200 replacement reed, sounds better than the rest.

[Oregone]

I broke a reed (D, #30) on my 1970 200 during a show in the fall. What a terribly loud experience. Anywho, I just got around to replacing it over the weekend with a new replacement. The new reed sounds great. Like, way better than the rest. Clearer, louder.

I thought maybe my action setup was way out of whack, so i spent about 5 hours going over it again, regulating, adjusting and lubricating etc. via VV instructional videos.

Although my action is better, this note still sticks out pretty bad. I attempted to adjust some the new reed and the reeds around it, making sure that they were centered in the pickup.

Still no avail.

I have noticed that some of the reeds have slight surface rust on them, could this aide in their quieter duller tone?

The new reed stands out so much that it is not something that I would play out or record with. It makes the rest of the piano quite lacking in tone.

What is a feller to do? Is there an appropriate way to clean the rust off of the reeds, or could that even be the issue? Thoughts? I'd hate to have to replace all of of the reeds. I just cant afford that and would likely end up selling the piano.

[jam88]

Is this reed higher or lower than the reeds around it, relative to the reed bar?

Boy, still suspicious that the reed isn't centered in the reed bar... If the reed is too close to one side, the signal can be quite a bit louder.

I wouldn't worry about rust on the reeds, as long as they're holding pitch. 

[Oregone]

The reeds seem to hold pitch just fine.

I'll check the alignment again. I want that to be it.

This note sounds so much better than the rest, in every way. Not just louder but clearer, fuller, more sustain. I wish they would all sound like that.

Ill poke around some more this evening and see what happens.

[pianotuner steveo]

I would bet its because the other reeds have not been removed and the reed bar has not been cleaned around the mounting hole. It would be painstaking and very time consuming to do this, but as an experiment, you could try removing a reed next to the one you replaced, and clean around the bolt hole and the base if the reed with a light oil, wipe dry, then remounting it. Never take sandpaper, Emory cloth or steel wool to the reeds in a Wurlitzer. It's ok to clean Rhodes tines like that, but not Wurlitzer reeds.

[Oregone]

I think you're likely on to something. I've spent the last few evenings working on it, and have made some headway.

I just started at the bottom, and am working my way up. I'm cleaning, lubricating, regulating and tuning every note. Again. It seems that I learn a little bit each time. I will post an update when completed, hopefully this weekend.

[jam88]

. Never take sandpaper, Emory cloth or steel wool to the reeds in a Wurlitzer. It's ok to clean Rhodes tines like that, but not Wurlitzer reeds.

It is okay to clean the rust and coating off Wurlitzer reeds with abrasives like emory or silicon carbide paper, just be sure to only rub in the direction of the length of the reed. The original dry phos coating by itself provides basically no corrosion protection. One of the many Wurlitzer mysteries is why they phos'd them at all. The treatment exposed the reeds to hydrogen embrittlement.

No new aftermarket reeds that I know of have the coating, including Vintage Vibe's.

How nasty is the environment that'll cause rusty reeds? I once had a Wurly that had spent twenty years (of humid summers and cold winters) in a unheated garage. There was no rust anywhere inside the piano. 

[pianotuner steveo]

Wurlitzer said to never use Emory cloth, sandpaper or steel wool on their reeds. They recommended cleaning with oil only. That is what I go by.

[Fred]

In Wurlitzer's series 200 and 200A service manual it is stated that for notes with a short ring time, the base of the reed should be inspected for foreign material, and that the base of the reed (the part of the reed underneath the reed screw) can be cleaned using a very fine grit emory paper on a flat surface and polishing both sides of the reed head until metal shows through. It is further stated that the reed base is also an electrical ground, and loss of ground means loss of volume.

As for "fine grit emory paper", 1000 grit sandpaper will polish the reed head to a very smooth surface. Keep in mind scratches, such as those that can be introduced by heavier grit paper, create areas for moisture to collect and cause tarnish.

[pianotuner steveo]

Then where did I read about the "clean with a light oil only" part? In older manuals? I know I read it. Their reason was so that the protective coating was not sanded off.

[Fred]

I too remember reading something where Wurlitzer was cautioning against something as it could "damage the protective coating". I think it might be in an earlier manual, something along the lines of filing the reeds "unless expertly done" - which is a whole other can of worms ; )

[jam88]

Filing "...expertly done." Haha.

I once found this reed in a Wurli that I had been gigging with for years. I sounded great, but I had to pull it out as a trophy.

[pianotuner steveo]

Thanks for the confirmation, Fred. I know I'm not crazy... lol

[Oregone]

The rust isnt that bad, but is present on some reeds none the less. It is minimal.

I took each reed off, cleaned, tuned, regulated the piano over the weekend. Overall, the volume of the instrument is up, and the notes are much more even. I cant say for sure what corrected the issue, cleaning or regulating, I'm leaning toward it being a combo of both. I snapped a couple of pictures of the rusty reeds, I will try to upload tonight.

I still have an area that is 7 or 8 notes just north of middle C that have slightly less sustain and overall tone, in relation to the rest of the piano. I am sure it is regulation, and will work more on it this weekend. Thank you again for your invaluable insight and info.

Robert

[DocWurly]

I wonder if the 7 or 8 notes with less sustain are the result of a torqued reed bar.  That can cause short sustain on either end of a reed bar.  shimming the reed bar can help with that.