Converted Wurlitzer 206A

We received this keyboard in the mail from a client who had owned it for many years and wanted a complete overhaul. We loved this keyboard because it had clear signs of serious use! It was a really fun and satisfying restoration.

A lot of the keyboards we restore have clearly been played very lightly over the years (or not at all). Some of these keyboards are in mint, time-capsule condition; others are in deteriorated condition from years of semi-outdoor storage. We often restore keyboards for serious musicians who have just acquired a new Wurlitzer and plan to do a lot of recording with it. But working on a keyboard that has actually been played a lot, and returning it to a client that is going to play it a lot more, is a relatively rare occurrence! We put a lot of care into this restoration.

Inside, this keyboard didn’t have any signs of neglect or damage. The felt was just extremely worn, and ready to be replaced. For instance, the jack felt on every whip had a visible channel where the capstan had slid across it thousands of times. This introduces a point of friction that the original designers did not intend for the keyboard to have. After dissolving the old glue and removing the felt, the wood underneath was clean and ready for new felt. With new felt, the motion of the capstan was smooth—as it was when the keyboard first left the factory.

In addition to the jack felt, we replaced the jack springs, damper felt, key bushing felt, and front, back, and balance rail felt. Once the keyboard had a very consistent and touch-responsive feel, we tuned and voiced it. The original amplifier was noisy and had a significant amount of previous repair, so we removed all of the passive components and transistors, cleaned the PCB, and installed all new components. The result was a great-playing keyboard with clean, classic Wurlitzer tone.