---------- From: Realpiano@aol.com Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 11:11:40 EST To: webmaster@ptg.org Subject: press release Helpinstill Is Back After a sixteen-year absence from the market, the Helpinstill Piano Pickup is once again in production and available from the original manufacturer. During a 1972 Elton John U. S. tour, his technicians and the Claire Bros. engineers were introduced to a young Texan who had developed a new magnetic pickup for pianos. After one trial concert they bought it on the spot. The resulting immediate success of that first unit led Charles Helpinstill to found a company that manufactured thousands of pickups and eventually introduced a line of electrified pianos. The original product became a very widely used tool of the concert sound industry, and provided the piano sound heard by audiences who went to see Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and hundreds of other superstar artists. In 1981 Charles Helpinstill sold the company to pursue his own musical career. Without his participation, the company eventually shut down production in 1985, at which point he re-acquired the patent rights and machinery. After a successful career as Texas piano artist Ezra Charles, he has once again started production of piano pickups, and the new company is now shipping units. Current Helpinstill users, including Bruce Hornsby, Lyle Lovett and Ben Folds Five, will once again have the full service and support of an active company. The Helpinstill is a unique, patented system for providing an isolated signal from the piano by using magnetic pickups to sense the strings. Unlike microphones, the Helpinstill is virtually immune to feedback and completely free of bleed-through from nearby sound sources. Sensing the piano tone at its origination rather than through the soundboard as contact pickups do, the Helpinstill possesses a presence and brilliance that makes it easy to mix in the most demanding ensemble micing. It attaches in minutes to the piano, and features controls that allow adjustment of the volume of every note on the keyboard. The sound quality and realism of its tone surprised the very first listeners on that 1972 Elton John tour, and continues to amaze engineers today. Prior to re-introducing the Helpinstill system, Charles Helpinstill has refined and simplified the original to produce the new Model 120 Helpinstill Piano Sensor. This new model contains all the features which made the original unique, but with simplified controls. Direct internet marketing which eliminates dealers, distributors and mark-ups allows the company to offer this new unit at the original 1980 price: $550. A website for the new company has been established at www.helpinstill.com that provides complete information for purchasing units direct from the manufacturer. Helpinstill is located at 4818 Glenmont, Bellaire TX 77401, telephone 713/432-1089.
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