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Classic Keyboards for your coffee table


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Target audience alert - The January 2020 issue of Sound on Sound has a glowing review of this book, available for a mere $60.

 

http://www.classickeysbook.com/

 

They lined up some pretty legit endorsements, Donal Fagan and Rick Wakeman to name two. I got a brief look at a copy while visiting EMEAPP (that's another topic, see emeapp.org) and it looked gorgeous, it's now on my Amazon wish list.

 

My birthday's in July. Just saying.

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Well, there's good news and bad news in the Hammond chapter ......

 

Bad: Not one pic of a quatrefoil C anywhere......

Very Bad: A small illustration of a French Provincial A-102....

 

Good: All the rest of the chapter. Interviews, insights, and pics of the most flawless Walnut B-3 I've ever laid eyes on. I don't recall ever seeing one on the showroom floor of the Hammond Studio in Totowa, NJ ever gleam like the one pictured.

 

Easily worth the price. It's got plenty of depth, so be prepared for total immersion when you read this.

 

Jake

 

 

1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP

 

"It needs a Hammond"

 

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I am the co-author of "Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music." When the book was released in December, I did not post about it on this forum because of the rules against using the forum to promote products. But I'm pleased that this group has discovered the book without my help. It was a seven year labor of love for me and my Australian co-author (and photographer) David Robertson.

 

Alan Lenhoff

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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I am the co-author of "Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music." When the book was released in December, I did not post about it on this forum because of the rules against using the forum to promote products. But I'm pleased that this group has discovered the book without my help. It was a seven year labor of love for me and my Australian co-author (and photographer) David Robertson.

 

Alan Lenhoff

 

I don"t think anyone here would object to you promoting this tome. My hat is off to you, sir; it"s an amazing resource and totally informative.

Keeping this a secret would have been far worse for this community.

 

Very well done, indeed.

 

Jake

1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP

 

"It needs a Hammond"

 

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@ Alan Lenhoff, there is a shameless plugs section at the top of the forum page where your book could have been promoted by yourself, however it is reserved for regular contributing members. Hang out with us a bit more often and get your next project up there. :thu:
:nopity:
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Just wanted to thank everyone for the kind words about the book. We did it for people like you, who share our love for these special instruments. (Also, it was a convenient excuse for both of the authors to fill our homes with even more vintage keys. That alone was worth the time and labor we put into this project!) ;-)

 

And now that the book is done, yes Dave, I'd love to hang out here more often.

 

Alan

 

 

 

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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"Classic Keys" just arrived yesterday.

 

I bought the hard cover version. The book was bigger than I expected. The photos are excellent quality, there are lots of them, the paper stock is very good quality. I have some guitar books made out of nice paper stock with excellent photos, and I have to say it is about damn time we had a keyboard book with similar quality. The book "Prophet of Silicon Valley" started this trend, this book elevates it to another level.

 

I shared my dad's passion with trains; when he passed away I inherited his collection of over 1000 long-out-of-print books on railroad history. Many are over fifty years old; books from that era were top quality which were constructed from hard cover and heavy paper optimized for photo reproduction. When I first held "Classic Keys" in my hand I recognized the same quality.

 

From what little I have read so far, there was a LOT of research that went into the history of the instruments. Even well-read seasoned pros (like me) will find themselves saying "I did not know that" as they read along. While the subject matter is light on vintage synthesizers, there's plenty of other books for that.

 

"Classic Keys" fills in gaps long overlooked; electro-mechanical instruments (hohners, mellotrons, hammonds, rhodes, wurlitzers, electric grands, etc) and early electronic keyboards (RMI, combo organs, electronic pianos, K250, etc). Although many have long been out of production, the authors dug into factory records and interviewed artists, former employees, and dedicated enthusiasts on the history behind these instruments. The attention to detail is equal to those with hands-on experience with these classic keyboards. The assessment of the instruments are unashamedly honest; they discuss the pros as well as the cons, such as which era has better playing sound/action and cautions on locating replacement parts. For instance if you are shopping for a Rhodes piano with a particular sound in mind, this is a valuable resource.

 

Well worth the money. Excellent resource and fascinating reading.

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Received my copy from Amazon today! This is a well done book! I am glad someone finally took the time to write a book on this subject. Guitar players have had their share, and Geddy Lee wrote one for the Bass. Love this book. I would have not known about this. Thank you for telling us about it Werno!

 

I bought this, as an early Birthday Present for myself!

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Got mine and it looks like a goldmine of information. Can't wait to bore my guitar-player friends with all the history...only fair after all the endless discussion of guitars and amps I've endured :)

Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact

www.stickmanor.com

There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman

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We really appreciate all the kind words.

 

The Real MC noted: "I have some guitar books made out of nice paper stock with excellent photos, and I have to say it is about damn time we had a keyboard book with similar quality." (And Paul and Sam echoed that thought.) That's exactly what we set out to do. Classic Keys was meant to be a keepsake book that keyboard people would enjoy for many years.

 

A niche book like this lives and dies on word-of-mouth recommendations, so please tell your friends!

 

Thanks,

 

Alan

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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We really appreciate all the kind words.

 

The Real MC noted: "I have some guitar books made out of nice paper stock with excellent photos, and I have to say it is about damn time we had a keyboard book with similar quality." (And Paul and Sam echoed that thought.) That's exactly what we set out to do. Classic Keys was meant to be a keepsake book that keyboard people would enjoy for many years.

 

A niche book like this lives and dies on word-of-mouth recommendations, so please tell your friends!

 

Thanks,

 

Alan

 

It"s a great book and well written, and you guys covered a lot.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

After "Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music" quickly sold out at many retailers following its December release, a second printing has arrived. Now available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, booksamillion.com, and many others. To learn more about this big, beautifully photographed celebration of vintage rock keyboards, go to https://www.classickeysbook.com/.

 

Alan

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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  • 2 months later...
Wow! I finally got around to ordering this wonderful book, and as others have said, hats off to Alan and David for what must have been an insane amount of work to complete. It's really amazing, and so well laid out and researched. The chapter on the Wurlitzer pianos is worth the price of the book alone. Highly recommended.....
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Thanks for your kind comments! I'm hoping people find it to be a pleasurable way to pass the time during our social distancing.

 

Stay safe everyone!

 

Alan

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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Wow! I finally got around to ordering this wonderful book, and as others have said, hats off to Alan and David for what must have been an insane amount of work to complete. It's really amazing, and so well laid out and researched. The chapter on the Wurlitzer pianos is worth the price of the book alone. Highly recommended.....

Thanks for posting. Reminded me to order a copy, which I did this morning. :thu:

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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Thanks to Marc Myers, music journalist, historian and author, for these kind words yesterday about Classic Keys on his award-winning jazz blog, JazzWax.com:

 

BOOK OF LOVE: If you love rock and electronic keyboards, Alan S. Lenhoff and David E. Robertson have just published Classic Keys: Keyboard Sounds That Launched Rock Music (University of North Texas Press). The 406-page coffee table book is beautifully written and features page after page of photos of electronic keyboards that gave rock its personality. There are in-depth chapters on the Hammond B-3, the Vox Continental, the Farfisa Compact, the Hohner Clavinet, the Minimoog, the Wurlitzer, the Hohner Pianet and many others. Each chapter is loaded with history about their development, the rock bands that used them and hits that featured them. Enormous fun reading through while listening to vintage vinyl.

 

ClassicKeysBook.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1574417762/

 

Alan

ClassicKeysBook.com

 

Hammond B2; Leslie 21H; Leslie 31H; Rhodes Stage 73; Rhodes Piano Bass; Hohner Clavinet D6; Hohner Pianet N; Vox Continental; Gibson G101 organ; Wurlitzer 140B; Minimoog Model D.

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