Gigging with a Wurlitzer 200a

[visible cow]

I've had a bunch of keyboard related questions lately, so far everyone has been very helpful.....don't fail me now!

My band is preparing our live show after spending a couple of years recording our album. I play guitar and keys. Right now we're using my wurlitzer 200a as our main keyboard (along with a DX7 for pads). I love my wurly and am a bit concerned about using it live. Does anyone here gig with one regularly?

Any tips for proper care of the instrument? I'd like to keep it in good shape for recording. I've never dealt with cracked tines or any real electrical problems but have heard they are very common.

I haven't really enjoyed the nord electros I've tried. I'd consider a rhodes (I hear they are easier to maintain) but have had trouble getting them to have a good "bite" to the sound. That said, I saw the Fiery Furnaces a couple of years ago and somehow their rhodes sounded really gritty.

So, electro-mechanical keyboards on the road.....major pain in the ass?

[A.David.MacKinnon]

So, electro-mechanical keyboards on the road.....major pain in the ass?

Yup but it's so much better than the other options. I tour with a Rhodes.

[visible cow]

So, electro-mechanical keyboards on the road.....major pain in the ass?

Yup but it's so much better than the other options. I tour with a Rhodes.

So do you end up performing a lot of maintenance yourself?

[underthebigtree]

I've toured with both Wurlies and Rhodes. In my experience, the Wurly is more fragile on the road due to the reeds, which wear out mechanically without much notice. Once one snaps off or goes greatly out of tune due to metal fatigue, you need to replace it, then tune it by adjusting the amount of solder on the tip of the reed.

I leave my Wurlies (a 200A and a 140B) in the studio now. I think the Rhodes is a much more reliable keyboard for the road, and have a 54-key "portable" Rhodes that has seen hundreds of gigs and still sounds/plays great. The tolex is beat to hell, but that gives it charm.

Having said all of that, I just bought a Nord Electro 3. For small gigs, or to have Rhodes, Wurly, and Clav sounds in one super lightweight keyboard that you can throw in the back of your car, it is terrific. It's not a replacement for my real vintage keyboards in the studio, but it makes doing casual, on-the-fly gigs or rehearsals happen.

[b3groover]

You can get a Rhodes to have more "bite" by adjusting where the tines are in relation to the pick-ups. Also maybe adding a distortion pedal to it that just adds a bit of grunge might help.

Wurlitzers are more prone to damage on the road, but as long as you don't beat the living crap out of it every night, it should be fine. You might want to invest in a nice road case for it.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

So, electro-mechanical keyboards on the road.....major pain in the ass?

Yup but it's so much better than the other options. I tour with a Rhodes.

So do you end up performing a lot of maintenance yourself?

My first Rhodes was really, really beaten when I got it so it was like having a crash course on maintenance and repair. I've since replaced that piano with one that's in better shape and the regular maintenance is no big deal at all.
Generally I tune it before a tour and give it a touch up here and there mid tour as it starts to drift. I break tines every now and then (always the g below middle C) so I usually travel with some spares. Otherwise, it's pretty easy to deal with. The biggest hassle is the weight.

Also, you can voice the piano in many, many ways. It can do everything from bell like to growly depending on how it's voiced and what you're running it through. I find that the stage models need some kind of pre-amp the hit a tube amp hard enough for really growly goodness.

[visible cow]

I'll be looking at a 1972 rhodes 73 tomorrow evening. Being advertised as in top shape for $800. If I like it this will be my fifth rhodes, crazy. I'm only going to buy this thing if it's really sweet.

But it seems like the wurly can work too. A case is probably a good idea. I wish that the sustain pedal was adjustable so that I could use it with a regular keyboard stand and not the legs. I have a lot of stuff to set up and screwing in the legs is just one more annoying little step. Also, I like it a bit higher up.

Great advice guys. Thanks.

[jabe]

I played in a band for years that used a Wurlitzer 200A live. I played it for a couple of years and the singer <i>pounded</i> on it for many more. I don't recommend pounding on a Wurlitzer, of course, but it ought to hold up well for local shows and light touring with a case (even a good soft case) and a healthy dose of caution.
Why can't you use a keyboard stand? I've seen it done a few times. Dealing with the legs is a massive pain.

[seaneldon]

"Gigging" is different from "touring". If the thing will spend most of its adult life in a trailer...get it an overbuilt case, don't spill anything on it, and don't sweat it too much. If you're just pulling it around town and not much further, it's not that big a deal. They're somewhat sturdy. Not a Rhodes, but not a toy.

They're easy enough to work on when you need to.

[loganwexler]

Storing it on its side makes hammers and dampers slide around and you will get notes that don't stop when you let go of the key.

[djimbe]

the Wurlie 200 is a large part of the sound of my buddy's band. those guys took a Wurlie all over the US for years, and it got played HARD. Get a hard case for it if you plan on thowing it in the van 150 nights a year. The one Tim has is a fiber case not an Anvil style, but it's some protection and you'll need it.

To be honest, we have two Wurlies and they swapped road duty. As soon as one came home, it went on the bench for some repairs, then worked as the studio piano until it's next tour of duty on the road. I don't think we could hve made it work for the Califone guys without having 2 pianos...

[Marc Alan Goodman]

Well, a rhodes is never going to sound quite like a wurly. They make sound in completely different ways! However, that being said, I toured with a rhodes for years without problems. It fell down flights of stairs multiple times and rarely required more than the most basic repairs! And even the more complicated repairs were possible on the road.

My wurlitzers however have had problems with the electronics and the reeds while just sitting in the studio. Multiple times. If you're really gonna take one out I highly suggest a SERIOUS road case.

[dsw]

IF: you don't want to drag the Wurly around and
IF: you don't like the sound of the Nord and
IF: you have a lap top and a keyboard controller,
I would consider taking (I know I'm going to get flamed for this) Pro Tools along (M Box Mini would do it) and use Velvet.

I owned and gigged with a Rhodes, and I've owned a Wurly, and quite frankly I really love the sound of the Velvet plug in.

[jkretz]

my band gigs around with a wurly - it's never given us a problem. just make sure you keep some spare reeds / a file / soldering iron around in case you need it...

that said, if you have the thing in good working order before you head out on tour, and don't abusive the damn thing, i cant see you needing to do much on the road besides maybe tuning a reed every now and again, if that.

sure you could get a midi controller and samples, but god doesn't a 200a just scream "sexy" on stage?

[tdbajus]

IF: you don't want to drag the Wurly around and
IF: you don't like the sound of the Nord and
IF: you have a lap top and a keyboard controller,
I would consider taking (I know I'm going to get flamed for this) Pro Tools along (M Box Mini would do it) and use Velvet.

I owned and gigged with a Rhodes, and I've owned a Wurly, and quite frankly I really love the sound of the Velvet plug in.

I'll sign up for a beating as well-

Just about the only good thing about Logic, IMHO, is their electro mechanical stuff- i think their rhodes/wurlie as well as their B3 is the cat's meow.

Still,. I can't not feel a little let down when I see a laptop on stage.