The Rhodes electric piano is back with a hefty price tag
You'll need at least $9,450 to buy the hand-built MK8.
After months of teasing, the legendary Rhodes piano is back, with Rhodes Music Group opening pre-orders for the new MK8 model on Wednesday. It costs an eye-watering $9,450. And that's only the price of the base model. Want the rad transparent hood? That's an extra $575. How about a walnut bottom shell? Add another $1,095.
With all the possible extras, you can expect to pay $12,640 for a single MK8. That's a lot when you consider you can find a vintage Rhodes for as little as $2,500, and they're still highly desirable.
If the price of the MK8 doesn't scare you away, we suggest you order one as soon as you can. With each one assembled by hand at the company's factory in Leeds, England, Rhodes only expects to manufacture about 500 MK8 units in 2022. You can claim a place in line by paying for one in full or putting down a 20 percent deposit. Shipments of the preamp-only model will begin in the first quarter of 2022, with the effects panel one to follow before the second half of the year.
It's hard to overstate how important the Rhodes piano has been to the history of contemporary popular music. It was crucial to the evolution of jazz and rock and roll in the '60s, with Kieth Jarrett and Ray Manzarek just some of the musicians who used the instrument to create incredible melodies. More recently, it has made its presence felt in tracks from Nils Frahm and Thom Yorke. And now it has the chance to inspire a new generation of musicians.
