Restore your vintage Wurlitzer or Rhodes electronic piano
Interested in restoring your vintage Wurlitzer or Rhodes keyboard? Fill out our form to get started with a quote. We will email you a preliminary repair plan and a free online estimate, based on similar keyboards that we’ve restored in the past. For the most accurate estimate, please include as much detail as you’d like, including
any playability issues you’ve noticed
whether the keyboard has been serviced before
how you use or intend to use the keyboard (recording, songwriting, gigging, personal playing, etc.)
Many of our services are billed according to a flat fee, and, after 10 years of restoring vintage electronic pianos, we are familiar with the ways that Wurlitzer and Rhodes keyboards tend to deteriorate over time. For this reason, we can usually provide a fairly accurate ballpark quote over email.
However, every vintage keyboard ages in its own unique way. To complete the final estimate, we must evaluate the keyboard in our workshop, which is located in Mount Vernon, NY (near the Bronx). We accept keyboards Monday through Saturday, by appointment. We also offer pickup and delivery within New York City and other addresses within 30 miles of Mount Vernon.
Our restoration process
The original parts in your Wurlitzer or Rhodes keyboard are now between 40 and 70 years old. Some of those parts, such as the wooden action parts, were built to last for decades. Other parts, including the felt and jack springs, were intended to be replaced periodically. Different parts get worn out for different reasons, but heavy use, exposure to environmental stress, and long periods in storage all contribute to the deterioration of the internal parts of an electronic piano.
For that reason, we start every restoration by disassembling the keyboard, so that we can evaluate felt, springs, and other parts deep inside the action assembly. Once the worn-out parts are replaced, we reassemble the keyboard and dial in its tone and feel.
We work with our clients to identify the repairs that will have the greatest benefit to the way that they use their keyboard—whether that’s recording, gigging, songwriting, casual playing, or all of the above. For older Wurlitzer and Rhodes models that may not meet today’s expectations for recording and live performance, we can suggest modifications that balance function, tone, and originality.
For more details on the parts of an electronic piano and how we restore them, click here.
Estimates & evaluations
Bench fee. In order to create an estimate, we disassemble the keyboard. This allows us to examine mechanical parts that are deep inside the mechanical action. Because the keyboard must be disassembled in order to create the estimate, there is a $150 bench fee for any keyboard that is evaluated in our Mount Vernon workshop. The bench fee is waived if a minimum amount of work is approved by the client. For Wurlitzer and Rhodes keyboards, the minimum is $325 in mechanical work. (Electronics work does not apply towards the bench fee, because we can provide an electronics quote for Wurlitzer and Rhodes without disassembling the keyboard.)
Restoration plan. After disassembling the keyboard, we prepare a detailed restoration plan, which includes an itemized estimate. In the estimate, line items that are essential to tone and playability are marked “priority.” Repairs that would improve tone and playability, but are not necessarily required for the client’s intended use of the keyboard, are marked “recommended.”
In most cases, completion of all “priority” items is necessary in order to bring the keyboard to what we would consider a minimum level of playability. In that case, we cannot accept the repair unless the client approves all “priority” items. The client may approve or decline “recommended” items.
Through our online estimate process, we are able to give a general idea of what “priority” and “recommended” items might look like for your keyboard, before you bring it into the shop. To get started, contact us through the form above, or by emailing jon at tropicalfishvintage.com.
Basic interior setup. Every estimate includes the basic interior setup ($325), which is required for any Wurlitzer or Rhodes keyboards that have not been serviced by Tropical Fish within the last 12 months. The basic interior setup includes:
a full interior cleaning, including the keybed underneath the key frame. This removes debris which reduces playability and introduces noise at the reed bar. There is an additional fee for keyboards that require extensive cleanup (due to water damage, animal nests, etc.)
regulation, including let off and lost motion adjustments. Regulation is necessary after replacing felt, and should be done periodically as part of the keyboard’s regular maintenance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What kinds of keyboards does Tropical Fish repair?
Although we specialize in Wurlitzer and Rhodes, we also repair other brands of vintage electronic pianos, as well as combo organs. To inquire, please email jon at tropicalfishvintage.com.
Where is your workshop located?
Our workshop is located in Mount Vernon, NY, north of the Bronx. Pickup and delivery service is available for New York City and other addresses within 30 miles of Mount Vernon, NY, for $75 (one way).
Is there a fee to evaluate my keyboard?
We are happy to provide preliminary estimates for free via email. For a more accurate estimate, we must evaluate the keyboard in our shop. Because evaluating the keyboard requires disassembling it, there is a $150 bench fee. The bench fee is waived if the client approves a minimum amount of work. For Wurlitzer and Rhodes, the minimum is $325 in mechanical work.
Does Tropical Fish make house calls?
Due to the tools and time required to restore Wurlitzer and Rhodes keyboards, we only perform restorations at our workshop in Mount Vernon, However, we are happy to perform periodic on-site maintenance for any keyboard that has been restored or repaired by us within the past 12 months. However, if the keyboard requires extensive or unusual work, we may need to bring the keyboard back to the shop to complete the repair.
How long does it take to restore a Wurlitzer or Rhodes?
For a full restoration, our current lead time is 4-6 weeks. However, we are often able to accommodate requests to complete a keyboard restoration by a certain date. Rush service (completion in 10 days or less) is also available for a fee.