Electro Harmonix Key 9 Electric Piano Machine

General

After Electro Harmonix surprised us with the B9 and C9 organ machines, they do it again with the EHX Key9 Electric Piano Machine. Instead of 9 different organ sounds, this time you can choose from 9 electric pianos, based on legendary models like the Fender Rhodes. Its controls are almost identical to the B9 and C9. It features one selection knob, two controls for blending the dry and organ signals, and ctrl1 and ctrl2 knobs. Just like on the B9 and C9, the latter two controls serve different purposes for each of the 9 available voices. Electro Harmonix never shies away from an experiment, and that's what makes them so special. Who else would consider making your guitar sound like a marimba?

Many combinations

The great thing about Electro Harmonix organ and keyboard machines is that they go very well with other effects like delay, overdrive and modulation. If you use the Key9 together with the C9 and/or B9, the tonal possibilities will be virtually endless. That's because these EHX pedals complement each other perfectly, instead of getting in one another's way. Furthermore, the Key9 has two outputs - one for the effect signal and one for your dry signal - which means you can choose to transmit your original guitar signal to an additional amplifier, for instance. In short, it offers possibilities aplenty, and in true EHX fashion, its effects range from subtle and practical to completely over-the-top.

Enrich your arsenal with 9 classic sounds

Just like the C9 and B9 organ machines, the EHX Key9 features 9 presets that are as practical as they are musical. 'Dynamo' and 'Suitcase' are both based on the legendary Fender Rhodes, though 'Suitcase' has a phaser and octaver added to its sound. 'Wurli' and 'eighty eight', emulate the famous Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes 88, respectively. Furthermore, the 'Vibes' and 'Organ' presets don't simulate any specific model, but they sound like a vibraphone organ with a tremolo and an electric organ with a Leslie speaker. 'Tri-glorious', meanwhile, offers you a highly realistic Dystronics/Dyno CS-5 Tri Stereo Chorus sound. Finally, there are the 'Mallets' and 'Steel Drums' presets, and believe it or not, these two give your guitar some glorious marimba sounds to play with.

Tips or comments about this product

• Some guitar amps have an unbalanced frequency response. This might cause some sounds to be accentuated when you don't want them to be. To prevent this from happening, EHX recommends placing a compressor pedal in front of the Key9 in your effects chain.