Hunting for the Holy Grail

This past week I was on quite a trek.

For a long time now I have been fascinated, even amazed with electric pianos, primarily the Wurlitzer 200 and the Fender Rhodes. Both of these keyboards are legendary, they were the first real keyboards to be used in all kinds of music. From the Beatles to Frank Zappa to Ray Charles to Miles Davis, these two keyboards were supreme.

I am sure back then, no one really thought that these heavy, analog junk buckets would be so sought after 30 years later...I need to hold on to my first Yamaha keyboard, you never know it may be worth millions in 30 years.

I don't want to give you a history lesson on mechanics here so if you really want an intense look at electric piano history I am sure Wikipedia can help you out, I am going to explian my obsession.


Personally, my favorite is the Wurlitzer 200. Its got a much more mellow tone with an amazing tremelo effect on the sound. It was used by Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock and even Beck; most notably on that 90's hit he had....I don't know the name because Beck sucks, but it was like "two turntables and a microphone.." The intro to that song is a great groove done by a Wurly.


Right: Wurlitzer 200a


The Rhodes however, used much more and seems to be the easier to maintain and find at a reasonable price. My favorite Rhodes playing is done by Herbie Hancock on the album 'Filles de Kilimanjaro' by Miles Davis and Chick Corea on Return to Forever's 'Light As A Feather.'

So I embarked on finding a Wurly 200 to purchase and love for the rest of my life. I never thought it would be impossible to find.

First off I found that these keyboards are harder to maintain, the parts are hard to obtain and the price will never be lower then $1500 for a decent working keyboard. I tried ebay, music shops all around, even a Hippie from Philidelphia. No luck at all.

This has been quite a drag and after much thought I think I am actually settling to get a modern Nord Electro 2 which has great Rhodes and Wurly sounds. I guess not bad but take a look at these pictures and even just the look will make you want one.


Right: Fender Rhodes MKII