Topics

I don't want to do the wrong thing here. I have 2 upper hammers that don't fall back. It almost seems that a little lubricant might do the trick, but I'm not sure. Here is a photo and the area circled is where I think things are held up, because I can lightly push down on it, and the hammer assembly drops. It sounds gross to say that my fy is sticking on the butt, but (no pun), how do I unstick it?
Thanks,
Dave

PS: I did not entitle myself to"Sparkletop." May be appropriate because of hair loss. But how do I change that?

I may not have searched here hard enough, but I am hoping that someone can advise.
I have a 200A from the 70s with 2 reeds that are flat, in spite of my trying to reposition them forward as much as possible. That worked for 3 others that were flat.
So, I can order the new ones, which will cost about $100 Canadian with delivery, or I can try filing.
Questions:
1.  With the power off, has anyone tried a Dremel with smaller sanding head to remove tiny amounts at a time from the top of the solder mound?
2.  Is it risky to gently, manually file while still installed?
3.  Any other tips?
Thanks very much.

Happy New Year. My old Rhodes C2 was running sharp, so I have been trying, as an amateur, to move the coil spring further out without creating a problem and without removing the assembly, and found the perfect tool (for me). I have a screw tip case with small bits, some unusual, but there were 3 U-shaped bits, one of which will hug the tine perfectly. The holder is thin enough to slip down between tine assemblies to just behind the spring. Using the handle of another screwdriver, I tapped on the holder a few times to slide the spring distally, and within a minute, I had the tine tuned to correct pitch.

While I am here, a quick question. I have 2 dull tines, so I have ordered new ones but have been cautious about cutting to proper length. What is the best recommended plier set, and if I err, is it better to err on the side of too long? If so, how much leeway would I have sliding the spring procimally to raise the pitch to correct? I.e., what is the pitch range that the spring affords?

Thanks in advance.

Probably most of the gang here already knows this, but I thought that I would share what I have found.

I've been tinkering with my 200A ever since I bought it via eBay as an estate item. From middle C upwards, it has a lot of beef. But quite a few of the notes below this, all the way down, have been muted. So I bought a dedicated nut screwdriver set, rather than using my socket set, and found that simply adjusting the right-left proximity to the pickup projection on either side of the reed has made quite a difference. Doing this can change the pitch, so I will be working on the "Y" axis, trying to slide the reed forward or back a little.

The bottom line: try this first before purchasing new reeds. The piano is getting brighter in the lower register.

Question: Does anyone have a tip in terms of preventing the reed from swivelling as you tighten the nut?

I am very happy with Retrolinear's variable vibrato.

But that pulsating red light sits all alone back there, and should actually replace the orange light behind the jewel.

Has anybody done that modification? Probably desoldering, then soldering in wiring to bring it into line with the jewel?

Or am I asking for trouble?

I know this has been covered before, but I would appreciate your humouring me.

The 200A came from a home. It looks like it has not been Jerry Lee Lewised.

C#4 is a bit lower pitched and out of tune, and I am hoping that it is not a shot reed, considering the more gentle care it has had over the decades.

So, should I loosen it and slide it slightly backwards? File off a tiny bit of solder? Leave it alone?

Thanks,

Dave

I was hoping that someone could help me with this problem. I took the EP to a technician to look at my PCB. He found several cold solders, which may have accounted for some blown fuses. He installed my Variable Vibe from Retrolinear at the same time. He now tells me that there is audio from the auxiliary out but cannot determine why there is no audio to the speakers.

He has traced the signal path along the wires to the speakers, and this appears intact.

He no longer wants to work on the board. My understanding from an old thread is that any of the transistors 9, 10, 12 or 14 could be the culprit. Any advice would be much appreciated. It may be that I should replace the board with the Retrolinear model, rather than encountering future similar problems.

Thanks.

When I recently bought a near-mint 200A, one of the feet was missing. But I wanted to replace all of them with swivels and nylon surfacing to avoid scratching floors.

I carefully took measurements with digital callipers, and here is what I found: Wurlitzer leg outside .73 in or 18.7 mm.

Taking these measurements, I then contacted Caster Town in Edmonton, Alberta, and they immediately shot back this answer: "We do have the size you need: 3/4" part # GLG552-3/4NL and the price is $0.99 Each. How many were you looking for??

I ordered 5 (never know if I might lose one), and I installed one today. Absolutely perfect. The inside of the foot has a thick black plastic disk which is tight against the inside of the steel foot Pressing (or carefully hammering) the foot on is a friction fit method. It took a fair amount of force to get it off again, and that was with just moderate pressure on installation.

They charged $13 Canadian dollars for shipping, but well worth it!

Hope this might help someone.

Here is a photo:

I can see clearly my high C action. Slow to drop back, or just sticks. So I would like to lubricate this area, and the centre pin and surrounding felt look like the target.

I have been to the piano forums, and am amazed at how widely opinions vary about what to use and NEVER to use.

WD40 is an absolute no-no. But some piano tuners use this liberally.
Mutton fat, heated and separated several times, mixed with talc (baby powder) was mentioned. Wow. Imagine the smell.
Silicon an absolute no. It "migrates over time."
Ronson's lighter fluid (naphtha) and baby oil: 8:1. But some say the residual oil attracts dirt
Naphtha and liquid suspended graphite for some, but treasonous for others.
Protec CLP is a common denominator, but some argue that it is short-lived, sometimes lasts only one performance.

So I have Ronson's, and have ordered Protec CLP and the needle bottle, but I don't want to make a mistake. Once I'm inside, I don't want to back again for years, and I don't want to be scourged and mocked if it mucks things up and I have to take it in somewhere!

So I respectfully ask two questions:

1. What would you use (I anticipate diversity) and why would you use it?
2. Can individual actions be unscrewed and harmlessly delivered (no forceps deliveries) for lubrication, or do I have to take the whole piano apart (a la VV video https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wurlitzer+200+action)?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Dave

Just received several replacement tines for mid-range for my Rhodes.

The cleanest cut would be a Dremel cut-off, but would the heat generated (although for a very short period of time) disrupt the sustain and tone? Better to use end-nippers?

Thanks.

Just recently purchased a 200A in wonderful condition, except for the fact that the hum shield is missing (amazingly, very little hum).

The lowest C, when struck, often is not amplified, unless struck hard. All other notes are fine. I can hear the reed vibrating when the amp is off. But when it's on, this problem recurs.

So I removed the top, reattaching the speaker harness. Under those conditions, the C note works perfectly and at good volume all of the time.

There does not seem to be anything that would be mechanically obstructing the action. So I am left with a theory that, without the hum shield, the speaker magnet, which is very close to the pickup there, is somehow interfering with that part of the pickup, which seems a bit of a stretch.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

I was hoping to get advice on a variable vibrato modification sold by Ken Rich.

I have just purchased a 200A as part of an estate sale, and it was well cared for. There are some items that will need addressing, such as several reeds that are a little dull, but that is what is so nice about these vintage items. You can find advice and parts.

I like the sound of the slower vibrato as heard on Youtube posts, and the ability to tweak on the fly. But this version requires an extra hole to be drilled into the upper cover. However, they also supply a new face plate for that, so that the Wurlitzer can be restored to the original appearance by replacing this with the old plate.

I would be grateful for opinions on this model, perhaps compared to the other, by those who have had it installed.

Thanks.

Greetings,

I am new to the forum, but have been over at the organ forum for a fair while (B3 and Leslie topics for me). This seems like a really nice, helpful group.

Just bought a very good Wurlitzer 200A a few days ago, and when it was delivered, one of the speaker wires was loose, which I fixed. But another managed to loosen, and after the solder job, the onboard speakers were completely distorted at all volumes. But the Line Out signal was clean. The problem was a blown fuse on the board. Whoever designed the layout was one sadistic electronics guy. There are two tiny glass fuses sandwiched in there, each metal tip wound with copper wire, each end of which is soldered into the board. The fuse filament is hard to see. You have to raise the board and ensure you have identified the fuse solder points to get it out. I am not good at electronics.

So I removed it, slipped the copper wire "spring" off each end, and went shopping. You may wish to note the specs: 301-1AG 1 1/2 Amp, 32 V. Good luck finding a tiny 1.5. So I got the usual longer version, and made certain it was 1.5 Amps. The auto parts desk guy said 2 Amps would be fine, but why take a chance with sensitive electronics? (I found the 1.5's at an electric repair shop).

I also bought a spring-loaded fuse holder, because I never want to go through the time-consuming process again. Problem was that the wire gauge was too thick to fit through the board holes. So I used a trick I learned from an old electronics repair man. I used  a wire cutter to crush the glass of the fuse, then cleaned out the remnants. I placed some solder inside the metal ends, tinned the fuse holder wire ends, soldered them in the two metal ends, and replaced the copper windings. This way I was able to poke the end of the copper windings into the board and re-solder them in. It all worked. Not pretty, but it's safe and convenient.

Now I am going to say that I would agree that this may be shoddy workmanship because it is not pretty. But I'm not the one who designed the layout of that board. And I am bit nervous about the elegant looking Bourns multifuse ptc resettable fuses that can be soldered into the old fuse spot. Just switch the piano off, wait a bit, turn it on and it's reset. But if there is a problem causing it, I think you want the fuse to blow quickly without delay. And you surely want to find the cause of the blown fuse as soon as possible, In my case, I think it was turning on the amp with no load because the speaker wire was loose. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I would like to be wrong because these resettables are about 50 cents at Mouser Canada (Bourns makes them)!

Thanks for any advice and opinions.

Dave