Messages

Cool. Makes sense.

It's hard to get good specs on these speakers, but I guess there's quite a difference in sensitivity if you're perceiving a shift in overall loudness.

I think I've settled on a lid-only and audience and player facing option. The lid speakers (2 16ohm in parallel) will give me 8, and all for (2@16ohm + 2@20ohm) will give 5.5ohm.

I like your setup though. I just don't want to spend any more money than I need to. Here is how I was going to wire it, in case anyone is interested.

Cinnanon,

That's a really nice build. Why did you decide to keep both front and rear speakers in the base?

I think the idea of having both options, lets or base is great. (I've thought about doing this in the future, but wanted to get a simpler rebuild done first.)

Have you built a few like this? Again, it's really nice.

Retro-Mike, I will definitely be posting photos as I go through it. I've got to finish rebuilding my TEAC reel to reel (I've got to have a good way to record the 206, once it's sounding great), then it will be this ones turn.

Thanks!

[really impressed me in the quality of customer service]

Since its mono why not just mount one speaker forward (audience) and one speaker toward the player?

Since its mono why not just mount one speaker forward (audience) and one speaker toward the player?[/quote]

I've definitely thought about this -- or some version of it. The thing I'm really after is the ability to have an audience/performer facing setup (could be one speaker each), and then a player-only facing option. So one way to do this would be to switch between one piano mounted speaker and a base speaker. So one piano speaker is always on, and I'm selecting the second speaker. This should work great if the speaker impedance is basically the same, but I'm not sure it will be.

Also you might need to deaden/dampen the cabinet so it doesn't oscillate the piano.

Do you mean this in regards to remounting the base speakers from facing toward the player to facing the audience? (Why would how the piano oscillates change? I hadn't considered this. Are you thinking because they would be mounted to the base that attaches more directly to the piano than the grille does?)

Or are you just saying that this is a good idea in console Wurlitzers, even in the original speaker configuration?

And lastly- a tad of shameless self promotion, One of our amp boards would be a nice addition

Funny you say that. I just emailed Retro-linear earlier today asking about the speaker impedance the amp was rated for, so I could know which configurations would work. I actually got a very good reply, which was prompt and informative, and really impressed me in the quality of customer service. That interaction made it even more likely that I will buy your amp.

By the way, the Warneck amp, per Retro-Linear can handle down to 4ohms comfortably, so I'll look at what the best combos may be now that I'm armed with that info.

I do have another question. In looking at piano speakers, Vintage Vibe has the 200A and 200 version. It states that if your piano does not have the speaker screws, you will need 200 speakers (which are 16 ohms, parallel to get . This is higher than the base console speakers. It does not give the impedance of the 200A speakers though. Is the impedance of the 200A speakers the same? (16 each, 8 total)

Thanks for your input so far everyone.

[Is there some reason I'm missing that this is not a good idea?]

As I stated in another post, I am restoring a 206A, but due to the cosmetic condition, I am also customizing and changing it around a bit.

One idea that I would really like to pursue is remounting the base speakers to they face out from the back of the piano (i.e. toward the audience). I would also mount speakers in the piano itself, both for playing the piano when set against the wall (as it will often be), and to make it easier for the player to hear herself while using the audience oriented speakers. (Perhaps I'd include a pot to control the balance when both front and back speakers are on.)

Has anyone here done this sort of conversion? Is there anything I should look out for? It seems fairly simple:

1. Replace the current speaker board with a solid board.
2. Cut matching holes in rear wall of the base.
3. Mount and wire in the speakers.

(If the 4 speakers were wired in a series-parallel configuration the impedance at the amp will always be the same).

Is there some reason I'm missing that this is not a good idea? To me it seems like it would be great.

Thanks,

Luke

Hi Mike,

You say you are wanting to convert a 206 into a 200A. I think you may just be looking to make it into a 200. The main difference between the 200 and the 200A is the amp and speakers (although not every 200 is the same or 200A is the same). In other words, to make it more like a 200A, you'd need to replace the amp in your 206.

Here is a good rundown of the differences: http://chicagoelectricpiano.com/wurlitzer/wurlitzer-200-vs-200a/

The sustain mechanism is the same between the non-A and A models. If you get a pedal from Vintage Vibe or similar, it will work.

Vintage Vibe does have speakers that will go in the case. Be sure you get the right ones though, as they mount differently (as the linked article explains).

(Also, are you sure you have a 206, not a 206A? You can see this on the manufacturer's plate on the bottom of the instrument itself (bottom of keyboard, not the base.)

I hope that helps. I now have a question for you.    I made a post recently (http://ep-forum.com/smf/index.php?topic=9338.0) about bases. Is yours in good shape? What do you plan to do with it? (It seems like you're too far away from me for me to buy it from you anyway, but I was curious what people do with these things when they chop them.) I may, however, be interested in your old speakers. Do you have plans for them?

Thanks,

Luke

[I'm very excited to restore it and do my very best to get the most out of this thing]

Hello all,

I am new here, and I recently acquired a 206A, an instrument I've wanted for some time. It plays and sounds okay (except a couple of keys that are pretty out of tune, a buzzy amp, and a volume pot badly in need of cleaning), but I'm very excited to restore it and do my very best to get the most out of this thing.

I'd also like it to look nice. The piano itself is in pretty decent shape cosmetically, but the base has some problems. It looks like it may have encountered some moisture in it's time and the vinyl is peeling in spots, but worse, on the back, the particleboard is chipped and swollen.

I haven't seen many threads on the restoration of these bases (since I know many people just chop them anyway). I wanted to ask a couple of questions.

1. Since many of these do get chopped, are there people out there that may have bases in good condition that they're willing to let go of for cheap? (Not necessarily on this board, just in the world.) I asked at my local shop (Austin, TX) that works on these and they could work with me next time they get one in to chop, but they said this doesn't happen often anymore. (The other side of this question is: if people are chopping them, is it a smart to just assume that the base wasn't in great shape in the first place?)

2. What I would ideally like to have is a 206A that's cosmetically original and in good condition. (I'd probably prefer to have the Warneck amp and some new action parts, so I'm not after originality for originality's sake, I just like the look.)  My question is, are there many of these out there that are in good/great cosmetic shape? Am I likely to find one if I just keep my eye on craigslist long enough? Or if what a really great looking one is what I'm after, I just need to get in big time savings mode and get a nicely restored one from Chicago Electric Pianos? (Basically, if I can just get one that won't require so much work to be a nice looking original sometime down the line, I'm happy to just do something crazy with this one and rebuild the base with some new panels and tolex, and dye the top to make it look cool and original.)

3. I obviously haven't had this base apart yet, so I also don't know what I'm getting into. It seems simple (basically a box), but is there some reason I haven't thought of to not even think about restoring the base (whether in original form of a cosmetic reinvention)?

Thanks a lot. This board is really great.

Luke

ps I know cosmetics are ultimately a dumb thing to worry about, but I think we all suffer from irrationalities and I'm just aware that this is one of mine. My number one priority is definitely to have it sound great and be fun to play, I just want it to look cool too, however irrational that may be.

Wow. That looks great. I hope (and bet) it sounds as good as it looks.

Question: what's the toggle switch on the panel?

I've seen the three knob modification for the tremolo speed, but I've never seen the additional switch. It's made me curious.