You may have heard that we restore hand wired tube amps that are found in various Wurlitzer Electronic Pianos. This article is intended to answer some questions on what we do, what our process is and what you can expect.

This vintage tube amp was removed from a Wurlitzer 700 electronic piano. It’s is the same amplifier as a Wurlitzer 120…unfortunately. The 120 had very limited cabinet space, so that’s why the physical design of the amp is so cramped. On the other hand, the 700 had a cavernous cabinet that could definitely have handled a larger amp chassis. Oh well: that ship has obviously sailed.

The Wurlitzer 120 amplifier represented a total redesign from the previous Wurlitzer model, the 112. The upside is that the amp is a lot smaller, so it fits nicely in the smaller, lighter 120 cabinet. The downside is also that the amp is a lot smaller. It’s missing many of the features that make the Wurlitzer 112 so magical. Regardless, it’s still a great vintage tube amp with a lovely, classic tone.

Originally, Wurlitzer built amplifier chassis just big enough to fit the components they needed. This left some interior cabinet space unused. There is nothing wrong with this design choice, but there is a lot of interior cabinet space that can be utilized should one (like, say, us) were to design a brand new replacement amplifier to go inside the Wurlitzer.

Before we start, a disclaimer: hum should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, because every vintage amp is special and degrades in its own way. What cures one amp may not work for another. That said, reading this guide should give you a good starting point on how to address your own hum problems. This guide is pretty basic and going to assume that the only piece of test equipment that you have is a multimeter.