Vintage Instrument Repair & Restoration
Tropical Fish has extensive experience restoring vintage electronic pianos and tube amplifiers. Here is a list of some of the repairs we can perform and instruments we specialize in:
Electronic Keyboards. Our Wurlitzer & Rhodes restoration includes action resetting, key easing, reed & tine replacement, felt replacement, cosmetic restoration, intonation and cleaning. We repair and modify original amplifiers, as well as create high-quality replacements.
Tube & Early Solid State Guitar/Instrument Amplifiers. We can assess the health of your vintage amplifier, repair malfunctioning circuits, and restore exterior cosmetics. Our amplifier repair includes eliminating hum, resolving low output, fixing malfunctioning tremolo and other effects, as well as other common (and uncommon) electronics issues.
Mail in Wurlitzer parts for rebuilding
We can even help provide box and shipping material
Full key sets can be sent in for bushing felt replacement and easing
Complete action assemblies can be sent in for fresh felt, lubricating, hammer tips, and tuning
Hammers can be sent in for expert hammer head replacement and lubricating
Amplifiers from Wurlitzer 112, 120, 700, 140 and 145 can be sent in for expert rebuilds
Rates. Our general repair rate is $120/hour, plus the cost of parts. We will give you a reasonably accurate estimate before we begin repairs. Most of the time, we can offer a quote over phone or email. However, if your problem requires an in-person diagnostic, a $45 bench fee applies. If you decide to go forward with the repair, the bench fee is applied towards the cost of the repair.
Pickup & delivery. In Westchester and NYC, pickup & delivery is available. Pricing depends on your location. (Please contact us for pickup & delivery options outside of Westchester & NYC.) Parking at the pickup and delivery location must be coordinated by the customer. Otherwise, the pickup & delivery will be curbside. Stairs are an additional fee.
We accept amplifiers by mail, and other gear in-person by appointment. Contact us or fill out the form below to get started. We are able to reply to most quote requests within 24 hours.
Request a Repair Quote
Resources for the DIY musician
Electronic piano parts & kits, including fully-restored vintage amps and new-production replacement amps, are available here.
We also have an extensive collection of repair guides for keyboards and amplifiers, which can be found here.
Need advice on a fix that you a willing to work on yourself? We have a lot of experience to share, and can answer your question via email, giving you the right course of action to take and save you time, energy and costs. Our standard hourly rate applies. And we will always let you know whether we have the solution, prior to rendering our consultation service. Send us an email: info@tropicalfishvintage.com
Wurlitzer & Rhodes Services
Small fixes
Happy with how your keyboard is playing but have a specific service issue that needs attention? We are certainly willing to lend our expertise and address just that issue. No service call is too small!
Basic Keyboard Servicing
Basic servicing is intended to bring your keyboard up to optimal playing condition. Symptoms like sticking keys, poor intonation, lagging action and electronic issues all warrant basic servicing. Keyboards that have been out of service for longer periods of time, are in more advanced states of disrepair, or are significantly out of tune will require more time and attention.
For most keyboards with good intonation and routine age-related issues, Basic Keyboard Servicing will require 4 hours of work.
Extensive Servicing
Keyboards with extensive age-related wear, poor intonation, and severe electronics issues will require more time in the shop. The good news is that, with enough time invested, nearly every keyboard can be brought back to a functional, playable state.
Vintage Amplifier Repair Services
Basic re-capping and three-prong cord
Many vintage amplifiers require the addition of a three-prong cord to be played safety. In addition, routine maintenance includes the replacement of any electrolytic capacitors, which deteriorate over the years.
Repair of tremolo, reverb & other effects
You don’t have to live with an amplifier that is only partially functional. We repair broken tremolo, reverb, & other auxiliary features, so that you can put every aspect of your amp’s circuit to use.
No sound, low volume, blown fuses?
We fix it all. No problem is too serious (or trivial).
Cosmetic restoration
Our cosmetic restoration includes deep cleaning, replacement of speaker cloth and tolex, and de-rusting hardware.
