If you’ve ever seen Hanson perform live, you’ve probably witnessed Taylor Hanson playing a red miniature piano. What you may not have known is that it’s an iconic instrument — and his favorite piece of equipment.
Hanson owns a Wurlitzer 200 series electric piano, which was the first plastic-cased edition introduced by the instrument manufacturer in 1968. In the latest episode of It Goes To 11 — a new series in which musicians explain their favorite gear — the singer/songwriter can’t help but gush about his little piece of history.
“It’s one of those pieces of gear that has a personality,” Hanson says. “It’s an icon of rock and roll and pop culture music since the ‘60s.”
Noting that the most iconic use of the Wurlitzer 200 series piano was arguably in Ray Charles’ 1959 hit “What’d I Say,” Hanson also pointed out that the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson has been known to play the “quirky” instrument.
What makes it particularly special to Hanson himself, though? “You get these two worlds,” he explains. “You get something that is a little more under control as an electric instrument, and something that actually has that hammer response that you would get from a real piano. It’s inviting you to play — it’s getting you closer to what you’d get from a full-fledged piano.”
Watch Taylor Hanson discuss his beloved piano above, and keep checking GRAMMY.com for more episodes of It Goes To 11.