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Helpinstill Roadmaster


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There was a electric piano made in the mid to late 70s by helpinstill called the road master , a Baldwin harp and fold away action upright in a flight case on casters . Has a wooden sound board and helpinstill pick ups came in full size and 66 key models. Helpinstill made them for around 3 or so years . Not a ton of info out there on them ,would like to hear from any one who has owned or played one . On u-tube there are a few samples of how they sound and I think some bands still use them ,wanted to hear from people who have had their hand on one as I am considering buying one . Do they hold tune well if studio use only . Are the strings a 2 string per note deal ,In youre opinion did they sound good etc. ? thanks in advance
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I played and toured one extensively for a few years in the early- / mid-'80s.

 

IMHO, they are a solution of their time.

 

Which means, in the mid-80's the primary solution for "real piano on stage" was either 1) amplify the real piano already at the venue (mic or pickup, with all the inherent challenges), 2) Yamaha CP70, or 3) the "other" solutions (Kawai had one, and there was the Helpinstill). As you probably know already, the Helpinstill wasn't an electric (or electronic) piano - it was a short scale upright with a built-in Helpinstill pickup wired to a 1/4" jack.

 

The Roadmaster was less expensive and easier to schlep than the Yamaha. It sounded decent and didn't feedback often. It sounded like a real upright piano instrument, unlike a lot of the electronic "piano solutions" of the mid-80's (anyone remember the ARP Piano?).

 

But it was a short scale upright, and I learned the basics of piano tuning to touch up really bad notes in between true tunings. Any really short scale piano is not going to hold tuning for an indefinite period of time. You would never mistake it for a grand piano. And the action did not inspire greatly. And lastly, for any gig travel it required multiple people to move it around. And I think there are lots and lots of better solutions unless you were really in love with the Helpinstill Roadmaster sound. If I had the opportunity today to purchase one (of course, at a substantially reasonable price) - I would probably pass. I have no sentimental reasons or attachment, but was glad I had it to play on at the time.

 

Of course, I'm nitpicking from the vantage of 2019, when we have choices like the CP88 or the Privia PX-S1000 / S3000.

 

I suppose I am curious what draws you to this particular unit, when despite any screaming deal you may be offered for it, for $600 you can pick up a brand new PX-S1000 and have a far better sounding, more flexible piano sound for gigging, recording, playing and the like.

 

Tim

 

 

..
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I used to have one too. It was a lot of fun to play. Heavy as hell but as timwat notes, easier to move than a CP-70s. Super easy to set up too - the keyboard folds down into a cavity near the harp and when folded pretty much looks like a flight case for a large mixing console, with a sustain pedal sticking out. In order to accommodate the keyboard folding down, the keys used a funky cable linkage which added a bit of imprecision to the action. Had something like 64 keys. Like the CP-70 I believe the bass notes were single strung and the upper notes double strung. The bass notes were less harmonically weird than the Yamaha, but overall tone was much more colored owing to the pickup design. I gigged with it a handful of times but loved having it in my apartment.

 

My apartment. Mine was stolen out of my apartment and never recovered. I used the insurance money to buy a CP-70, which I had for many many years before selling it.

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I had a Baldwin Electro Pro. Was that the same thing? Gee, that was 1981. I don't remember much about it. I joined a band that had a CP-70B, which I thought was much nicer, so I sold the Electro Pro. It was decent, but I wouldn't pay a premium for one, and modern digitals certainly sound and feel better and are easier to maintain (not to mention weight difference!).

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I played one for a while in the late 1970s. To be honest, there was nothing about it that made me nostalgic to own one, even if somebody were to give it to me for free.

 

If there"s something about it that just speaks to you, go for it, but as everyone else has pointed out, there are so many better alternatives nowadays

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

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I had a Baldwin Electro Pro. Was that the same thing?

 

As did I. The Electro Pro was not the same as the Helpinstill. The action was permanently fixed and did not swivel down like the Helpinstill. There was no sound board, just a metal harp with piezo pickups installed. I built a huge road case and gigged mine for years. It stayed in tune reasonably well thanks to the case, but I still carried a strobe tuner, tuning hammer and rubber wedges.

 

The action of the Helpinstill was spongy, in part due to the rubber straps which allow the action to swivel. The Electro Pro was also spongy. It had a very simplified upright action and lacked things like repetition levers to make it responsive.

 

Every Helpinstill I ever saw was the shortie 64 key version. As I recall, there were 2 strings per note in the treble, while the Electro Pro had 3 strings and sounded a bit more lush.

 

There was one more electric grand piano made by Kawai in use at that time, but it was extremely rare.

Moe

---

 

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There was one more electric grand piano made by Kawai in use at that time, but it was extremely rare.

 

The EP-308? Loved that piano. Wanted one desperately.

 

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

clicky!:  more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my bookmy music

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I had a Baldwin Electro Pro. Was that the same thing?

 

As did I. The Electro Pro was not the same as the Helpinstill. The action was permanently fixed and did not swivel down like the Helpinstill. There was no sound board, just a metal harp with piezo pickups installed. I built a huge road case and gigged mine for years. It stayed in tune reasonably well thanks to the case, but I still carried a strobe tuner, tuning hammer and rubber wedges.

 

The action of the Helpinstill was spongy, in part due to the rubber straps which allow the action to swivel. The Electro Pro was also spongy. It had a very simplified upright action and lacked things like repetition levers to make it responsive.

 

Ah yes. I'm starting to remember now, thanks. But I can see why I'd forgotten! LOL

Custom Music, Audio Post Production, Location Audio

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OT: I met Charles Helpinstill, the guy who started the Helpinstill company and invented Helpinstill pickups, in Houston about 20 years ago. His stage name was Ezra Charles and he used to play a lot of gigs around the Houston - Galveston - Beaumont area. He could really play some mean R&R, blues, and boogie piano, and put on a helluva show. He was also an agent who booked some gigs for a couple of bands I played in. He was / is a man of many talents. I have no idea what he's doing now.

Gigs: Nord 5D 73, Kurz PC4-7 & SP4-7, Hammond SK1, Yamaha MX88 & P121, Numa Compact 2x, Casio CGP700, QSC K12, Yamaha DBR10, JBL515xt(2). Alto TS310(2)

 

 

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Thanks for the replies , there was one up for grabs on e-bay ending up selling for like 8 hundred bucks, more than I was willing to pay ,I have other old stuff ,Rhodes mark one and two , Wurlitzer 200 ,c-3 Hammond along with others , No room left for the Yamaha cp -70 , just like old stuff , but putting up with not so great action ,not so much. Thanks again for the input .
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OT: I met Charles Helpinstill, the guy who started the Helpinstill company and invented Helpinstill pickups, in Houston about 20 years ago. His stage name was Ezra Charles and he used to play a lot of gigs around the Houston - Galveston - Beaumont area. He could really play some mean R&R, blues, and boogie piano, and put on a helluva show. He was also an agent who booked some gigs for a couple of bands I played in. He was / is a man of many talents. I have no idea what he's doing now.

He's still out there gigging, with his son Jake on drums. http://www.ezracharles.com

 

He got the company back a few years ago, and is making and selling the pickups again (not the pianos). Apparently he sells to a lot of churches as well as touring acts wanting to replace the old pickups they had. https://helpinstill.com

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I only encountered the Roadmaster twice. Once in a music store, and another when we went to hear another band. I thought they sounded good, but would not have worked for me. I needed to be able to stack another board on the top, and there was no real way to do that. So, I played a CP70B

 

I had the chance to play the Kawai EP-308 in a club in Anchorage. Not a bad sounding piano. But I didn't like the way it folded up, and I thought it silly that the controls were at the Right hand, where the CP70B controls were at the left.

 

I never had much problem schlepping the CP70B. In fact, I could put it together with no assistance if I had to. The one main draw back - I would get completely set up, with verything on top of it all in place and connected, then realize that I had forgotten to release the bar that holds the hammers in place for traveling. Tear everything on top down, so I could open it up and move the bar.

 

When I was on the road there was a club in Tulsa that had a house piano - well maintained 6'6" grand fitted with the full Helpinstill pickup. I loved playing there for that reason. My CP70B stayed in the trailer.

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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