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Just got an unexpected Freebie - Wurlitzer 200


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I was just at an old friend's house for Thanksgiving. I had played is a band with him many years ago.

 

He had done some cleanup in his studio/rehearsal area/man cave, and had come across a really old ARP String Ensemble. He plugged it in, and miracle of miracles, it worked.

 

He asked me down there after dinner so I could check it out. It was physically in really bad shape, but it worked. A little effects, and a volume pedal, and it could be used on stage.

 

While I was in there, I noticed a couple other keyboards leaning against the wall. A couple Yamaha PSRs, OK, but nothing special. But then I spotted it. A Wurlitzer 200 (Might be a 200A, not sure yet). No legs or sustain pedal, but pretty much intact. Every note sounded, although there were some sticking keys.

I asked him how much for it. He thought it over, and said,"Will free work?"

 

Needless to say, it is in my office right now. I plugged it is, and it sounds like it should. Have some work to do, but it will be a labor of love.

 

The speakers are a little ragged, with some minor tears by the surround. Nothing that a little clear fingernail polish can't fix.

 

The Tremolo does not seem to work right now, but I'm not too worried about that. I am planning to use it for practice/writing.

 

The biggest issue at this point is the sticking keys. Hence the purpose of this post.

 

Is there some form of lubricant that I can use to free up the keys? I've moved the amp out of the way so I can get to the keys to clean and lubricate. Just not sure what to use.

 

Any suggestions would be very welcomed.

 

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Nice score!

 

giphy.gif

 

IIRC, the action in the Wurly is pretty straightforward, and has elements of a real piano action. I'm not sure a lube is the best solution. I would want to see if I could determine the cause of the sticking first. Is something bent or not straight? Is something stuck in there? Did some sticky liquid get in there? Where is it sticking? etc.

 

That being said, Vintage Vibe sells some stuff that might work.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Near as I can tell, it has been sitting unplayed for so long, that the felts that go over the posts have dried out. There was a black key down low that I pulled out, and removed the felt near the end of the key, and the sticking stopped. Not my first choice for the rest of them.

 

I also have a couple keys where the damper is not working right, but I'll get to that. Not sure the issue yet.

 

I noticed that the action seems very similar to a spinet piano,

 

I'll check out Vintage Vibe.

 

Thanks

 

My friend Rick then went and got the handwritten score for a song that had been recorded using the ARP String Ensemble in 1979. He told me that score had been written using this Wurlitzer. Prior to him getting it, it had been in our local college's piano lab.

 

Update:

 

OK, it looks like I'll need to re-felt the keys. $42 from Vintage Vibe.

 

Near as I can tell, it's a 200. I looked on the serial number plate, and it says 200, but where the A would be is worn off. I'll have to look up the serial number to find out more.

 

I have one key A440 that rings out even when letting off the key. Turns out the damper felt for that key is missing. Will need to find a replacement

 

Then I'll need to find a sustain pedal, and the front nameplate, as that's missing.

 

Looking farther into Vintage Vibe, I think they will be my one stop shop. They have key pin lube, dampers, replacement speakers, sustain pedal. Sure, it's gonna cost me a bit, but this is going to be a fun restoration.

 

And, yes, It's a 200

 

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Just wanted to thank you, Joe

 

Your suggestion of Vintage Vibe was a God Send. I was able to download the service manual, and it had the direct fix for the sticking keys. It said to use a special tool, but I got my needle nose pliers to do the job.

 

All I had to do was put one jaw in the hole with the felt, and the other on the outside of the key, then compress, repeating on the other side. This worked on every sticking key.

 

I'm already doing some writing because of the sound and feel.

 

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"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Congrats on the Wurly!

 

It"s been a few years since I sold my last one... but IIRC, 200"s have the speakers mounted to the amp rail, and 200A"s have the speakers mounted to the 'lid', or the speaker grille.

 

Edit: Oops, I just saw where you confirmed it was a 200.

 

 

Stuff and things.
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I'm trying to post pics, but I'm having an issue getting to to work.

 

I have them on Flickr & Google Photos, but the links that I get from them just shoe as a link, not the pic.

 

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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I've been using the full editor, and it has escaped me how to get the pictures up.

 

I ordered the replacement damper, and the action lubricant last night. I may end up spending some money on it. I've decided to treat it as a restoration project.

 

I'm going to leave some of the external defects there - adds character.

 

I'm going to spend some time on the action. Lots of little things wrong with it due to neglect. The Vintage Vibe Youtube videos from the link that marcmarc posted are a HUGE help. Shows how to remove the escapement, where to lubricate, how to reset. Invaluable information

 

I went through it, and there are 13 notes that are not playing correctly, and one missing damper. Replacing the damper should be easy. I need to remove the damper assembly anyway to get to the escapement.

 

Since I will have a big enough bottle, I'm just going to lubricate all 64 notes.

 

Looks like the trickiest part will be re installing the harp. There's one screw in the middle that is a bear to get to to replace, and they specifically said it was too important to leave out.

 

Once I get posting pictures figured out, I'll start posting progress pics.

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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And the reason we went into his studio/rehearsal space/man cave to begin with.

 

Here is the ARP String Ensemble

 

366.thumb.jpg.44fd3afde906ea7c956501bf65d12a42.jpg

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Well, it"s certainly seen better days I"ll give you that. Still it"s what"s on the inside that counts. I"d suggest you read and re-read the service manual.

 

My 200 I did the following.

 

Put a low voltage led bulb in to replace the original

Added reed bar shields (the 200 doesn"t have any)

Replaced damper bushings

Recapped the amp which quietened it down. But eventually I swapped it out with a Warneck amplifier which has much better gain and clarity. The 200 amps aren"t as loud as the 200A.

 

Hopefully it"s in tune, if not this is the way I was doing it (apologies for another winter cold in video!)

This was a friends 200A which didn"t need solder adding or subtracting unlike my 200 so I was able to pull it in tune by moving the reeds back and forwards. That app on my iPhone is the Peterson tuner

[video:youtube]

 

 

It depends how much you want to throw at it of course. But nice get!

 

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I'm happy to say it seems to be in tune, so i don't need to worry about that.

 

First concern is the action. Then I'll look toward maybe changing the amp.

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The first delivery from Vintage Vibe just got here. It is the missing damper, and the action lubricant.

 

I'll start working on it in the next day or so, after I kick this respiratory infection. I'll take pics of the process, and add them to this thread.

 

I currently have my Mackie Thump 12s set up, and am able to route it either through them, or through my Samsung 32" TV that I'm using as a monitor, thanks to my M-Audio M-Track.

 

I will be really happy when I get the action fixed, so it plays properly.

 

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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I started the action restore last night. Disassembled the interior, removing the amp, dampers, harp, and action. Not as daunting as it may sound. Then I started on the escapement.

 

The lubricant that I got from Vintage Vibe is 8 parts Naptha and 1 part silicone. It came with an easy to handle bottle with a long, thin tip that makes it really easy to put the solution just where it needs to go with no waste.

 

It is amazing just how quickly the solution works. Just a little on the action points, and you can see it soak in, and free up the sluggish action in seconds. I've done 14 escapements so far, with 50 more to go. Then I will turn to the hammer action points. Since I have rehearsal tonight, It will probably be Wednesday or Thursday before the lubrication is complete.

 

I'll get some pics and post them here, showing the escapement, and then the cleanup as I reassemble.

 

Again a big thanks to marcmarc. The video is invaluable.

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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This is freakin' awesome! That's the 1st keyboard I ever owned. Begged my dad for the $500 used price back in '79. Brings back memories. :D

 

~ vonnor

Gear:

Hardware: Nord Stage3, Korg Kronos 2, Novation Summit

Software: Cantabile 3, Halion Sonic 3 and assorted VST plug-ins.

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I'm really pleased by your good fortune. I encourage you to bring it up to par as far as you can. I had one for a few years and it was like a guilty pleasure, semi-hidden in a walk-in closet. Talk about intimate! Even the software Rhodes sounds I apply today have some Wurly in 'em. Its a round sort of sound that draws me in as a composer much more than many other sounds. I sometimes write with it and then use the notes on another instrument, but the core good of it hangs around. I bet you'll be surprised by how oddly welcoming it is to play. You're doing the right thing! :thu:

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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Even with the sluggish action, It has been inspirational. That's what made me decide to put the work into it. The feel is very similar to my 61 Wurlitzer Spinet in the living room.

 

For a long time I thought that the action was similar to a Rhodes. Now that I'm elbows deep into it, I see just how much more robust and expressive it is.

 

The task of possibly needing to tune it scared me off as well. But, even in as neglected shape this one was in, it was in tune, so that issue is moot.

 

I didn't get anything done on her tonight, due to rehearsal. I hope to have the work done on the action and have her sounding out before Christmas.

 

I've been pouring through the service manual, since I am doing all the work myself. Can't expect to know what you're doing if you don't RTFM.

 

I do have one question, though, and maybe the answer is on Vintage Vibe. What is the proper adhesive for a damper replacement? I have some Gorilla Glue, but I'm not sure it that would work properly.

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm loving this thread. My Wurli 200 is my pride and joy. I've been gigging and recording with it for over four years, and while I've had some light maintenance done on it, it's held up remarkably well (only one broken reed in dozens of gigs and sessions).

 

About time I put it through a more thorough restoration job, because I know the action and tone can be improved beyond what's been done, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I didn't get the chance to work on her at all last night. I had to assemble our Christmas Tree, watch a Christmas Movie with my wife, and replace the battery on my Samsung smart watch.

 

I've already told my wife that tonight I'm spending some time working on the Wurlitzer.

 

For any that have never seen the Wurlitzer action, page 5 of the service manual that can be downloaded from Vintage Vibe has a great drawing of the action, showing the "Action Centers" that I'm lubricating.

 

 

 

417.thumb.jpg.c7c71fd2230f4f7954407e9a1d0a7534.jpg

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Made some progress tonight. I finished lubricating the action, and cleaned the key bed and the keys, I placed the keys back in their spots.

 

I positioned the action, and aligned the escapement with the hammers. I have a couple hammers that I will have to work on. The glue that holds the pivot point together has failed on a couple of them, so I need to glue it back together to make the hammers stable.

 

Just playing around with it with the action not yet secured and the reeds not in place, I can already feel a difference in the action.

 

I took a couple pictures. The action sitting on the workbench, a close up of the escapement, the keys in place. Tomorrow morning I'll take a pic with the action placed on it, then get them posted to the thread.

 

I actually might have her playing before Christmas at this rate.

 

 

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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