Sparkle City: The Liberace-Inspired Custom Wurlitzer 214A

What do you do when a Vegas wedding chapel asks you for a “piano that could make Liberace proud”? You take a Wurlitzer 214A and give it as much sparkle as possible! With a full flake silver lid, white sparkle tolex, and fender style silver grill, this piano really delivers on the “Liberace” front. We couldn’t be happier with the result.

  This 1976 214A actually began it’s life with an avocado green lid and beige tolex. By the time it arrived at our shop someone had painted the lid grey and the tolex (yes, painted the tolex) black. We knew it was going to have to be a custom piece. For all of the classic full-flake Rhodes lids we do, it may surprise you to learn that this was our first foray into a full-flake Wurlitzer lid. We’ve done plenty of sparkle-top Wurlitzers, but nothing that comes nearly as close to a disco ball as this beauty. As with all our custom builds, this piano received a top-shelf restoration. From new action springs and felts, new bushing felts, precise action regulation and lubrication, and key leveling, this piano plays like a dream. What really takes it into a realm above nearly any other Wurlitzer is our extremely detailed voicing and tuning process. Beyond mechanical work, we installed a Warneck Research amplifier, adding the vari-vibe option for a third knob which controls vibrato speed.   We can’t wait to see some photos of this piano in its new home, The Sure Thing Chapel in Las Vegas. To all of the happy couples that this will play the wedding march for; congratulations!

If you’re hoping for a Wurlitzer as flashy as this one, we’ve got Wurlitzers of all kinds available for customization. Please get in touch at info@chicagoelectricpiano.com