Messages

Nothing actually broken... but a couple keys that are real "plinky" or choked sounding when struck, even after new rubber hammer tips, adjusting the pickups/action etc.  I can continue to work with what I have for now as the reeds seem sort of difficult to find, but if there was a place to reliable get replacements, it would be nice to know about.

Thanks for your reply!

Hey friends... anybody out there in possession of, or know where to find reeds for a Pianet T?  Clavinet.com etc. has some new pads and resto tools still, but reeds seem pretty scarce.  I've got a Pianet T here that I've been putting off doing some work on, but finally finding some time, and wanted to ask around. 

It's in pretty solid shape, and minor cleaning/tuning isn't so hard... but I'm thinking it might be good to have some extra reeds around for the few pesky notes that seem quieter or won't stay pitched correctly.  Any help is much appreciated!  I'll try to check back on this thread every so often, or feel free to email me at benwaligoske@gmail.com

Thanks!

Glad this thread has sparked some healthy results!  Cheers all - and I'm also especially glad to say that I picked up the 200a!  It was in better shape than I expected and should only need minor tuning/action adjustment to be tip-top!  Very tickled.  Unfortunately it's still back home and Im waiting on a friend to drive out to Colorado to actually get it to my house. hopefully in a week or two....

If not, anyone have experience shipping a Wurly?  I'd really like to avoid this, but if it's the only way, so it goes...

Also, Steveo I would love to have purchased one of your tools but in fact, the piano actually came with what looks to be a let off tool of a slightly more straight design... But I'd assume the curve in yours is there for a reason?  If the included one doesn't work, I will be in touch!

Here's a photo too!

Hey guys, just stopping back by to say thanks again.  Steve, I'll check out that tool if I end up picking up the piano... going to look at it in the next couple of days here.  So what exactly is the letoff?  It's just not ringing truly, or?

At this point I'm not sure what I'll do... really depends how it feels/sounds in person.  I'd love to own one but am not excited to dive into vintage piano repairs again (traded away my Rhodes 88 for that very reason) so... we shall see!

Thanks yet again to you SteveO! 

There's a fellow locally that is a good piano tech/tuner, though he deals mostly with grands, uprights, etc., and I've contacted him showing him the same video, and he agrees that it seems to just need a tuning and action adjustment.  He's also handy with electronics and a soldering gun, and said after doing a bit of reading he didn't think tuning it for me would be too much of a problem.

I guess my biggest fear is just diving into a piano that's going to end up being a money pit to get playing correctly.  As you may remember from my other, related thread, I'm also a fan of the Korg SV-1 and if I passed on this 200a, I could probably afford an SV-1 over the Kurzweil SP-4 that we were discussing in that other thread...

Hey dudes and dudettes!   

I'm writing to ask the Wurlitzer powers that be on this forum for a bit of expertise and assistance in my potential purchase of a vintage 200a.  I've got a fellow in my hometown that is selling this piano, and I'll be heading back there in about 10 days for Christmas, so he's holding it for me to check out.  In the meantime, I asked him to shoot a video of the piano for me to consider (and to show my tech friend) to try and estimate what sort of work needs to be put into it...

Here's the video he sent - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ADmEInjg4&authuser=0

From what I can tell (and I don't know a ton about Wurlys) it's in solid shape, but definitely needs a tuning.  And as you can see, about 5 lower register notes he singles out at the end of the video have something funky going on... but, in my naivete, I'm not sure if that's the sound of bad reeds, or just a funky action that's not quite striking properly.

Can anyone offer some advice?  He's asking in the neighborhood of $600-700 for it, but I get the feeling that between tuning and possible reed/action work, I'm looking at $100-200 worth of parts and labor as well. 

Do you concur?  Thanks so much for any help!!!!

Yeah, I've played them and they are great!  But, I'd rather own the real thing first as I slowly acquire things to have a killer home studio, and deal with the "lessers" for gigging situations - and especially until I can call myself a halfway decent keys player!   

Thanks for more responses guys, this is great info!

Little George - THAT is exactly why I don't think I could ever live with a MIDI rig for keys!  I too have been at far too many gigs where the weather is inclement (if outside), the setup time/soundcheck is short or next to nothing, and when the stuff does die on stage, it usually seems to die in the most horrible and noticeable ways possible, IME... of course, everyone has their own experiences!

At this point, I think I'm looking most seriously at the SP-4 7 (newer generation) and actually, I was indeed looking at the 88 key weighted version, but going up to that model (the SP-4 8..) adds another 12ish pounds I believe, and I'm a little wary of playing Hammond style sounds on a weighted board.  And - yes, not really trying to tweak much on stage... the group I'll be with is very much vocal based and I just need to have some nice sounds to cover chord changes and a few embellishments here and there... nothing fancy.

If I was smart I wouldn't buy this Wurly 200a that I found, and I'd save my cash and just buy a Korg SV-1... but what fun is that? 

Thanks guys!  If anyone else has specific experience with the SP-4 7 I'd really like to hear about it!

By the way Steve-O - I see you're a piano player in love with vintage guitars... we share similar yet opposite passions!  People see all the vintage key gear I have and are then stunned when I say its only my second or 3rd instrument... oh well

Thanks for the input guys!

I have considered going the controller/module route, but it's just so... I'm not sure what the phrase should be here... soul-less?  Not that the sounds aren't good - in fact, I think most high quality MIDI stuff I've heard sounds killer, especially in studio work - but for some reason I've just had such a distaste for that sort of stuff when it comes to live performance, and on a certain level don't trust them as much... our keyboardist in my main project locally uses a few different programs for shows when he doesn't want to lug his full rig (also A100, Leslie, Rhodes, etc.) around, and we've had it crash a couple times on stage and that just stinks...

But, maybe I should reconsider.  Maybe I'm just asking too much at this price point... and I know, it's not like there's much of a difference between the digital soul of a stage board with built-in sounds vs. the digital soul of a module/controller, but in my mind I think there is, I guess...

I was also looking even more closely at the newer generation of Kurzweil stuff (SP-4 7, SP-4 8...) which has more update capabilities for some better patches... but now I'm picking up this Wurly 200a in a couple weeks and was hoping to save a little cash...

Hey guys,

Super sorry if this isn't in the right spot, just let me know - but I've looked around and haven't been able to find any real answers for my specific situation, and as this is the liveliest EP/Keys forum around, I figured there was no place better to turn!  Anyways - so don't shoot me, but I'm a guitar player that plays keys as a secondary instrument, and while I haven't had to gig on keys in awhile, in a couple of months it looks like I may head out with a new group in which I'll be covering some basic keyboard work - organ, and piano mostly - on tunes where the frontman guitarist/singer is taking leads...

I'm spoiled and at my house I have a Hammond A100/142, a Yamaha CP30, and soon to be a Wurly 200a.  I've also owned/played several Rhodes pianos - love them all!  But, I'm not about to take any of them on the road with me especially as I'll already be lugging a couple 6-strings and a pedal steel along, plus amp and effects etc in the van....

So - I've been searching for a cheap (and I mean, I'd prefer less than $500 cheap) board that I can take out with me and not worry about, something light and with good piano sounds first (AP and EP) and if the organ is passable, great... At present I'm looking very seriously at the late-model Kurzweil SP76, and it's close-related counterparts.  Seems to have pretty darn good Rhodes sounds from what I've heard, and everything else is passable, but it's light, cheap, and easy to use.

Can anyone comment if this would be a good board for my situation, or do you have other suggestions?  And please, don't say "Save your money and buy a Nord or a Korg SV-1", because it's just not realistic at this time.  If the gig with the band sticks and I am doing this more long term, I'll be all over one of those nicer pro boards in a heartbeat!!

Thanks guys, sorry for the long post!!

-b