The Rhodes piano was invented in the 1940s by Harold Rhodes, and its principles are derived from both the celesta? and the electric guitar. In a conventional piano each key actuates a felt-covered hammer which strikes a set of strings to sound a single note. In a Rhodes piano, the hammer strikes a tuning fork to sound the note. The tuning forks themselves are "unbalanced" or asymmetrical: one arm is comprised of a short, stiff metal rod (essentially a stiff wire) called a "tine" which is struck by the hammer, and the other arm is a tuned resonator resembling a piece of metal bar stock, sized to sound the appropriate note. The actual sounded note is too soft to be practical, so each tine vibrates in front of an electric-guitar-style [magnetic pickup]?. The pickups' output is fed to an amplifier? which can be adjusted to produce the desired volume.
The sound produced has a bell-like character not unlike a celesta or glockenspiel?. Because the instrument produces sound electrically, the signal can be processed to yield many different timbral colors. Often the signal is processed through a "delay" or "chorus" effects box, which adds a distinctive vibrato similar to a vibraphone?; it is this "rounded" or chiming sound that is most typically called a classic Rhodes sound.
The Rhodes was particularly popular during the 1960s and 1970s, and many of its signature songs date from this period: "Just the Way You Are" by [Billy Joel]?, "Still Crazy After All These Years" by [Paul Simon]?, "Dark Star" by [Crosby, Stills and Nash]?, or the theme from "Taxi" by [Bob James]?.
The Fender? Guitar Company bought the Rhodes company in the 1950s, and produced the instruments for many years, in conjunction with Fender-designed amplifiers. The instrument is thus often termed a "Fender Rhodes" though purists prefer simply "Rhodes." The actual instruments are more rare in latter days: they are fragile, heavy, and tedious to tune. All modern synthesizers contain built-in "electric piano" patches that approximate the signature Rhodes sound with considerably more convenience.