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Messages - cgardnerma

#1
Hah! Awesome.
#2
Thanks, Alan! Helpful perspective!
#3
Hi folks,

I just picked up what I think is a 1973 or so 200. Horrible looking top that was spray painted silver and was scraped and flaking. Bunch of stuck keys, bent pot shafts (broke one trying to straighten it), flattened music rack, faceplate falling off and bent, noisy amp, horrible noises on certain keys, hole in one speaker. But the guts were PRISTINE. After a couple hours on YouTube/Google, I tore it apart and got to work over Memorial day weekend. Vacuumed it out. Eased a few hammers and key bushings. Spot lubed the action in places. Realigned a few reeds shorting out on the pickup. Tuned a couple obvious replacement reeds that had never been filed! Separated AC and signal wiring for noise improvement. Patched hole in speaker. And repainted the cover! It now looks, plays and sounds awesome. So satisfying! Here are a couple pics, and a link to a video of my son playing it after we got the playing sorted out but before the paint!

I also have a few of questions for the experts here:

- I have two keys that double strike if I really lay into it. Is that an issue with let-off or something else typically?
- Pots/knobs are off center, if faceplate is centered. I need a vote on whether I should center the pots in the hole or center the faceplate on the lid! Hehe.
- What's the thinking on the reed clamp/block things on 12 or so of the upper reeds? Delete and retune or leave them? A few of those reeds definitely don't sustain well at all as configured.
- The 200 amp has had a couple caps swapped, but is otherwise stock. This will be used in the studio and I may want swap the amp for a quieter one at some point. Any preference between the Retrolinear and VV replacement amps? Or should I go for a rebuild/hiss kit from VV? It's honestly not as bad as I expected overall and lots of great records made on noisy Wurlis!

https://youtu.be/GLUzhQtH7H8


Thanks in advance!

Chris