A Rare Breed Indeed: The Wurlitzer Student Model Classroom

A Rare Breed Indeed: The Wurlitzer Student Model Classroom
June 26, 2012 Max Brink
In Wurlitzer

A Rare Breed Indeed: The Wurlitzer Student Model Classroom

The People's Music School Classroom

The People’s Music School Classroom

These days, more than half of the Wurlitzer Student models that are serviced by our shop have been chopped into pseudo 200a’s (and yes, we are even guilty of helping to carry out the operation properly–more in a later post). It’s fairly rare to find them intact, yet just last February I had the pleasure of sitting down with nine intact 206a’s as well as their 207 Instructor Console counterpart at The People’s Music School in Uptown.

So the question lies, were Wurlitzers from the late 1970’s better off living the rock and roll dream or bearing the abuse of decades of children’s piano lessons?

These pianos were purchased by the People’s music school back before anyone currently working there can remember. They were believed to have been purchased in the late 70’s or early 80’s. (Of course, not a single date stamp was found on a single one of the ten pianos)!

Aside from being long overdue for a tune up, these pianos were in phenomenal shape! Take a look:

Wurlitzer 206a Classroom

Wurlitzer 206a Classroom

Under the hood of the Wutlitzer 206a

Under the hood of the Wutlitzer 206a

 

207a Instructor Console

207a Instructor Console

As if the pairing of Student 206a’s and Instructor 207a wasn’t enough, we were also able to bring life back to the Keynote Visualizer! This was the first time that our shop was able to experience it live.

Check it out:

 

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer

The lights of the Key Note Visualizer are controlled by a series of switches located under the back of the whip assembly. An extra plastic cap is placed on the bottom of the whip assembly that depresses the simple switch.

Under the hood of the 207a

Uder the hood of the 207a

207a Switches

207a Switches

Under the whip assembly

Under the whip assembly

The controls of the The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer are also quite simple. With the selection of a few switches on the side of the Visualizer, the instructor can choose between whether the black keys are displayed as sharp or flat depending on the key signature, and whether it is displayed on the staff, the keyboard, or both.

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer Controls

The Wurlitzer Key Note Visualizer Controls

And there you have it: The People’s Music School’s Wurlitzer Classroom is a rare breed indeed.

 

And the final verdict, you ask? Children exhibit far less abuse than the a Wurlitzer adopted into the rock and roll lifestyle.

Comments (6)

  1. Lanny Davis 11 years ago

    FYI- The designer of the Note Visualizer is Paul Gouge. He lives in Knoxville, TN, and is the owner of Knox Keyboards.

  2. Make it a point to blow out all the candleѕ whеn yоu stoр using
    your chanԁelier.

    • mbrink 10 years ago

      This is one of the more amusing robo-posts I have ever received, I must say. We filter most spam postings off the site but this one cracked me up!

  3. Rrgrr 8 years ago

    Good article, Seems like it could be adapted to a midi or synth controller -has anyone tried that? I see there are new digital visualizers, too.

    • mbrink 8 years ago

      We have installed the PNOScan midi system in both Rhodes and Wurlitzers and they open up the instrument into an incredible new musical territory.

      • Rrgrr 8 years ago

        That’s probably expensive, I wonder what’s the possibility of pigtailing a midi receiver into the visualizer switches?

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*