REED Compatibility “ERAS”
This page functions in conjunction with this one, my list of every model of Wurlitzer Electronic Piano ever produced, 1954-1983. There is a column in that list that describes which “reed era” is compatible with a given model. This chart and the text below it explain those specifications.
A memo from 1964, revised in 1971, spells it all out. There were four basic reed periods in Wurlitzer Electric Pianos (I’m calling these “eras”), and the reeds are not universally interchangeable between these eras. Though, what makes things confusing…some are, for the first three eras. (That said, reports also indicate that, within these “eras,” there are changes over time, perhaps every couple of years. So, while a 1965 140B can use reeds intended for a 1975 200A, and vice versa, the instruments’ original reeds may have had different tonal qualities, due to different thicknesses, metal, manufacturing process, etc.)
CHART: The four main eras of Wurlitzer Electric Piano Reeds.Please note that the widths are approximate, as there seemed to be a range of tolerances within 1/300 of an inch. Bass reeds can be .151", especially in the later 1950s. Midrange reeds can be .109" to .111". Treble reeds can be .096" to .099". Factors such as rust, dull dies, and my cheap micrometer might explain some of the deviations.
The measurements listed here are not the only factors in reed differences. The taper-shape of the tongue width can look obviously different from one era to the next in certain ranges, and these will make reeds function correctly only in the models they were designed for. (Eventually I will include pictures for comparison). Hardness and springiness of steel seems to be the main difference between the 20 bass range reeds in eras 3 and 4 (To the eye, they are similar in shape and dimensions). There are different specs to the grinds in different eras, and I do not have measurements or specs on those.
When adjacent cells display the same color, the reed stocks described are interchangeable with each other.
| Reed numbers[range: a piano missing bottom & top octave] | Reed Era 1 (110, 111, 112, 112A) | Reed Era 2 (120-700) | Reed Era 3 (140-145-720, no "A" or "B") | Reed Era 4*(140A/B - 145A/B - 720A/B, 146(B), 726(B),all 200, 106(P), and 200A series) | Pitch range(AmericanStandardPitchNotation) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grind | Width in Inches | Grind | Width in Inches | Grind | Width in Inches | Grind | Width in Inches | ||
| A1 to A#14 (14 notes) | no grind | .135 | no grind | .150 | no grind | .150 | no grind | .150 | A1 to A#2(14 notes) |
| B15 to E20 (6 notes) | no grind | .135 | no grind | .150 | no grind | .125 | no grind | .125 | B2 to E3(6 notes) |
| F21 to D42 (22 notes) | sharp grind | .110 | no grind | .120 | no grind | .120 | gradual grind | .120 | F3 to D5(22 notes) |
| D#43 to A#50 (8 notes) | sharp grind | .110 | sharp grind | .110 | sharp grind | .110 | gradual grind | .110 | D#5 to A#5(8 notes) |
| B51 to F#58 (8 notes) | sharp grind | .097 | sharp grind | .097 | sharp grind | .097 | gradual grind | .097 | B5 to F#6(8 notes) |
| G59 to C64 (6 notes) | sharp grind | .097 | sharp grind | .097 | sharp grind | .097 | sharp grind | .097 | G6 to C7(6 notes) |
As spelled out in “Note #17,” a circular put out by the Wurlitzer company on August 17 1964, and revised in 1971 (reproduced below), the tone-producing reeds found in Wurlitzer Electronic Pianos are not universally interchangeable between models. There were 4 basic “eras” of reeds; and even those reportedly changed a bit more, over the years and models. So the era-styles reflect “interchangeability” or compatibility, not sameness. In the worst cases, an incorrectly-employed reed won’t even fit in the reed bar’s pickup. In less severe cases, the hammer will hit the wrong spot in the reed due to differing strike lines, producing a dull thud instead of a ringing tone. Within a model, as well, the tongues of the reeds are different widths at certain key points, so (for example) a bass range A#-14 will not fit in the pickup of an F#-22 (in almost any model), even if shortened. And so on.
In the first two periods, the keyboards shipped with the lead tips of all the reeds facing down. (It’s common to see otherwise, however, as reeds were frequently flipped upside-down during later tuning.) Starting at the 140/145/720 series of 1962, the reeds above note E-20 (the second lowest E, or a piano’s E3) were installed facing up. The bass reeds (#20 and below) always faced down, probably so that the tall solder tips would not hit the damper arms as they vibrated. Most technicians report, though, that it is generally OK for the upper reeds to face differently from what was initially intended. It can change the pitch of a given note, especially in some early treble reeds with a rapid graduation from the thick base, but it does not usually seem to adversely affect the tonality of the reed. (If the reed is at all bent from use, flipping can make a positive or negative difference.)
Reed length in all eras: The shapes, widths, thicknesses, grinds, and steel formulas used shifted over time, but one thing remained standard: Reed length. Reed #1 is always 2 and 19/20 of an inch long (2 19/20″), end to end. The length of the reeds decrease linearly, each 1/20 of an inch shorter, until reed #20, which is two inches long (2″). At this point, the scaling of the length changes. Starting with reed #21 (F-21), which is 1 43/44 inch (1 43/44″), each reed is 1/44 inch shorter until the highest and shortest, which is 1 inch (1″) long. Again, a consistently linear decrease in length. One might think physics would dictate changes in length that look more logarithmic; but these compromises are compensated for by the weight of solder tips, width of tongues, overall shape of the “trace” of the reed, and reed thickness and grind.
Reed Era 1: Used in the 110, 111, 112 and 112A models, (1954-late 1956). (Perhaps in the anecdotal, seemingly extinct 100 prototype, too?). The “tongue” on these meets the square base with a very rapid taper outwards (in the width dimension), which may be why these reeds have a reputation for frequent breakage.
Reed Era 1 uses three blanks:
1-20 (no grind, 20 notes),
21-50 (rapid grind to thin, 30 notes),
51-64 (rapid grind to thin, 14 notes).
The tongues of the reeds from 1-14 and 21-42 are narrower than in ALL later eras of reeds. Later reeds will not clear the pickups. In addition, Era 2 reeds will not clear range 15-20.
Suppliers who believe it’s ever OK to use later vintage 120 reeds in these models are misguided….except for the topmost range of #51 to 64. The bass and mid range 120 (Era 2) reeds will not fit in the early pickups–they are too wide; and even if filed narrower, they will make a dead “thud” on the node of the reed, due to hammer strike-line incompatibility. While the notes in the 43-50 range of Era 2 (below) will clear pickups in the 110-112A models, they are still allegedly incompatible, perhaps due to taper, grind and steel used.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to know what you are getting when buying online in terms of NOS early reeds. Thankfully, as of 2017, Vintage Vibe is manufacturing and selling correct replacement reeds for these.
It is tragic and not uncommon to see pickups in reed bars in the early models that have been filed wide to accommodate later reeds. This ruins the reed bars, as they can no longer take the correct reeds, and the bad reeds won’t work correctly.
There seems to be some vagueness about the issue of “flatness” or graduation of the thickness of these reeds. The bass reeds (#1-20) are always grindless/flat in the thickness dimension, and at least by mid-1956 the mid and upper reeds (#21 and above) are ground, so that there is a thickness-to thinness graduation to them. (The square base is thicker than on the bass reeds).
But are the earliest ones (110, 111) of even thickness all the way up the scale (flat/unground)? Upper reeds do exist which have this unground/flat quality, but it is unclear whether any models other than the prototype 100 had them installed. According to Janice at Morelock’s, these experimental reeds “were razor sharp…they’d cut you!”
Holes in the reeds may be smaller, making it harder to fine-tune reed pitch by repositioning. (awaiting further exploration). Holes may be positioned slightly differently than on later reeds (to be confirmed…I think this is not true).
Reeds screws of these models are incompatible with all later Wurlitzers. Washers are separate from the screws. Washers are thin and flat, not lens-shaped, and cause reeds to lower in pitch as they are tightened (unlike Era 4). Shortly after tightening/tuning, reeds typically raise in pitch unpredictably, as reed screws or washers relax, after decades of no exercise (a real pain). It may benefit a tech to tune a section of the reed bar at least 10 to 15 cents flat, and wait a few days to see what happens.
Reed Era 2: Used in the 120 and 700 models of late 1956 (or 1957) to circa 1961.
Reed Era 2 uses four blanks:
1-20 (no grind, 20 notes),
21-42 (no grind, 22 notes),
43-50 (rapid grind to thin, 8 notes),
51-64 (rapid grind to thin, 14 notes) – this top range compatible with Era 1 reeds.
As stated above, the tongues of these reeds are now a little wider below reed #43, which is a problem if installing in the earlier models: They won’t clear the pickups. They also taper more gradually to the base (in the width/traceable dimension), especially visible in the bass register, which makes them stronger; but it means that the strike point is moved, and the hammers of the earlier models will tend to “thud” on the nodal points of reeds, making them sound dead if installed in the earlier models. (Especially bad around 21-26, F3-Bb3). The reeds are now unground (flat) going all the way up to reed #42 (unlike Era 1, which has reeds 21-42 ground, and are thicker at the base of each reed). The top notes, #51 to 64 are compatible with Era 1. Era 2 #43 through 50 are not compatible with Era 1 electric pianos, but at least they will clear the earlier pickups. You can tell Era 1 from Era 2 in this range by the trace-taper, which has a larger radius curve in Era 2 (less abrupt transition to the narrow tongue, from the base).
Again: The reeds of this era should be grindless –no thickness-to-thinness graduation– on all notes below D#-43. It is extremely common to see later Era 4 reeds substituted in the #21 to #42 range, since they will clear the pickups and they were more readily available from suppliers. If there is any thickness-to-thinness graduation found in reeds installed in this range, I contend that they are the “wrong” reeds. Sometimes this will matter; sometimes, if the hammer is set right, one can get away with it. (This situation applies to Reed Era 3 situations, too, as they are similar/identical to Era 2 from #21 up.)
When shipped in their instruments, these reeds had no corner notch in the back of the reed–the screw end of the reed had two right-angle corners in it. However: It is not uncommon to find replacement notched reeds in an Era-2-or-3 Wurlitzer, which look superficially like 200 (Era 4) reeds (including the plating that keeps them from rusting). Morelock’s has explained to me that this simply means they were later reeds made at a different factory. Often, the specs will bear this out: There are reeds that are of even thickness, front to back, in the #21 to 42 range, which makes them correct. These actually seems to perform much better (at least 55 years later) than the originals: Longer sustain, better harmonics, louder–which can itself make the unswitched originals stick out like sore thumbs. But again, if you find a notched reed in the 21-42 range with a change in thickness, or simply one that thuds, it is likely to be an incompatible, Era 4 reed.
Reeds screws (part #600957[a]) of these models have washers connected to the screw (as do all later models). They are a bit longer (7/16″) than Era 3 reed screws, but the same length as Era 4 screws. Heads are prone to snapping off if overtightened (which is a nightmare, to be avoided). Washers are thin and only barely convex (lens-shaped), and usually cause reeds to lower in pitch as they are tightened (unlike reeds from 1965 on, starting with 140B/late 720A era). (In all likelihood they are turning inside-out when tightened.) Later screws can be used in a pinch, but will result in a different pitch to the reed.
Reed Era 3: Used only on all “pre-A” 140, 145 and 720 models of mid-1962 to early 1963. (Not to be confused with the later “A” and “B” models associated with these numbers; nor to be confused with instruments named “146” or “726,” which are always “B” era.)
“Pre-A” 140/145/720 instrument production occupied a very brief transitional period, which lasted somewhere between 7 and 12 months of production. By my logging of serial numbers, only somewhere between 2462 and 2672 instruments would have been produced using these reeds, reed screws and pickups. Instruments with “A” or “B” after the model numbers, and instruments labeled “146” and “726”, don’t use these reeds.
Reed Era 3 uses five blanks.
1-14 (no grind, 14 notes),
15-20 (no grind, different trace-taper than 1-14, 6 notes),
21-42 (no grind, 22 notes) – compatible with Era 2 reeds,
43-50 (rapid grind to thin, 8 notes) – compatible with Era 2 reeds,
51-64 (rapid grind to thin, 14 notes) – compatible with Era 1 & 2 reeds.
Basically, they replaced the 20-note bass range of the Era 2 reeds with two new designs, and left the rest unchanged.
It appears that the only change (or incompatibility) from Era 2 is in the bass range, notes #1 (A1) through 20 (E3): They have a visibly more gradual width taper/trace/shape, and the top 6 bass reeds have narrower tongues in the width dimension (.125 of an inch, instead of .150). These bass reeds have the same shape as the later Era 4 bass reeds, so their incompatibility with those is unclear: It could be in the flexibility of the metal (they seem very springy, and they tarnish/rust). If there is any manufacturing deviation above #20 from Era 2, the middle and high reeds are at least compatible with these reeds (notes 21-50, F3-A#5). As in Era 2, the top range of notes 51-64 (B5 to C7) are compatible with Era 1.
Starting in Era 3, and not earlier, the installed reeds from #21-F and higher left the factory with solder tips pointing up; perhaps to allow (dirty) in-place fine tuning of solder tips. The bass reeds continued to point down, as always. It was difficult to confirm this, as initially I was seeing frequent cases of instruments from this brief era with all reeds pointing down. The position of the pickups are a hint, though: As in all later models, the bass pickups are above the reeds and the non-bass pickups are below them, and having the non-bass tips point up would mean the orientation was consistent with the bass pickups.
The same note about superior, later corner-notched replacement reeds designed for Era 2 applies here.
Certain vendors seems to sell Reed Era 3 bass reeds for use in 120 electric pianos, or vice versa. It may be that at some point Wurlitzer did, too. This is incorrect, and in my experience, these reeds will play wrong. 140 reeds will “thud” in a 120, and I would think the upper 6 120 bass reeds would NOT even fit in a 140 pickup. At least two of our major contemporary parts shops continue to conflate Era 2 and Era 3 on their ordering pages, which may mean that they assume they bass range differences are not very significant; though Wurlitzer implied that they were important enough, in their “Note #17” memos of 1964 and 1971. Caveat Emptor.
Reed screws, part 650343, are 1/8″ shorter than in Era 2 (5/16″). Washers are still thin and slightly convex; nonetheless, reeds still tend to drop in pitch when tightened. (Results are mysteriously inconsistent, and newly-installed new-old stock 140 reed screws sometimes rise in pitch instead). Later 200-era screws can sometimes be used in a pinch (if holes of reedbar are drilled deep enough–not always), but will result in a different pitch to the reed. (a schematic of these early 60’s reed screws will be uploaded within the year–potentially very interesting, if you like nerding out on this stuff.)
These not-great reed screws were still used at the debut of the 140A/145A/720A instruments (1963-64), and then they got worse. See note about cracking reed washers, below.
Reed Era 4 (or Eras 4 and 5*):
None of these reeds is compatible with instruments from before 1963, if the literature is to be believed. There was a clean break between the “pre-A” 140 series and the start of the 140A series. In fact, the different reeds defined this “A” series, and were then retained going forward. And yet, you will often find these reeds in earlier instruments, thudding away.
It can be superficially difficult to differentiate between these reeds and Era 3 reeds (especially, in terms of patina, later-production replacement Era 3 reeds): In every range, if you traced an Era 3 and Era 4 reed representing the same note on a piece of paper, they would look the same, other than, perhaps, a (misleading) notch in the corner. The reeds have the same trace taper, trace outline. Nonetheless, you will usually notice the effects if the wrong reed is used. What differentiates these reeds from the earlier ones is the thickness to thinness grind, and metal formulations used. And these are crucial.
Reed Era 4 uses five blanks, each with a narrower tongue width, with the top blank ground two different ways (totaling 6 distinct reed shapes):
1-14 (no grind, 14 notes),
15-20 (no grind, different trace-taper than 1-14, 6 notes),
21-42 (gradual grind, 22 notes),
43-50 (gradual grind, 8 notes),
51-58 (gradual grind, 8 notes),
59-64 (rapid grind to thin, 6 notes).
These reeds are used for 140A&B/145A&B/720A&B series, 146/726/146B/726B classroom series, 200 series (including 203W, 106P, 214V and 207V, German 201 and 300) and 200A series (including 210, 270, 200B, 205V and 215V, in addition to obvious 2xxA labels). As this includes all models from mid-1963 through 1983, these are both the most frequently-needed and the easiest to replace, as a market has sustained their re-manufacture. While the reeds reportedly did change over this long era, perhaps even every couple of years, the Wurlitzer company did not consider the changes significant enough to discourage substitutions. Nonetheless, when possible or convenient, it’s probably best to use replacement reeds that correspond to your particular model.
The 1963 debut of Era 4 reeds corresponded with three reedbar vicinity changes:
1) the pickups in the range F-21 to D-42 were much thinner. These pickups can be flexed to adjust loudness or voicing of individual notes (something I only recommend as a last-ditch solution by professionals, as they can break).
2) Damper arms were added in the upper range. In the 120 and pre-A 140 eras, the top 11 reeds had no damper pads. Starting in Reed Era 4, only the top 5 reeds were undamped at all times, acting as sympathetics.
3) Five rectangular “reed plates”, encompassing ten notes, were added in the range D#-43 to C-52. They stop at the top octave, leaving those top 12 reeds “plateless”. It is my theory that these were added to tame sympathetic harmonics of these notes, such that there would be exactly one sympathetic high-treble reed for each of the 12 notes of the scale, when the sustain pedal was depressed. These plates make tuning those notes more difficult. I also find that in today’s instruments manufactured in the lower-body-mass 200-era (but not earlier, usually), these plates tend to prevent those notes from ringing pleasantly. The plates were discontinued early in the 200A era, sometime in 1975–perhaps at the point in time that reeds were thickened. A subject for further research.
*Vintage Vibe and several others report that the reeds from around 1975 on, or starting at some point in the 200A series, were different: significantly thicker, producing a mellower sound. (A blog post by Vintage Vibe says the tongues are roughly .026″ instead of .020″.) I have not yet confirmed that the thickness of reeds changes this radically in the late 70’s. I have also not done any study that would confirm that reed thickness is the cause of tonal differences between Wurlies from different years. I find plenty of deviation between any two instruments from any one era; and at this point, many Wurlies have had enough reeds replaced that it is hard to know if I am listening to an electric piano playing at its original specs. Also, I find that Wurlitzers from 1980 on seem to return to a brighter sound found in early 200’s… so, did the reeds change again, or was this something else (say, hammer hardness, strike line, reedbar build, or electronics)? AND…. when in the “A” series did this thicker reed change happen? at the start, or a few years in? It’s a subject for further research; but it merits noting that many respected techs claim that there is a Reed Era 5 for later 1970’s Wurlitzers (200A series). Note that IF there is a definable Era 5 reed, the hammer strike points are identical to Era 4, and therefore these reeds can be used interchangeably without the dead “thud” that is a defining characteristic of more severe reed incompatibility.
Reed Era 4 usually have a corner notch in reeds from 21 up–this reflects manufacture at a different factory. In the earliest 140 “A” series, all the reeds, then eventually only the top 6 reeds, look superficially different (no corner notch), but are otherwise the same specs as the later reeds. I am not entirely sure what makes the top 6 reeds incompatible with prior (pre-1963) models, as the specs seem superficially similar going all the way back to the first Wurlitzer EPs. It would be interesting to test them.
The Era 3-design of reed screws continued to be matched with Era 4 reeds during the “A” series of 1963-4 (the period of the 140A, 145A, and early 720A). This was the the defining negative event of the “A” instruments, though it is not a universal problem: Some of these reed screws had a serious cracking-washer problem resulting in a recall, sent out in a note in August, 1964. (These were seemingly a later 1963 bad batch of the screw part 650343–a “hydrogen embrittlement” problem that’s added as a 11-11-1963 cautionary note to the 12-14-61 reed screw schematic).
Standard reed screws, 1965-1983: These reed screw washers were replaced, from then on, with a thicker convex washer which, seemingly for the first time, consistently causes reed pitch to rise (not drop) until fully tightened. Replacements require re-pitching of reeds. Late 1964 replacements are brass-colored, and slightly different than reed screws from 1965 on (shorter, as in Era 3, but forwards-compatible). The standard Era 4 screws are 7/16″ long, as with the Era 2 screws, but with a much thicker washer and a chromed appearance. (There may be an intermediate thickness or two of the washers in 1964 before we arrive at the standard reed screw seen in 1965.)
Important: Although this memo implies that reed #52 signals the change point upwards for interchangeability in Eras 1 to 3, the tongue width actually narrows at reed #51 instead, starting in Era 1 and seemingly retained going forward (even in Era 4). I am convinced that this was a 1964 printing error that was replicated in 1971.
This page was inspired by a blog post on the Vintage Vibe website. I am thankful for it, as it informed me greatly when I knew much less, and sent me on my own quest: Case Study: Wurlitzer Electric Piano Reeds. I have been in playful debate with Chris Carroll about its contents since that post debuted. That page has wonderful graphics showing the evolution of the reed shapes, and it may be helpful to you.
I have at least 6 issues with it, in spite of its ongoing utility:
1) The 140A and 145A of 1963-4, and the 720A of 1963-5, are not listed. They should be grouped with the 140B instruments. As a good 3000 or more of these instruments were produced, and many are out there, this is an important piece of information.
2) “Width” of the tongues (the pickup-clearance dimension) is shown to fluctuate between eras by a couple thousandths of an inch, as if these were design decisions and changes. I find greater fluctuations even within an era.
3) The “thickness” column is confusing, as it only describes the non-vibrating base of the reed, and not the eventual thinness of the ground-down tongue. I have left that measurement out entirely for now, as it is a can of worms.
4) There isn’t a clear differentiation on the different shapes of grinds in their charts.
5) In the 1963-1983 era, the range of 51 to 64 should be split into two distinct reed grinds. Vintage Vibe knows this, as they sell separate reed packets for the top 6 reeds.
6) The years are a bit loose and/or vague. We know better, now.
Still, hats off! It’s hard writing up this information, and our knowledge is always evolving.
List and compilation copyright 2014-2024 by Steve Espinola. Please do not republish or repost this list in this form without attribution. Some of its contents are derivative (and attributed to their sources by links), and obviously I make no claims to such contents. It has taken me many full days of work, over years, to research, edit and organize all this information into this page. It involved hundreds of creative and editorial choices. I’m very happy to share; just do me the courtesy of being in touch and crediting my research and organizational efforts, much as I have credited others in my links.
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