Repair & restoration library
The Repair & Restoration Library is our collection of articles, technical guides, and project notes drawn from our work restoring vintage electronic keyboards and amplifiers.
Our articles cover everything from basic maintenance and mechanical repairs to amplifier troubleshooting, circuit design, and custom modifications. Because our specialty is Wurlitzer restoration, many of our articles cover aspects of the Wurlitzer’s amplifier or mechanical action.
We’ve organized the library by subject so that you can explore and get ideas for how to repair your vintage amplifier or electronic piano, or modify it so that it fits your needs better.
✦ Getting STARTED
✦ RESTORATION JOURNALS & CASE STUDIES
✦ trOUBLESHOOTING & dIAGNOSIS
✦ wURLITZER ACTION & MECHANICAL REPAIRS
✦ cLEANING & COSMETIC RESTORATION
✦ AMPLIFIER REPAIR & RESTORATION
✦ ELECTRONICS & CIRCUIT DESIGN
✦ MODIFICATIONS & CUSTOM PROJECTS
✦ INSTRUMENT PHOTOGRAPHS & DOCUMENTATION
✦ Additional Resources
Getting Started
Guides to how vintage electronic piano work, how to evaluate their condition, and how to decide what repairs to undertake.
Understanding your instrument
How does a Wurlitzer Electronic Piano Work?
A Guide to Wurlitzer and Rhodes Mechanical Action
How Do I Tell if My Wurlitzer Requires Maintenance
planning repairs
A Guide to Wurlitzer Repair Difficulty
Steps to Restoring a Vintage Wurlitzer Keyboard
Easy Fixes for Malfunctioning Wurlitzers
Restoration journals & case studies
Notes on individual restoration projects, including the problems that we encountered, the work we performed, and the technical decisions involved.
Wurlitzer electronic pianos
Converted Wurlitzer 206A
Wurlitzer 145 Restoration
Wurlitzer 140B Restoration
Four Wurlitzer 206 Electronic Pianos
Wurlitzer 203W Restoration
Other Vintage Keyboards
Selmer Clavioline Repair Notes
Realistic Musideck / Whippany Melosonic Repair Notes
Optigan Notes
Troubleshooting & diagnosis
How to identify mechanical and electronic problems before attempting repairs.
General troubleshooting
On Troubleshooting
How to Troubleshoot Any Amplifier: Start with Trivial Problems
Troubleshooting My Wurlitzer Electronic Piano’s Tube Amp: User Serviceable Edition
Common amplifier problems
Common Tube Amp Malfunctions: My Amp Doesn’t Turn On
Common Tube Amp Malfunctions: My Amp Makes No Sound
Common Tube Amp Malfunctions: The Amp Smells Like It’s Burning
Hum, Noise & interference
How to Fix Hum in Your Wurlitzer Electronic Piano, Part I
How to Fix Hum in Your Wurlitzer Electronic Piano, Part II
On Wurlitzer Shielding
Popping and Crackling Sounds in Wurlitzer Electronic Pianos
Wurlitzer action & mechanical repairs
How to repair and maintain the mechanical components that make a Wurlitzer feel so much like an acoustic piano.
Understanding the keyboard
A Guide to Wurlitzer and Rhodes Mechanical Action
What Do Jack Springs Do?
Keys & action
Why Are My Wurlitzer’s Keys Sticking?
Does My Wurlitzer Need New Key Bushing Felt?
Are the Jack Springs Weak or Bad in my Wurlitzer 200?
Why Are Some of the Keys on My Wurlitzer 112 Lower Than Others?
Reeds & tuning
How to Tune a Wurlitzer Electronic Piano Reed
How to Repalce a Wurlitzer Electronic Piano Reed
Sustain & dampers
A Short Guide to Wurlitzer Electronic Piano Sustain Problems
Cleaning & cosmetic restoration
How to clean and restore vintage keyboard cabinets, finishes, and hardware.
Cleaning vintage instruments
How to Clean an Electronic Piano, Part I
How to Clean an Electronic Piano, Part II
What Not to Clean, or How to Avoid Destroying Your Wurlitzer
Rust & Corrosion
De-Rusting Rhodes & Wurlitzer Parts with Evapo-Rust
How to De-Rust Wurlitzer Legs
Cabinets & Hardware
How to Replace Wurlitzer 200 or 200A Metal Feet
Refinishing Old Veneer: How We Repainted a Wurlitzer 700
Amplifer repair & restoration
How to diagnose, repair, rebuild, and improve the amplifiers used in vintage electronic keyboards.
Repair & rebuilding
What Components Should I Replace in My Vintage Wurlitzer Amp, and Why?
Should I Repair or Replace My Wurlitzer 200 or 200A Amplifier?
How Tropical Fish Restores Wurlitzer Tube Amps
How to Replace Vintage Filter Capacitor Cans
Safety & maintenance
Checking and Changing the Fuse in Your Tube Amplifier
Is It Safe to Troubleshoot My Amplifier?
On Electronics Safety
Vintage Instrument Safety Guide
Restoration philosophy
Drawing the Line Between Troubleshooting an Amp and Modifying It
On Modifying a Wurlitzer
Electronics & circuit design
Understanding the electronic components, circuits, and design principles found in vintage instruments.
Electronic components
How Vacuum Tubes Work
What Do Filter Caps Do?
On Vacuum Tube Heaters
On Cathode Bypass Capacitors
Carbon Composition Resistors
Amplifiers & speakers
How is a Wurlitzer Tube Amp Different from a Guitar Amp?
On Speaker Impedance
What Speaker Impedances Can I Safely Connect to My Tube Wurlitzer?
How to Tell If Your Speaker is Blown
Wurlitzer circuits
On the 120/700 Amplifier
The Wurlitzer 120/700 Amplifier Circuit
Modifications & custom projects
Projects that involve circuit modifications, conversions, and custom electronics.
Instrument modifications
How to Convert a Wurlitzer 206 into a Wurlitzer 200
Enabling the Vibrato in a Wurlitzer 726
Why Our 145 Chassis is Bigger and Better Than the Original
Audio Connections & Effects
What is the Difference Between a Wurlitzer’s Headphone Output and Aux Output?
What Pedals Should You Put in Your Wurlitzer’s Effects Loop?
Instrument photographs & documentation
Photos of vintage instruments, including rare models, original components, and specific keyboards we’ve had in the workshop.
Wurlitzer electronic pianos
Wurlitzer 112: Details & Closeups
Wurlitzer 700 (Mahogany) Details & Closeups
Seeing Double: Wurlitzer 700
Audio Connections & Effects
What is the Difference Between a Wurlitzer’s Headphone Output and Aux Output?
What Pedals Should You Put in Your Wurlitzer’s Effects Loop?
Additional Resources
Wurlitzer Electronic Piano Model Guide →
Learn about the different models of Wurlitzer electronic pianos, and which one is right for your needs.
Wurlitzer service manuals & schematics →
Original technical documentation for Wurlitzer electronic pianos.
Tropical Fish Archive →
A collection of Wurlitzer factory technical drawings, test procedures, quality control reports, and other records from the Corinth engineering department.
diy repair projects & parts →
Learn about common repairs for Wurlitzer electronic pianos, and find parts to complete them.
wurly hotline →
Not sure how to get started (or finished) with a repair? Ask us anything about Wurlitzer electronic pianos.
professional repair & restoration services →
Information on our repair services for Wurlitzer electronic pianos.