Old Wurlitzer

[presdaddy]

At my local music shop, there is an old Wurly, not a 200 or a 200a, but one that is made of wood and must be much older. Why haven't I seen these before? How much is one of these worth?

[Ben Bove]

The only one of real value would be a model 140, preferrably 140B.  the earlier ones, I think like 112, are pretty useless comparatively.  The 140 I believe is a tube piano whereas the 200 is solid state.  google image search

[tnelson]

I don't have personal experience with older Wurli's like the 112, but listen to the sound clips of them at the Vintage Vibe website.  Maybe not so practical for gigging, but they certainly can sound great.

[daswans]

I've got a 145 with the tube amp and tremelo and it kills the 200/200A pianos tonewise (I also have a 206A). It also uses the later 200 action. Kind of a best of both worlds: playbility/stability of the later painos but with the rich tone of the early ones that only tubes will give you. The only downside is that the 145 is about double the weight of the 200, which is only an issue if you plan on moving it a lot. Although much less sexy visually than the 200, the 145 is hands down the best Wulitzer IMO.

Regardless, if the wooden Wulitzer is within your budget and works, grab it. All of them have "that sound."

[hichakhok]

Agree re the 145. Valve amp with vibrato. I was in a position once to select between a 140  a 112 200a and a 145 for a gig. The 145 "went up to 11" compared to the others.  Feels like it has a far wider dynamic range than the 140, it really roars, I think this is because the valves saturate. It was great going from delicate pianissimos to slamming fortes.  I frantically tracked down a 145 and have spent a lot on techs getting it restored. It now forms the heart of my jazz trio, a small laptop sits atop with midi kbd for pads samples etc.

145 is one of the greatest kbds made in my opinion, i would take one over five 200a's. But find a good tech who can reduce the hum buzz and noise. I also own a mint mark one suitcase 88 which is outstanding but moving it around for gigs is just really painful. 145 is hard to carry around about but get a soft case made for it and buy a trolley. Sorted!
Actually this may be heresy but i prefer using the wurli for my trio than the rhodes

The wooden box resonates witch feeds back into the pickups. Plastic just does not ring like wood.

[pianotuner steveo]

I agree- if the Wurli does not have vibrato, I would stay away from it unless you are a collector.

The 140 was the first model to have a SOLID STATE amp, however,it is very low output (About 10 watts) It also was the first model with vibrato built in.

The 140 has an action very similar to the 200 series. The previous models actions are very clunky and difficult to regulate.

The 145 is about the same as a 140 except  they have a tube amp.

If it has a REAL wooden case, it would be either a 700,720 or a rare 120 in real wood.

Steve O


I.E. Models 110,112,112A,120....

The wooden or particle board models were made from 1954-1968

[hrees]

I don't agree that the early models should be for collectors only. I have a 112 and a 700 (both with different actions). I think they will be perfectly useable when I've done a bit of work on them. I find the 140/200 actions a bit springy as there are 2 springs in the action as opposed to 1 on the earlier models (I removed all the hammer butt springs on th 112).

[daswans]

Actually this may be heresy but i prefer using the wurli for my trio than the rhodes

The wooden box resonates witch feeds back into the pickups. Plastic just does not ring like wood.

The 145 just stakes it's territory in a band setting and never gets washed out by the bass and drums the way a Rhodes does. It's so expressive, barky, meaty, and full. It's definately the best version of a truely great line electric pianos.

[TheRod]

I'm thinking of getting a 200A. What would be a good price to pay, and how much does one weigh?

Thanks!

[fillspiller]

I'm thinking of getting a 200A. What would be a good price to pay, and how much does one weigh?

Thanks!

$500 would be pretty good standard deal for one in good condition.  they're not very heavy.  i mean, i can carry one by myself no problem...

[HammondToby]

Well, that might apply to Wurlys in America, but the situation in New Zealand and Europe is quite different. If you want to buy a Wurly in good condition in Europe, you'll pay about 800 to 1100 Euros (if you're lucky to find one at this price!), if you want to import a cheaper one from the US, you'll end up with the same price or even higher and I bet, it's not too much different in Australia or New Zealend.

Best regards
HammondToby

[BJT3]

The last couple Wurli's that sold on eBay here in America went for around $1,300.

[fillspiller]

The last couple Wurli's that sold on eBay here in America went for around $1,300.

i never look on ebay, but whenever i see them locally they seem to go for $500-800 depending on condition and if they have legs and/or sustain pedal.  a friend of mine picked one up at an estate sale for $100 a couple months ago.  it's in pretty rough shape, though...

[pianotuner steveo]

The 200 series wurlis weigh 56 lbs (W/o the legs) The older 120s.140,etc weigh around 85 lbs.

The 700,720 weigh about 110 lbs

The 206A's and similar models weigh more than the 700 series, I estimate about 130-150

The 270 is the heaviest, about 160-180 lbs.



Just for the record:

the 112A action is the same as the 120/700 action. The regular 112 and the few predecessors (100,110,111) are different, they have a hammer butt spring that Hrees referred to.

The only spring in the 112A/120/700 action is the damper lever spring. They did not have the hammer butt spring like in the 112. The 120/700 action was probably the worst action Wurlitzer made-it is very 'klunky' and super light.I have had to add key weights to nearly every 120 and 700 I have ever owned or worked on just to make them function properly.

The 140/200 series had the jack spring ,and the damper lever spring. They are a really cool design-a combination of a miniature grand piano action and an upright action (the jack and spring are very upright -like )