Messages

1

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 200a cheap amp replacement

« on: February 25, 2021, 02:15:27 PM »

Don't forget that part of the uniqueness of the original Wurlitzer amp is the roughly 150vdc that it creates for the reed bar. A generic amp will not do this. The Wurli is not passive like a Rhodes.

2

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer picking up radio stations

« on: February 19, 2021, 02:09:58 PM »

More likely the carbon in the old one was just worn out. You are lucky that you found it fairly quickly.
I had a Wurli with a worn vol pot once and it caused a loud hum at any volume.
I went crazy replacing parts....

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 270 line out

« on: February 17, 2021, 04:55:30 PM »

Interesting- my 700 has the light and jack in the left cheek block

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer picking up radio stations

« on: February 16, 2021, 07:37:55 AM »

There is an inexpensive tester with lights that will plug into any 3 prong recepticle and it will tell you if the outlet is wired properly. They have 3 lights on them.They will light up different ways for correct wiring, open ground, reversed hot and neutral,etc. I think they are like $4 in any home store electrical dept.
 
He may possibly have an open ground.

Ok, they cost a little more- this one is $6 @ Harbor Freight

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer picking up radio stations

« on: February 13, 2021, 06:10:53 PM »

Well, there you go. The radio towers...
Are his receptacles properly grounded? I'm assuming he has a 3 prong cord?

Unfortunately, there may not be much else he can do other than move away from those towers....
Probably not feasible...

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 270 line out

« on: February 10, 2021, 04:23:41 PM »

That doesn't look like a 270- that might be a 720. Completely different model.
The 270 is the butterfly grand.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 270 line out

« on: February 03, 2021, 12:56:41 PM »

I'm 90% sure there is a headphone jack in the front, but I can't access mine at the moment.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 270 line out

« on: February 01, 2021, 03:43:33 PM »

Well, it's not really line level out, but an AUX out.
Lower impedance (hotter signal)

But yes, it's not just a headphone out.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Identify this Wurlitzer

« on: January 26, 2021, 06:31:03 PM »

I agree with cinnamon. It looks exactly like the 720 I had, and the 726 seems to be really rare.Ive never seen a 726 in person...

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Backrail felt: how thick can you go?

« on: January 26, 2021, 06:20:13 PM »

Thicker is ok if you know what else needs to be done, but op was asking about 2 layers which I do not recommend.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: New (to me) 140A questions

« on: January 17, 2021, 08:59:20 AM »

And the model 700 had the death cap. Same amp as the 120.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: New (to me) 140A questions

« on: January 09, 2021, 11:03:47 AM »

Yes, you may do it that way, but be careful about pulling the wires too far. Also, there is a nut under the knob that holds each pot on.

13

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: New (to me) 140A questions

« on: January 08, 2021, 03:05:55 PM »

Yes, knobs off but don't forget there is AC power on the switch. I don't remember if that model has the death cap or not. Can someone else say for sure?

I wouldn't mess with bending pickups until you are 100% sure that is the problem. It may be letting off the soft notes too early, so the hammers may be barely touching the reed before falling back down.

Press the soft playing keys slowly, and watch what the hammers do. If they drop down with little or no musical tone, that is likely the problem.

There's a guy on eBay that sells the best wrench for that. 

14

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 146b Hot Resistors

« on: January 05, 2021, 05:46:24 AM »

Yes, it is normal. Don't touch 'em!

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: Backrail felt: how thick can you go?

« on: January 01, 2021, 10:17:04 AM »

Yes, you are going down a rabbit hole. Never put 2 layers of felt here. Reducing the dip that much will make the action feel choked/heavy, then raising the rail creates more issues that need to be dealt with.(key height, hammer stroke, escapement,damper issues)
Just use ONE layer of back rail cloth. The secret to reducing the noise is to NOT PUT GLUE directly under the part where the keysticks actually touch the felt. Only put glue (lengthwise,across the keyboard) on 1/2 of the felt where there is a gap between the felt and the keysticks. As wood glue hardens, it may cause a clicking noise when the keys fall back to their rest position.

It's not so much the thickness that reduces noise, but the softness of the felt.

16

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Dampers and Reed Bar Ringing Noise

« on: December 24, 2020, 07:36:45 PM »

Interesting. Let us know how you make out after changing those. At this point it doesn't sound like it's the dampers themselves.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Dampers and Reed Bar Ringing Noise

« on: December 22, 2020, 06:22:22 PM »

No, don't add rubber washers. Could it be a broken ground wire?
It sounds almost like a bad cap too...or maybe a bad soldier connection?

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: MkII Plastic Balance Rail Punchings

« on: December 22, 2020, 06:18:54 PM »

All front rail punching s are larger than balance rail punchings, but you may need to cut them since balance rail pins are so close together.

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The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: MkII Plastic Balance Rail Punchings

« on: December 19, 2020, 04:10:04 PM »

I don't know that answer, but I do know that Schaff does not sell to the general public.

20

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Dampers and Reed Bar Ringing Noise

« on: December 18, 2020, 06:06:07 PM »

You can try depressing the pedal and holding it down, then gently squeeze the offending dampers with some needle nose pliers - this will close the 'v' shape then it will open again when you let go. This may help. The felt gets hard from age/dust/dirt, and sometimes this softens them enough to help.

Turn the power off so that you don't short the reed bar with the pliers.


The next step is about as easy, but try this first.

Try it on a few of the worst offenders first.

21

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: New rhodes owner looking to do some restorations (EDITED)

« on: December 12, 2020, 10:23:11 AM »

When gluing the rail felt, only glue 1/2 way. You do not want glue on the back half of the felt where the keys actually rest. This is to cut down on noise. Only glue the front half of the felt.

22

The Fender Rhodes Electric Piano / Re: New rhodes owner looking to do some restorations (EDITED)

« on: December 11, 2020, 05:10:02 PM »

7/16" key dip feels better to the touch than 3/8". It makes the touch seem a little lighter. It is not absolutely necessary to even out the hammer line at rest. The hammers are not bent. Replacing them will not change this. It could be uneven felt on the pedestals.(or hammer cams)

Not sure what you mean by using the tine butt to measure key dip. Key dip is a key/key bed issue.

The tines have no real correlation to key dip. (Unless they are waaay out of whack- IE escapement super low)

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: 2 Questions about Wurlitzer 206

« on: December 08, 2020, 06:57:16 AM »

In other words, if you buy a replacement 140/200/200A sustain pedal, it will work just fine on this piano. Only some early models such as the 112 used a different pedal.

 If you kept the pedal parts from the case bottom, they can either be made into a free standing (ugly) pedal with a few parts added, or you can sell the parts and put that money towards a pre made replacement. You can't just connect the old parts the way they are and have it work. You need the coupling piece that connects to the outer cable sheath and of course a base for the pedal.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Building a 200-series from scratch? 3D-modeling?

« on: December 02, 2020, 03:53:49 PM »

I just want to add to my previous post- a grand piano action is far more similar than an ep action, but again, the parts are just way too large. A Wurlitzer or Rhodes hammer are a fraction of the size of an acoustic piano hammer. And a whip in a Wurlitzer is a fraction of the size of an acoustic piano whip (aka whippen)

The other thing is, ep hammers swing up and away from the keyboard. Grand piano hammers swing towards the keyboard. That makes the dampers farther away, so the cabinet needs to be larger (deeper) than an EP cabinet.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Building a 200-series from scratch? 3D-modeling?

« on: November 17, 2020, 05:52:52 PM »

Acoustic piano hammers are way too large to be used in an ep.
You can't use upright parts in the manner you are talking about. It's just not possible.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Low volume and no vibrato on model 206

« on: November 16, 2020, 05:39:21 PM »

I don't remember how to do it, I've only done it once and I believe it was a 206A...
Sorry..

Anyone else know what's going on?

27

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Low volume and no vibrato on model 206

« on: November 15, 2020, 05:24:17 PM »

Did you buy a vibrato kit or just a knob and pot? The 206 models do not have vibrato built in.

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The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Downstairs Neighbor Complaining About Noise, Even When Recording Direct

« on: November 13, 2020, 06:58:45 PM »

That's just about the craziest thing I've ever heard. I use some of those square foam interlocking pads for my keyboard in my basement to keep the dampness of the floor away. I wonder if something like that would be enough?

29

The Wurlitzer Electric Piano / Re: Wurlitzer 200 series relocation to uk from us

« on: November 03, 2020, 05:26:48 AM »

I'm not an electrical expert, but as you know, the voltage is more than double in the UK, so, that is a big factor. I was there once and at least 2 of the step down voltage adapters that my wife bought didn't work at all. I'm sure others will chime in, but I'm not sure what people have done in the past. Is there a more expensive, higher quality step down adapter available? I would look for one with an output voltage of 110-115v, not 120v if that is even possible.

Also, Ive seen resistors charred/ burnt, but I've never seen one melt...

30

Gigs, Events, Music Releases and off topic stuff etc. / Re: Rocketman movie, has anyone else seen it?

« on: October 29, 2020, 07:14:35 AM »

Have you asked Grandma if you can buy it from her??