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26-488: The new technology and a lack of a soundboard gave it a more accurate emulation of an acoustic piano than earlier models. It was well received and used by a number of musicians in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Grateful Dead 's Keith Godchaux and Genesis ' Tony Banks . It continues to be used in the 21st century by a number of artists, and it is still possible to buy replacement parts. The CP-70 has

52-415: A sounding board ) is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge . Pianos , guitars , banjos , and many other stringed instruments incorporate soundboards. The resonant properties of the soundboard and the interior of the instrument greatly increase the loudness of the vibrating strings. "The sound board is probably the most important element of

78-506: A CP-70 as it was easier to transport one to gigs than an acoustic grand piano. His successor Brent Mydland also briefly used it in 1982 before switching to digital synthesizers. Led Zeppelin 's John Paul Jones encased a CP-70 inside a white case to resemble an acoustic piano. Genesis ' Tony Banks used the instrument extensively, such as the hit " That's All " and " Taking It All Too Hard ", and preferred recording with it over an acoustic piano. The CP-70 achieved its commercial peak during

104-505: A certain 'live' tone while a poor one will have a relatively dead response", which may be tested during construction by thumping the board and listening for, "brighter, more noticeable ring[ing]", as one works the board, "to the appropriate thinness". Soundboards are traditionally made of wood (see tonewood ), though other materials are used. Skin or plastic are found on instruments in the banjo family, and harpsichord makers have experimented with metal soundboards. Wooden soundboards, with

130-659: A group of pianists in Los Angeles to test the instrument before manufacturing. After playing, they were "just freaking out over it". The first model had problems with tuning, and an upgraded version, the CP-70B, was introduced at the NAMM Show in 1978, along with the CP-80, which featured a full 88-note keyboard. The CP-70D and CP-80D models featured a graphic equaliser and an effects loop . The final models to be released were

156-406: A guitar in terms of its influence on the quality of the instrument's tone [ timbre ]." When the [guitar] top (or soundboard) vibrates, it generates sound waves, much like a loudspeaker. As the soundboard moves forward, the air that is in front of it is compressed and it moves away from the guitar. As the soundboard moves back, the pressure on the air in front of the guitar is reduced. This

182-640: Is available. The CP-70's flat top allows other keyboards and synthesisers to be stacked on top of it. There had been numerous attempts to manufacturer a piano that was both portable and sounded like the acoustic grand model. Benjamin Miessner had been working on pickup and amplification techniques since the 1930s, and discovered that capturing the harmonic information and nuances of sound was difficult and changed as pickup positions and configurations were altered. Yamaha had been working on pickup technology since World War II , and took advantage of Japanese culture at

208-404: Is called a "rarefaction," and air rushes in to fill the rarefied region. Through this process, an alternating series of compression and rarefaction pulses travel away from the soundboard, creating sound waves. The soundboard operates by the principle of forced vibration . The string gently vibrates the board, and despite their differences in size and composition, makes the board vibrate at exactly

234-399: Is usually made of a softwood , often spruce . More generally, any hard surface can act as a soundboard. An example is when someone strikes a tuning fork and holds it against a table top to amplify its sound. Wood for woodworking must be specially prepared. Ideally, it should be naturally dried. The natural drying process takes at least one year, but it is the only process that preserves

260-735: The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and then to the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. He splits his time between homes in Malibu, California and Kent, Washington , as of 2013. 2009 saw the release of Leese's first solo effort, Secret Weapon , through Frontiers Records . The disc included special guest appearances by Joe Lynn Turner , Paul Rodgers, Jimi Jamison and Keith Emerson . Howard is a longtime player and endorser of Paul Reed Smith Guitars . In 2009, Paul Reed Smith announced and launched

286-544: The MIDI equipped CP-70M and CP-80M, which were released at the end of 1985. The CP-70B and later models have very stable tuning, compared to other electric pianos. The lack of a soundboard means that vibration from transport and humidity is unlikely to change the sound. Because the CP-70 uses custom-made strings, sourcing new ones can be problematic. Each iteration of the instrument used a different type of string, although some of

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312-603: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Heart. Howard received his inspiration to pick up the guitar during the 1960s after seeing Dick Dale , the guitarist in the surf band "the Del-Tones", and feeling the excitement from his playing. He studied violin and music theory at the City College, Los Angeles , and also played in a band called The Zoo. Leese had his first recording contract with Ed Cobb 's Sunburst label at

338-609: The "Howard Leese Limited Edition Golden Eagle" in tribute to the No. 1 guitar that he played on stage for over 15 years. In the late 1970s, he performed live with the rare Sardonyx guitar. Howard has used and endorsed Toadworks guitar effects since 2004. In January 2009, ToadWorks USA released the Howard Leese Signature Model analog flanger named Barracuda, after the Heart song of the same name). HML Guitars

364-751: The Mini-Moog solo on the hit song "Magic Man") and song arranger. Aside from the Wilson sisters, Leese was the longest serving member of Heart. In 1998 he joined the Paul Rodgers Band and continued to tour with them as with Bad Company . As of May 2013, when not touring, Howard was performing in Raiding the Rock Vault which originated at the LVH Hotel , but moved to residency at Vinyl at

390-451: The advent of MTV and was therefore prominently featured on music videos. Keane 's Tim Rice-Oxley uses a CP-70 as his main instrument with the band. Alicia Keys has used a CP-70 as her main touring piano, which she custom-painted. During the tour for The Element of Freedom , her CP-70 featured the words "Freedom" and "Love" painted on its side. References Sources Sound board (music) A soundboard (occasionally called

416-471: The age of 15, as the band The Zoo with friend and drummer Mike Flicker . Later, when Flicker went to work for Jack Herschorn at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver, Leese went with him as a production manager. While there, he and Shelly Siegel started Mushroom Records . It was at Mushroom Studios in 1974 that Leese helped produce a demo for Heart . The next year, Mushroom Records signed Heart and released

442-408: The direction of its fibres and the lack of knots. Howard Leese Howard M. Leese (June 13, 1951) is an American guitarist, record producer, and musical director who played with Heart as guitarist and keyboardist for 23 years (1975 through 1998). He continues to record and tour as a solo artist, and as guitarist with The Paul Rodgers Band and Bad Company . In 2013, he was inducted into

468-452: The exclusion of those found on keyboard instruments, typically have one or more sound holes of various shapes. Round, oval, or F-holes appear on many plucked instruments, such as guitars and mandolins . F-holes are usual in violin family instruments. Lutes commonly have elaborate rosettes . The soundboard, depending on the instrument, is called a soundboard , top , top plate , resonator , table , sound-table , or belly . It

494-417: The group's first album Dreamboat Annie which Flicker produced. Leese was assistant producer on the album, and was asked to join the band later that year. He played with the band until 1998, when the Wilson sisters put the band on hiatus for several years to pursue other projects and devote more time to their personal lives. Leese was Heart's guitarist, backing vocalist, keyboard player (best known for playing

520-428: The harp casting that induce an electric current from vibrations, in a similar manner to pickups on an acoustic guitar . The choice of piezo-electric pickups and their mounting position avoids the problems with earlier electric pianos, where magnetic pickups carried harmonic information at a particular distance on the string. The lack of a soundboard means it is difficult for the instrument to feedback . The signal from

546-424: The natural structure of the fibres and pores of the wood, which determine the resonance and frequency characteristics of the material. Not only is this process lengthy, but it is also expensive. It would be far quicker and cheaper to subject the wood to artificial drying, although the quality of the material would be compromised. The acoustic properties of an instrument are also influenced by the wood's cutting profile,

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572-407: The pickups is sent to a preamplifier which features a stereo balanced line signal via a pair of XLR connector output jacks, in addition to the more familiar quarter-inch jack outputs. The CP-70 is designed for touring. The instrument's legs are detachable and can be stored in an internal lid. The harp can be detached from the key assembly, though this requires two people. An optional road case

598-462: The same piano action as an acoustic instrument, using wooden keys to operate hammers which hit strings, but it does not contain a soundboard . It has a smaller number of specially manufactured strings, reducing the overall weight. In particular, the bass strings are very short compared to an acoustic instrument ( 2 + 1 ⁄ 3 inches (5.9 cm) instead of around 9 feet (3 m)). The strings are amplified by piezo-electric pickups mounted on

624-414: The same frequency. This produces the same sound as the string alone, differing only in timbre . The string would produce the same amount of energy without the board present, but the greater surface area of the soundboard moves a greater volume of air, which produces a louder sound. "Generally, stiffer boards will give a brighter edge to the sound than softer, more flexible boards....A good, dry soundboard has

650-485: The time which permitted research information to be exchanged between companies without threat of intellectual property lawsuits, as in the US. They used this knowledge to create a series of robust piezo-electric pickups, and combined it with their experience in manufacturing acoustic pianos to make an electric instrument. The CP-70 was first manufactured in 1976, and cost $ 4,000. According to Toto 's David Paich , Yamaha invited

676-601: The treble strings can be replaced with standard ones from an acoustic piano. As of 2019, there were two companies in the US supplying the appropriate custom strings for the CP-70. The CP-70 was used by a number of prominent keyboardists, including Keith Emerson , George Duke , Charly Garcia , Little Feat 's Bill Payne , Heart 's Howard Leese , Patrick Moraz , Michael McDonald , Magne Furuholmen of A-ha and Billy Joel . During Cold Chisel 's live performances, singer Jimmy Barnes leapt onto keyboardist Don Walker 's CP-70. The Grateful Dead 's Keith Godchaux began playing

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