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Restoration process on a Wurly 145

Started by modorange, December 10, 2008, 10:53:59 PM

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modorange

I posted this topic about a year and a half ago. I had a Wurlitzer 145 that was in storage. The lid over the keyboards has gotten a bit messed up but the rest of the piano is in the same restorable condition it was in when I put it away. I decided to set it on a stand and take it apart.

At first I had thought that the wooden keys had expanded from moisture, but now I'm thinking this has been occupied by wasps and there have been dust and dirt caked onto the keys. Additionally the felt that helps the keys slide smoothly over the rods that are at the base of the piano are hard and many have come un-glued from the keys and are loose in the piano. So, I am going to clean each key individually.

I want to prevent buying key tops for the whole thing, but there is one key top close to the lowest note that broke off and I'm looking for a replacement for it.

Then the little rods that the keys rest on have oxidized or rusted to various degrees and they need to have that rust removed. How to? chrome Polish and rust remover?

Thankfully the tines all work. All the felt hammers are working and the dampers seem to be almost complete and they're fairly clean inside. So the action would be very good if the keys were cleaned.

AND, lastly, the amplifier definitely needs servicing. And it will be serviced by a local technician who has fixed tube amps since the 60s when he had a tv repair shop nearby. This guy is good at troubleshooting hand-wired tube amps and I'm sure he'll tell me the caps are all dried out and need replacing. He would have already loooked at it but one of the screws that holds it to the base of the piano is sliding, and I can't seem to be able to grip the round-top nut that is recessed into the bottom of the piano. I'll get it loose one way or another.

So, I finally have this piano ready to work on. Prices don't seem very high for this model but then I looked up Wurlys in this section and found that 145's are considered by some to be the best-sounding of the Wurlitzer pianos!

I have seen pictures of Medeski playing one on his stage setup. I wonder if the speaker is deactivated and the tube amp is just plugged into the output jack provided on to an additional amplification system. The little 6x9 speaker seems small for playing live, unlike the Rhodes Suitcase..

Anyone with restoration experience or some comments are welcome to chime in. Oh--too bad--there was no sustain pedal. I'm convinced there's a room somewhere on the planet filled with both Rhodes and Wurlitzer sustain pedals. :wink:
Rhodes Mk 1 Suitcase 73, Mini D, Roland SH-1, Ibanez AD230, Ludwig drums, Zildjian cymbals, and various other musical toys