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany from the 1950s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar. An electric piano (e-piano) is an electric musical instrument whose popularity started in the late 1960s, was at its greatest during the 1970s and still is big today. ... Hohner is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Lloyd Loar was a Gibson sound engineer and master luthier in the early part of the 20th century. ...

Sound is generated by an array of metal reeds which are plucked by foam pads, which have been impregnated with adhesive (actually a proprietary viscous silicone oil). The pads are connected to metal rods connected to the keys. On pressing a key, the pad is released, creating a tension which makes the reed vibrate. Electrostatic pickups mounted directly below the reeds transmit the sound to an amplifier. Sea foam on the beach Foam on a cappuccino Fire-retardant, foamed plastic being used as a temporary dam for firestop mortar in a cable penetration in a pulp and paper mill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. ... “Glue” redirects here. ... Silicones (more accurately called polymerized siloxanes or polysiloxanes) are inorganic-organic polymers with the chemical formula [R2SiO]n, where R = organic groups such as methyl, ethyl, and phenyl. ... Synthetic motor oil An oil is any substance that is in a viscous liquid state (oily) at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water, literally water fearing) and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally fat loving). This general definition includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated... Generally, an amplifier is any device that will use a small amount of energy to control a larger amount of energy. ...

During its period of manufacture, the Pianet was offered in a number of designs. The original models were the Pianet C and Pianet N, which were built with wooden cases and legs; later came the Pianet L which had metal legs. The C model has no additional controls, whilst the N model is equipped with a tremolo circuit with a switch mounted next to the keyboard. The Pianet soon found popularity with popular music groups of the 1960s, leading Hohner to produce the Combo model, designed for the performing musician in mind. This had no legs, being designed to sit atop an organ or acoustic piano. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

In the 1970s Hohner produced the final models, the Pianet M and T. These featured a change in design from electrostatic pickups and foam pads, to passive pickups and rubber pads. The M model was designed for home use and was built with a wooden case with internal speakers, and a phaser circuit. The T model, which is the most common of Pianets found on the used market today, was again built for the gigging musician. It had no legs and in a departure from earlier models finished in wood veneer, is finished in black vinyl leathercloth. Production ceased in the early 1980s. This does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The change in design was forced on Hohner as after a time the original foam pads were found to disintegrate; the rubber pads were much more durable. However, the new design also produced a completely different sound, which was mellower than that of the early models. While popular with semi-pro musicians due to its low price and portability, it failed to make a significant impact on major recording artists.

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, Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful, I Am The Walrus by The Beatles, and Joy to the World by Three Dog Night. The Pianet is enjoying a renaissance (e.g. Bugge Wesseltoft's Change) due to the popularity of retro sounds and the availability of new pads for the earlier models, most of which had been reduced to unplayability due to pad decay. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The Zombies, formed in 1961 in St Albans, were an English rock band. ... Louie, Louie is an American rock n roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. ... The Kingsmen were a rock band from Portland, Oregon who rose suddenly to fame with their recording of Richard Berrys Louie, Louie. ... Summer in the City was a 1966 hit single by The Lovin Spoonful. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Music sample I Am the Walrus ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Joy to the world is a song written by Hoyt Axton, and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. ... Three Dog Night is an American rock and roll band, best known for their work from 1968-1975 but still making live appearances as of 2007. ... Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft (born February 1, 1964) is a Norwegian jazz musician. ...

External links

• http://www.alphabeck.co.uk/hoep/epianos.html
• http://lennyg47.tripod.com/home.html

This company sells a new and improved version of the sticky pads:

• http://www.gti.net/junebug/clavinet/products.html