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The earliest electric pianos were invented in the late 1920s ; the 1929 ''Neo- Bechstein '' Electric Grand Piano was among the first. Probably the earliest stringless model was Lloyd Loar 's ''Vivi-Tone Clavier''. The actual method of tone production varies from one model to another; Yamaha and Kawai's electric grands are actual grand pianos with strings and hammers but no soundboard; the Wurlitzer and Rhodes pianos use metal reeds and wire tines respectively, struck by hammers; Hohner's Pianet and Cembalet use adhesive pads and rubber plectra respectively to pluck metal reeds, while the same company's Clavinet is essentially an electric Clavichord . As with electric vs. acoustic guitars, the sound of most electric pianos differs considerably from that of an acoustic instrument, and the electric piano has thus acquired a musical identity of its own, far beyond that of simply being an portable, amplified piano. In particular, the Rhodes Piano lends itself to long, sustained "floating" Chords in a way which would be impossible on an acoustic instrument, while the Hohner Clavinet has an instantly recognisable vocabulary of percussive riffs and figures which owe less to conventional piano and clavichord styles than to Funk Rhythm Guitar and slap Bass .
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