Wurlitzer in the 140 series are transitional models: more reliable than Wurlitzer’s earlier electronic pianos, but not as portable as later models. On the other hand, the 200-series is the iconic final iteration of Wurlitzer keyboards: smaller, lighter, more chrome. If there’s a Wurlitzer 140 (or any of its many variants, from the 140b to the 145) that has caught your eye, you may be wondering if buying it is a good idea. How does it stack up against the 200a? Does it require more work? What are the practical differences between them? This guide is here to help.

I would like to start by saying that in our years of dealing with electronic pianos only a few 1980 Wurlitzer EPs have come into our studio. This has always seemed odd to me until we did a little research and found that Wurlitzer produced far less electronic pianos in those last years- we’re talking on a year-to-year basis only a fraction of what they produced in previous years.

Vintage instruments are the ‘real thing’ and were built to a different—possibly better—standard than modern ones. But let’s face it: some of them have been around the block, multiple times. And why not? They are decades old: someone should have enjoyed them. Hopefully, that person didn’t enjoy them too much and in the wrong way. (The sheet music holder is not a party convenience tray, necessarily.) For this reason, the vintage instrument market can be a scary and confusing place. Buying a Wurlitzer 200 or 200A is a prime example. Prices range, and if you have never have looked inside one, you possibly don’t know what to look for.

Wurlitzer 200 and 200a keyboards came with some essential accessories and parts, as well as some that were optional at the original time of purchase. If you are less familiar with a Wurlitzer 200 series keyboard, you might overlook something that is critical and you’ll want to have. For the sake of this article, we will be discussing exterior items and accessories, not internal mechanicals, and will be focusing on the 200 and 200a. However, a lot of this information can be applied to the rest of the 200 series (such as 203, 210, 214, 206 and so on).

We were lucky enough to score this mid-1970s Optigan brochure. It contains a list of (presumably) all discs that were available at the time, plus all of the songbooks. We scanned the brochure so that you too can have a convenient wishlist of all the Optigan discs that you need!

At this point, we have only opened up this Wurlitzer 207a in order to clean it. However, we did take a thousand pictures of the very cool (and completely untouched) circuit boards inside the keyboard. So we thought we’d do a quick post to share the disassembly process.

Wurlitzer sold electronic pianos in bulk to schools from the very beginning. Today, the most common student-model Wurlitzers are the 206 and 206a, which correspond to the 200 and 200a. However, Wurlitzer sold electronic pianos to schools as early as the release of the Wurlitzer 112. Before that, they even sold conventional pianos to schools. Clearly, student pianos were an important part of Wurlitzer’s business model for decades.

We had this Wurlitzer 726 for about two minutes before someone snatched it up, so we don’t have very many photos of it. But we remember it fondly because it was definitely one of the best-sounding Wurlitzers we’ve ever played. It is rare that a 726 amplifier (i.e., 140b amp) is in excellent working condition, but when it is, the tone is very sweet.

We’re always very excited when we have a vintage Wurlitzer 203w in the shop. There are so many reasons why:

1. The casters. They are amazing. The Wurlitzer itself has this space-age plastic top, but the casters are more old-fashioned: vaguely Victorian-looking, actually. They really are the cherry on top of the retro-futuristic look of the keyboard. Not every console 200/200a has casters. They’re cool with or without casters, of course, but the casters definitely add style points.

Although both the Wurlitzer’s headphone out and aux out are (obviously) outputs, they tap the signal from very different points in the circuit. In this article, we’ll describe the differences between the two outputs, so that you can choose which one is better for your application.

We have a lot of affection for this 112 service manual. First of all, the manual’s Introduction conveys a lot of the excitement surrounding the electronic piano, now available in the new-and-improved 112a version. It is an “entirely new concept!” It is “similar in many ways to the conventional piano” and yet “quite different!” It is a “piano with a purpose!!”

A Wurlitzer is a self-contained instrument. Thanks to its onboard speakers and onboard amplifier, all you truly need to get started playing a Wurlitzer is the Wurlitzer itself. No external amps or accessories required!

Of course, there are a few pieces of gear that will make your Wurlitzer perform at its fullest potential. Here’s what we recommend:

The Wurlitzer 700 is the console version of the Wurlitzer 120, and its manual is very similar to the 120 manual. The 700 is the same keyboard, except that it is housed in a more traditional cabinet that resembles a spinet piano. The primary differences between the two manuals is that the 700 manual has photos and diagrams of the console.

The pilot light in all Wurlitzer 120 Electronic Pianos is unique. You may notice that when you turn on your 120 the lamp takes a few extra seconds to turn on. Likewise, when turning the amp off the pilot light may take a few seconds to turn off. It kind of does its own thing. That is because the pilot light (or lamp) is a neon glow lamp. Just when you thought the 120 couldn’t get any cooler, it has its very own neon sign to let you know when its on.

Early Wurlitzer keyboards — the 112, 120, and 140-series — have built in leg storage. The outer lid (which is hopefully still present all these years!) has a space to firmly screw in the legs, as well as a little strap in the center to hold them in place. This is probably early Wurlitzers’ most underrated feature!

The circuitry that turns the amp on and off is very simple: pretty much just some wiring that provides line voltage to the transformer. More commonly, this wiring is in great shape, voltage passes through it with no problem at all, the amp turns on, all the bad components inside receive all the power that the circuit can offer, and then the amp starts malfunctioning.

A Wurlitzer electronic piano is a unique instrument that uses a piano-like action assembly to strike metal reeds of various pitches to make sound. Like traditional acoustic pianos, a Wurlitzer electronic piano (or EP) has an action assembly with wooden hammers, keys, whips and dampers. However, the tone is generated when the hammer strikes a metal reed, whereas on acoustic piano a string is being struck. One simple principle remains the same though: longer or larger tone generators make lower-pitched notes, and shorter or smaller tone generators make higher-pitched notes.

The Wurlitzer 112 has a mysterious octal plug that appears to go nowhere. It is very similar to the wiring harness plug, except that it doesn’t end in a wire. It’s just a little black dome that occupies chassis real estate and doesn’t appear to do anything in particular.

We are very excited to announce that our collection of Wurlitzer service manuals are available for download!

The Wurlitzer service manuals are a valuable resource in restoring Wurlitzer keyboards. Although they are not perfect, they contain a lot of interesting, useful, and historically important information. The 112 claims that it is not a guide on servicing pianos in “ten easy steps” (condescending air-quotes theirs!), but it kind of is. You should read the service manual corresponding to your Wurlitzer — and maybe even a few others, since a lot of the information can be applied across models.

When you repair an amplifier, you have two choices. You can bring it back to its original state by fixing only what is broken. Or, you can improve the circuit by modding it.

There is a lot to love about an amplifier that is in fully-functioning, but original, condition. When using a vintage amp, you are playing music on a slice of time. You are combining two different musical periods in a way that is impossible to replicate with any other gear. It’s basically time travel.