700 series consoles — keeping ’em straight! 700, 720, 720A, 720B, 726 (B)

Here’s a general post about Wurlitzer Electronic Pianos in the 700 series (spanning circa 1957-1968)…. because I am seeing a lot of misinformation out in the field, and I don’t want my sole prior post on one of these instruments to contribute towards this confusion. It is my hope that this essay helps sort it all out.  Also…. these are some of my favorite Wurlies!!

Wurlitzer made five models in this sub-spinet size furniture console series.  Except for the 720B and classroom 726(B), there was no overlap between runs of these instruments:

• 700 (1957-1961, with a few variations in color and music stands, and physical design/amp changes over time)
• 720 (“pre-A”, 1962-3)
• 720A (1963-5, in two distinct consecutive variations)
• 720B (1966 through 1967 or early 1968)
• 726B, later renamed 726 (1966 through 1967 or early 1968)

The 700 (1957-1961) is the furniture version of the portable 120.  I’ve posted a complete essay on this already. A distinctive feature of the 700, beyond its size and visual appeal, is the bass response, the result of its baseboard-mounted massive 12″ speaker, which resonates the whole body of the instrument.

Under the hood, the 700 is easy to tell from the later models. The damper mechanism is attached to the sustain pedal by a long wooden leg, instead of using the cable technology standard to most other Wurlitzer models. The action is the 120 design, in its parallel subtle evolutions over their shared 5 or 6 year production run. The tube amp, unless it has been replaced, will be called some variation of a “120/700” amp, a “600” amp, or a “1200” amp, instead of a “145/720” tube amp or a 140B solid state amp.

But let’s say you are looking at an instrument for sale on the internet.  You suspect it is labeled poorly, and can’t examine it in person.  What then?

An easy way to distinguish a 700 from the later models is the single on-off/volume knob, located either on the left cheek block or above the bass keys.  In comparison, most of the 720 series models will have TWO knobs, on the left cheek block, the second for the newly-introduced internal vibrato. The exception will be the 726B/726 classroom model, which will have two monitor switches on the cheek block, instead of the vibrato knob.

The other most obvious external difference between the 700 and the later models, in the absence of an original music stand, will be the grille design:

The “pre-A” 720, introduced in mid-to-late 1962, is an almost completely different animal from the 700.  It is a living room/furniture variation on a “pre-A” portable 145, and features the same complete makeover of the internal action of that model, and of the solid state portable 140 (compared to the 1950’s designs).  It has a 145 tube amp, the same stock of massive 4-ohm 12″ speaker as a 700 …and keysticks that are two inches longer than on a 145. (On a very early instrument, each keystick had lead weights in the far ends, not just the low “A” and high “C”.)  Like the “pre-A” 145, it retains the reeds of the 120 series from note #21 on up; in all three “pre-A” models, the lowest 20 notes are a new design, similar in appearance to the 200 bass reeds, though apparently distinct, and only used in this small run of instruments.  The “on/off” light is just above the pedals, and the headphone jack is under the keyboard, on the baseboard.

Unlike a 140 or 145, the amp cannot fit behind the action — the cavity is smaller.  The amp sits in the bottom of the console, as in a 700.  I have yet to compare the portable and console instruments side-by-side, but it’s my hunch that the two extra inches of key length necessitated moving the action further back in the cabinet.  Does this mean the sustain mechanism attaches differently/closer to the keys than in the portables?  Subject for further study.

While there is seemingly less variation in varnish color than in a 700, there are still darker and lighter 720 series instruments, and perhaps even different woods used in some of the cases.

The 720A, introduced in early or mid-1963 (at more or less the same time as the 140A and 145A), is externally indistinguishable from a 720 (at least visually) if you can’t find the serial badge. (Check for the badge under the left front of the keyboard.)  Like the 720, it has a 145/720 tube amp.  The crucial difference is in the reeds:  As with the other 1960’s “A” series instruments (the 140A and 145A), it debuts the reeds that would be retained into the later 200 series.  The only way to visually tell a 720 from a 720A is by removing the lid and looking at the treble damper arms.  If the top 11 arms are cut short, as on a 700, it’s a “pre-A” 720.  If only 5 are cut short, it’s a 720A (or later, depending on other features).

Some early-ish 720A’s have a potential problem of brittle, cracking reed screw washers; that said, every example I’ve encountered has had either decent original screws or evidence of a recall-fix.

Later, “B”-era 720A’s (1965)

In late 1964, Wurlitzer upgraded the solid-state 140A to the 140B, and the tube-amped 145A to the 145B.  They did not yet stop producing the tube-amped 720A at this time, but they made parallel internal changes to these instruments going forward.

These last 720A’s, made throughout most of 1965, are 1960’s “B”-era instruments in all but model name.  They have the improved reed screws of the later instruments, and shorter damper arms that don’t cover the reed screws.  They are as fine an electric piano as Wurlitzer ever made, with only their lack of portability a potentially negative factor.  For some who prefer solid state electronics, the tube amp may be a minus, though for others it’s a plus.

As a side note:  145/720 tube amps have a very troublesome tendency: The original main transformer will melt and die if left on overnight.  Do NOT forget to turn the instrument off and let it cool down.  I am aware of a good five of these amps with transformers that have blown out this way in recent years. (But don’t fear– modern replacement transformers do exist.)

The 720B and 726(B)

In late 1965, Wurlitzer stopped producing their 145/720 tube amps, and retained only solid state instrument models going forward.  At this point, they discontinued the 145B and 720A, and (seemingly at the start of 1966) introduced the 720B — a year later than long assumed by most of us.  It featured the 140B solid state amp, which had already been introduced in the 140B portable instruments in the prior year.  The speaker, no longer 12″ in diameter, is the smaller 8-ohm 6″x 9″ oval speaker found in the 140B (which turns out not to make too much difference in the bass response, as the cabinet acts as a great resonant woofer).   These instruments are immediately distinguishable from the prior models by the left cheek block, which now has the pilot light and headphone jack, in addition to the on/off volume and vibrato knobs.

At some point in 1966, Wurlitzer introduced a classroom console that was a prettier version of the portable classroom 146B (aka 146). This console was called the 726B. (Perhaps on later instruments, the “B” was been dropped, as on the 146(B); but despite it’s being called the “726” in some technical literature, I have found no examples of a 726 without “B”. 

Like the 146(B), it could be connected in series to up to 23 other classroom keyboards, and monitored by a teacher through an external box (The 830 “Electronic Communication Center”).

This electric piano was basically a 720B, with the vibrato circuit not enabled; with headphones hard-wired to the cheek block; and with two monitor switches added to the cheek block. The simple addition of a vibrato pot and a little wiring can turn this into a fully functional 720B.  (Extra electronic interfaces in the back, similar to those found later in the 206 series, are for coupling instruments together.)

It appears that very few of these were produced– a few hundred? In any event, very few survive.  I’ve been made aware of 4 or 5 of them.

*** *** ***

At times I’ll read about people’s desire to chop any or all of these wooden console models for portability.  I think, in every single case, that would be a real crime. They aren’t terribly common, and they are getting less so over time.  Chopping will NOT result in a portable keyboard, and it will destroy the functional & aesthetic qualities–and future market value–of these wonderful instruments.  My comrade Casey Wayne McAllister points out that it is actually impossible to fit the electronics in the top section of a 720 series instrument, making a chop almost impossible, anyway. If portability is what you want, get an instrument designed for that purpose.  There are enough of them out there.

The 720A and 720B/726(B) are, respectively, the tube and solid state iterations of what might be my personal favorite Wurlitzer.  Their lack of portability is a liability for many, and a legitimate reason they don’t always sell for the same high sticker prices as the 145B’s and 140B’s.  Since the company wasn’t aiming for that portability in this line, there is no such compromise in the design. The longer keys result in a beautifully balanced feel.  The cabinet (and 12″ speaker in the A) result in a resonant bass tone.

I just love these things.

***

As you can see, I have deviated from my chronological blog entry plan.  My essays got so complex that I stopped posting at all.  Please know that I have a whole lot of entries in process, and I’ll just keep fussing over them and present them out of order as they are ready. –SE