New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
- Dok
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 2225
- Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:39 pm
- Location: Ojai
New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
New Wurlitzer 200A Day!
Story time!
About 16 or 17 years ago, I was gifted a Wurlitzer electric piano by a friend, a 206 model with the big built-in speaker cabinet. Even back then this was an exceedingly generous gift even though the sustain pedal was broken, and it was just the loveliest little thing in the world. I played it night and day. A couple years later, I packed it and all my other worldly possessions into my mini-van and embarked to move across the country to California. About 25 miles away from the first day's destination (my grandparents' house in rural South Dakota), a driver pulled out in front of me on the highway and I was unable to avoid crashing into her (she was cited for causing the crash). Occupants of both vehicles were thankfully unharmed, but the minivan was totaled, and, in the scramble to find a suitable replacement vehicle that could fit most of my stuff, the slightly damaged Wurlitzer had to be left behind. A tragedy of untold proportions!
My grandfather later sold it locally for something like $300 and sent me the money to help fund my relocation. I always planned to replace the piano some day when I was financially able, and then helplessly watched over the years as their value climbed from $600 to $1000 to $2000 and now $3000 or more! For the last couple years I'd really resigned myself to the fact that one of these was just going to have to remain unattainable and that I'd been fortunate to be a good steward to the one I had for a couple of years. Easy come easy go.
Until last Monday, when I got a Craigslist alert for a Wurlitzer. No knobs, no legs, and the internal speakers were intermittent. $800 - a truly unheard of price in Southern California. So I messaged right away with my phone number and assurances that I could come check it out immediately, and as luck would have it I was the first person to message with their phone number and that's what prompted a call back. AND NOW IT'S ALL MINE MUHAHAHAH
Luckily, the aux and headphone outputs both work fine so playing it through an amp is no problem. The internal speakers don't work at all and repairing that is beyond my capabilities so someday it will get a new internal amplifier and a going over by an experienced tech. It is in otherwise good shape, however - action is just right and everything is in tune and even, and the vibrato and sustain pedal both work fine. From what I understand, it's quite common to replace the old amps in these as they do tend to fail after a while and it doesn't diminish their value to have this done, as well as much improving the hum and noise floor that these are notorious for.
So I consider this a "balance restored" kind of situation for the original Wurlitzer that was so capriciously bestowed upon and taken from me by an indifferent universe.
Story time!
About 16 or 17 years ago, I was gifted a Wurlitzer electric piano by a friend, a 206 model with the big built-in speaker cabinet. Even back then this was an exceedingly generous gift even though the sustain pedal was broken, and it was just the loveliest little thing in the world. I played it night and day. A couple years later, I packed it and all my other worldly possessions into my mini-van and embarked to move across the country to California. About 25 miles away from the first day's destination (my grandparents' house in rural South Dakota), a driver pulled out in front of me on the highway and I was unable to avoid crashing into her (she was cited for causing the crash). Occupants of both vehicles were thankfully unharmed, but the minivan was totaled, and, in the scramble to find a suitable replacement vehicle that could fit most of my stuff, the slightly damaged Wurlitzer had to be left behind. A tragedy of untold proportions!
My grandfather later sold it locally for something like $300 and sent me the money to help fund my relocation. I always planned to replace the piano some day when I was financially able, and then helplessly watched over the years as their value climbed from $600 to $1000 to $2000 and now $3000 or more! For the last couple years I'd really resigned myself to the fact that one of these was just going to have to remain unattainable and that I'd been fortunate to be a good steward to the one I had for a couple of years. Easy come easy go.
Until last Monday, when I got a Craigslist alert for a Wurlitzer. No knobs, no legs, and the internal speakers were intermittent. $800 - a truly unheard of price in Southern California. So I messaged right away with my phone number and assurances that I could come check it out immediately, and as luck would have it I was the first person to message with their phone number and that's what prompted a call back. AND NOW IT'S ALL MINE MUHAHAHAH
Luckily, the aux and headphone outputs both work fine so playing it through an amp is no problem. The internal speakers don't work at all and repairing that is beyond my capabilities so someday it will get a new internal amplifier and a going over by an experienced tech. It is in otherwise good shape, however - action is just right and everything is in tune and even, and the vibrato and sustain pedal both work fine. From what I understand, it's quite common to replace the old amps in these as they do tend to fail after a while and it doesn't diminish their value to have this done, as well as much improving the hum and noise floor that these are notorious for.
So I consider this a "balance restored" kind of situation for the original Wurlitzer that was so capriciously bestowed upon and taken from me by an indifferent universe.
Last edited by Dok on Sun May 29, 2022 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Local milk person
- marqueemoon
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:37 pm
- Location: Seattle
Re: NW200AD!!!!!
Congratulations. That looks great.
- Unicorn Warrior
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 3491
- Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:58 pm
- Location: Kentucky, USA
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
Glad you’re reunited. These will only climb in value. Nothing like the real deal. Congrats!
- Telliot
- Mods
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- Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:38 pm
- Location: CA
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
So great. Congrats, my friend.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.
- wooderson
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 811
- Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:07 pm
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
Congratulations, having a Wurly is one of my dreams but I've had exactly zero hits on a Craigslist notification... under $5k.
- Dok
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 2225
- Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:39 pm
- Location: Ojai
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
Thanks everyone! have been really enjoying getting to know its quirks all week.
Local milk person
-
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:12 am
- Location: U.S. of fuckin' A.
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
Best sounding instrument there is, IMO.
- Dok
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 2225
- Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:39 pm
- Location: Ojai
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
yeah the current prices they are fetching are absolutely insane. shameful.
Local milk person
- wooderson
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
A nice looking Rhodes popped up on Reverb yesterday in my city - not cheap but a good price relatively speaking. I figured I had a week to think about it since it was local pickup only... gone today. The gods are trying to save me from getting a hernia moving it.
- Telliot
- Mods
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- Location: CA
Re: New Wurlitzer Electric Piano Day!!!!!
Oh man. I used to gig with both a Wurly and a Rhodes and started leaving the Rhodes at home since the Wurly was so much lighter and easier to transport. I stupidly traded the Wurly for an amp I don't own anymore and it bums me out to this day (in my defense, it was the early 90s and both pianos were cheap and easily found, but it still stings.) I still own the Rhodes, though.wooderson wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2022 4:04 pmA nice looking Rhodes popped up on Reverb yesterday in my city - not cheap but a good price relatively speaking. I figured I had a week to think about it since it was local pickup only... gone today. The gods are trying to save me from getting a hernia moving it.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.