Helpinstill is a
US-based company that produces a unique
electromagnetic
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the dominant force in the interacti ...
pickup system for amplifying grand and upright
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
s on stage. During the late 1970s the company also marketed a range of portable pianos ready-fitted with the pickups. These instruments were built by
Kimball to Helpinstill's specifications. The company's founder and namesake, Charles Helpinstill, performs in Houston with his band,
Ezra Charles and The Texas Blues Band.
Description
The Helpinstill pickup comprises three (or four in the case of some uprights) long electromagnetic bar pickups which can be temporarily attached to a piano's iron frame with
magnets
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
and clamps. The pickups only sense vibrations from the strings, virtually eliminating the possibility of
feedback
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause and effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handle ...
. A small
mixer allows the pianist or sound engineer to adjust the output balance of the pickups.
The ''Melodipro'' piano
In the mid-1970s, the Aeolian piano company marketed the Melodipro upright piano, a semi-roadworthy version of its Melodigrand 64-note piano fitted with a Helpinstill pickup system. The shortcomings of this instrument inspired Helpinstill to produce its own completely portable instruments.
Helpinstill pianos
Three models were produced between 1977 and about 1980. All were true acoustic pianos with soundboards.
Roadmaster 88 and 64 models
These were uprights, built into
aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
flightcases on
casters
A caster (or castor) is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object (the "vehicle") to enable that object to be moved.
Casters are used in numerous applications, including shopping carts, office chairs, to ...
with fold-away keyboards and sustain pedals. The 88 offered a full piano range while the 64 lacked the top and bottom octaves.
Portable Grand
This was an 88-note baby grand without its heavy outer case, and designed to separate into a keyboard and a "harp" section with removable "hairpin"-style legs. A
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...
cover was fitted to the "harp" in lieu of a traditional case and lid. This made the instrument considerably lighter than a traditional grand of the same size.
Both instruments are still renowned for their authentic sound when amplified, and the Helpinstill pickup remains an industry standard.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Helpinstill company websiteMusic website of Ezra Charles Helpinstill
Piano manufacturing companies of the United States
Companies based in Texas