Dusty Roads captures the essence of a classic Fender Rhodes Mark II Stage Piano.

We recorded this vintage beauty in close stereo and direct line in, giving you total freedom to shape the tone and make it your own. The end result is a naturally playable, great-sounding instrument that will come alive in your tracks, with tons of sound-shaping options and expanded content to take this classic sound in new directions.

This iconic model was one of the most popular in the legendary instrument line originated by Harold Rhodes. He developed his unique take on the electro-acoustic piano concept during World War II in an effort to build compact bed-side electric pianos to aid in the recovery of wounded soldiers. He released an early version, the “Piano Bass”, with Fender in 1959. The first full-sized model, The Mark I “Suitcase”, was released in 1965 after CBS bought Fender.

The Mark I “Stage” followed in 1970 and this Mark II came out in 1979. While the Rhodes line was just one of many early attempts at “electrifying” the piano concept and sound, it achieved a tonal and dynamic character that was completely new and utterly distinct. The Mark II has a smooth, silky, almost glassy bell tone when played softly, but it quickly rises up when the player digs into it with a fuzzy growl and full body of an electric organ. It is one of a very few classic keyboards that have come to define the aesthetics of mid-20th century music.

We sampled all 73 keys with 6 velocity layers and 4 round robin, then recorded key up and down SFX so you can dial in the release volume and amount of key attack click, giving just the right amount of tactile presence when you really want to feel the instrument. Not content to stop there, we crafted 20 evolving textural soundscapes that range from ethereal and cinematic, to haunting and atmospheric – perfect for underscoring and adding depth to your musical compositions.

You can weave them into the sound in real-time or play them as their own instruments. You’ll also find 20 custom FX presets that utilize the multi-layer features and FX of our template to stretch the sounds in all kinds of new directions. And finally, our modular FX rack allows you to re-amp your new e-piano with various pedal, amp and speaker combos and pile on a variety of DSP effects.