What brand of piano did Elton John play before Yamaha?

Answer 1

At the beginning of his touring career, Elton preferred to use Steinway & Sons pianos, usually the model D concert grand in black or white.

In the mid 80s, Elton switched to the Roland RD1000 digital piano, an instrument with a very unique tone, proper wooden keyboard and full MIDI capabilities, allowing the performer to layer synthesizer sounds / modules with his piano playing if he wanted.

The early 90s saw Elton switch to the Yamaha brand; initially using a standard Yamaha CFIII concert grand procured from a university local to a venue the sar was due to play - he decided prior to going on stage that he couldn't pay the Steinway as the tone didn't cut through the band as well as the Roland, and wanted to sit at a grand piano once more on stage.

The CFIII was fitted with a Gulbransen MIDI rail pickup beneath the keyboard, allowing John the same MIDI implementation as his Roland. Interestingly, the rack module of the RD1000, the MKS20, is still in his piano rack today and forms the main part of his live piano sound. The sound we hear when Elton is on stage is a blend of acoustic and electric pianos layered with supplemental strings and pads from the Yamaha Motif Rack module.

Hope this helps!