Your Guide To: The Hohner Pianet N

[@BenjaminDehli]

Great playing and restoration work👏And a beautiful sounding instrument 🤩

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you so much!

[@allenpaley]

Very cool walk-through!

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you!

[@MrX-sg9us]

Good score. The Pianets were used on a lot of classic songs. It was Christine McVie's favorite electric piano.

[@Emmarepairs]

Oh I didn't know that! Recently I've been seeing them pop up everywhere on live videos and it makes my heart happy

[@claudionervi]

Increible Ema, gracias por la posibilidad de ver estos instrumentos por dentro, siempre sorprendentes. Imagino lo imposible, tener control sobre la velocity, pero por medios analógicos.

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you!

[@groovemonkey73]

Just sub'd. Great channel! I'm too into vintage keyboards. I actually have a Pianet CH that still doesn't work, so was lovely to hear this demo of yours, as not many videos about to show how they sound. Looking forward to watching your other videos!

[@Emmarepairs]

Thanks so much! They are such finnicky things I don't doubt it doesn't work LOL

[@jussikuusela7345]

Tremolo is amplitude modulation, vibrato is frequency modulation... there are some "simple" vibrato circuits available (simple as in built with analog components) that take the direct signal, delay it slightly in a delay line (many designs available), and then a low frequency oscillator controls which signal (direct or delayed) is more prominent on the output. A guitar guy whose video I watched years ago demonstrated such a device.

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you

[@hermanadam1]

The volume/tonecontrol looks to comes from a guitar PU that were made for soundhole mounting.

[@totalrod2]

You can also use sorbothane for the sticky pads. McMaster-Carr sells it in sheets of different durometers and thicknesses.

[@Emmarepairs]

Interesting! I'll have to check that out

[@MartenBunt]

I just bought my second Hohner Pianet M, next to my lovely Hohner Pianet T. Both beautiful Electric pianos, same principle butt different sounds. Complement each other .

[@Emmarepairs]

Awesome! They all have a little something special

[@waldemar.golebski]

20:02 This plug with arrow on the output panel is for grounding :)

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you!

[@moogfooger]

Great video. thanks for the walkthyough. You may already know this but the "tone and volume" controls are from an after market archtop guitar pickup assembly. They sit under the pickguard. Cheers

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you! And yes, I later found that out LOL

[@moogfooger]

@@Emmarepairs I had one of these way back when and regret selling it. I love that "Night Before" Beatles piano sound.

[@jussikuusela7345]

The small socket near the outputs is a ground connector, looks like for a 4mm banana plug but not sure. And no, I don't think the Pianet stores a charge at any time in the power connector after being unplugged, highly likely it is just the transformer primary. There are some low power devices that have a series capacitor, either from factory or after repair to replace a factory ballast resistor that burned out. This is more common in old radios that had no power transformer, it is possible that it stores a tiny zap's worth of charge. The Netz thing probably is a voltage selector, if there is a true on/off switch on the top control panel.

[@jussikuusela7345]

Although the "Netz" coud also be a primary power switch, if the top panel switch is on the secondary side of the transformer.

[@clepsyd]

Hi Emma, thank you for the great video - very informative! - I am currently restoring a Pianet N myself. I wanted to ask: how tall is the spongy material in your pads? Thanks!

[@Emmarepairs]

Thank you! I don't have it anymore, but I'd say a solid 6-8mm?

[@clepsyd]

Thank you so much for the reply! All the best!

[@ikhnaton]

That was very interesting ! And great playing. Thanks !

[@ikhnaton]

(Now I want one 😅)

[@Emmarepairs]

Haha thank you!!

[@robertsteinberger5667]

I cant find any moment where she is playing it

[@Emmarepairs]

At the end, its even timestamped silly

[@JohnnyTronny19841]

I'm a proud owner! Needs a little work - it gets this buzz to the signal, then I hit the underside and it goes away - until it comes back again lol I love the tone, but yes it requires a different way of playing I was lucky in the mid 2000s when I got it on eBay, the sticky pads were disintegrated, butttttt those parts were still made by Hohner for the clavinet (I think) so I got it set up. I still use it, even with the buzz - I love slow Leslie/super reverb on it - or a fuzz on it for more aggressive situations (until the buzz returns and it's a fuzzed buzz lol)

[@Emmarepairs]

Awesome! Yea the amps can be finnicky lol. Hope you're not using Clav tips on a Pianet or you're gonna have a shitty sounding Pianet LOL. Probably replaced them with the Pianet T's rubber version

[@Glockinmyrawrie]

Other than lennon favoring this piano, mike ratledge of soft machine, tony banks from genesis, don fagen of steely dan and many more played this exact model

[@sophiebride-gq8fn]

It is the Hohner Pianet N electric piano Emma ?

[@Emmarepairs]

Yes

[@kwakshnack]

analog emma is back :)

[@DylanYzewyn]

Nice video. Can you do another song cover?😊❤

[@Emmarepairs]

Haha maybe I'll see

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

This was actually the specific electric piano that ZZ Top used on their 1979 hit "Cheap Sunglasses," rather than the Wurlitzer EP200 favored by Supertramp.

[@Emmarepairs]

Oh cool!

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@@Emmarepairs I also read that the Pianet has been making a resurgence somewhat, as many people find it to be a cheaper alternative to the Wurlitzer EP200 since both sound almost alike and that replacement pads are still readily available for the earlier Pianets. The Wurlitzer, while cool to listen to, is more of a beast to maintain due to its weight and the cost of the few remaining repair parts. Both were dropped after 1983, the same year the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer had come out, which had nearly-unmistakable electric piano sounds.

[@Emmarepairs]

@ClassicTVMan1981X are you in Europe? Cause I feel it’s the complete opposite over here in the US. All I hear about pianets are that tines are rare to find and parts are near impossible-and you might as well just make the legs like I did. Compared to a Wurlitzer, it seems like everyone has a 200a, hell I know 8 people personally, yet I’m the only one I know that had a Pianet. While a 140 would be a bitch to carry around, the 60lb 200 is only 10 pounds more than a Pianet with such a superior feel/action. I’m getting in a Weltmeister 200 from Germany in a few weeks and am curious to see how that feels compared to the Pianet-not to mention it has a sustain pedal! Edit: though I do believe 200a prices are absurd, so yes the Pianet is certainly cheaper in that aspect though I feel overtime I would have regretted not spending more for the wurli. Granted I’m used to buying things cheap and broken so I’m able to save some there

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@@Emmarepairs Nope, I'm an American, too (and proud of it).

[@staceycarras3815]

What a shame this beautiful instrument has no sustain pedal, beautiful sound, mind you organ technique could fix that, love your video's !, keep them coming

[@Emmarepairs]

I agree, I think it would be a really great standalone instrument, but you’re right an organist would make this sound a lot better haha

[@mechasartre3694]

Pianet are beautiful instruments. I recently sold my T to get a mk2 Rhodes but I do miss the silky bass of the Pianet.

[@Emmarepairs]

haha the bass is awesome, though I'd kill for a 54 Rhodes

[@ebeep]

I'm thinking this might be Bryan Ferry's main machine as highlighted on his Let's Stick Together versions of "2HB" and "Casanova".

[@Emmarepairs]

I wish I knew what you were talking about haha

[@ebeep]

@@Emmarepairs, understandable! Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6nGZJmAjq1_l5Ysi=rO3KjUfVU6O7Cejs

[@ElderNames]

The screws were probably metric, so "customary" unit screws would not be an exact fit and might be difficult to match.

[@Emmarepairs]

Yes! I did find that out with the brass screws that held on the top lid with the hohner logo on it. Always a fun struggle lol

[@andrewkoastephens4090]

The volume and tone knob looks like it is not original. It looks like it is from an arch top guitar. If it is, it would mount to the underside of the pickguard. The Zombies sold me on pianets.

[@Emmarepairs]

Definitely not original haha; but you are correct that it does look a lot like one of those older archtop/installable pickups

[@karijohartmann2649]

I've restored many of these. I've even figured out some mods. Lol.

[@Emmarepairs]

Nice!

[@karijohartmann2649]

@analogemma I've got two original MELLOTRONS. LOL. I'm going to have to make a post on those. I figured out quite a few things about them, and they're not really that intimidating. And I'm sorry, I realized I was on my late wife's account when I posted that. I put our music on this one. It is really cool to see somebody else doing what I do. Here in St Louis, I'm the only tech fir 100s of miles, or basically Chicago, that does that work. My favorite keyboard that they made at horner was Pianet and clavinet combo. They figured out a way to put the pianet and the clavinet, both controlled with the same keyboard. Those two sounds combined like that on one keyboard, really sound awesome! Do you play or record much?

[@karijohartmann2649]

@analogemma also, with pianets, I've used silicone oil, 200,000 weight, lol. Used as differential oil for RC racers. It's the stickiest. And if a pad has lost some of that quality, that silicone differential oil will actually bring it back.

[@kgbinfo]

Wow I just had to return a fender Rhodes that I was borrowing from a friend, and instead of buying my own I think I might just get one of these. I kinda think it sounds better.

[@Emmarepairs]

Awesome!!

[@gustavoleal1539]

What a wonderful piece of mid-century design. Sounds great... i think it was the most "portable" way to sound something close to a Wurlitzer or a Rhodes at that time.. With no doubt the 60's/70's key instruments gave us the better sounds ever since.. 80's and 90's most of stuff sounds terrible. Annoying digital sounds..nothing like a good ol' E.Piano to fill our lifes with joy and peace hahaha

[@Emmarepairs]

Totally agree!

[@westfield90]

I keep hearing I am the Walrus

[@Emmarepairs]

LOL then you're right on that! If you look closely, you'll see on of these on the rooftop as well; they didn't know what Billy wanted to play when he was up there

[@westfield90]

@@Emmarepairs great catch. I didn’t notice it before

[@lundsweden]

I am a walrus

[@Emmarepairs]

yes!