GEM Promega
“At this point I declare a personal interest” admits Dave. “I worked as a consultant to Generalmusic, maker of the Promega 2, when they launched the Pro 2 RealPiano. I thought it was brilliant and it was so obvious that the Generalmusic team were so passionate about pianos in general, they’d squeezed some great sounds and left no stone unturned in the pursuit of the perfect stage piano. To the best of my knowledge no other manufacturer had introduced sympathetic harmonic resonance and true damper physical modeling before that instrument.
Actually, all of the team we amazing players and each also knew and loved their Fender Rhodes pianos in detail. too it was very refreshing because at a time when all the world’s instrument makers were coming out with Rhodes sounds that sounded more like glossy DX7 electric piano soundalikes, here was an instrument that sounded as sweet or as raucous as the genuine article.”
The Promega 3 is the next generation Pro 2 and although it’s not officially vintage, and not officially a synth, it’s one of our favourite pianos because it was designed by people who care about pianos and, much like the Pro2, made it sound fantastic.
It’s got a terrific ‘cool factor’ too by way of the flying faders, which just by dialing up a patch on the instrument, all the faders quickly move to their corresponding positions. It’s not only good fun but on stage it’s really practical too, as you can see the starting point for each sound.
Further practicalities include huge red buttons which, while they looking like they arm and launch missiles, simply turn on and off each section. Plus a graphic equaliser with a display indication of each patch setting and eith dedicated knobs for immediate control over each frequency.
Sadly, not so practical for a life on the road is the shape of the instrument. It looks great - a bit like the old Synclavier, with the sloping back - but as a result you’ll need a custom built flightcase and a helping hand to carry the thing.
Nonetheless the Promega 3 has been employed by Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Otmaro Ruiz and anyone else who knows a damn fine real piano sound when they hear one... or two... or three, or four. Oh and did I mention about the awesome Rhodes sound... and the Wurlys?
The Promega 3 is still a current item and if you’re lucky you’ll occasionally see them being sold secondhand. If you get the chance to play one, do so. You might just end up parting with your cash quicker than you initially thought.