Rhodes versus Wurlitzer....

[Dirty Halo]

For those with experience with the real deals, whch is your peference and why? Differences? Simiarities? Sound? Other considerations? Love to know your thoughts and their history, if you care to share...

-a

P.S. I know there are a tone of various versions, but let's stick to the more "classic" versions, for the sake of discusion.

[invinco]

I think this would be comparing apples to oranges.
They each have a totally distinct and unique sound. I suppose if one offered one or the other for free I'd go with the Rhodes... I think I'd find more uses for that creepy, spacey sound.
That said I'd rather have a Mellotron

[walth]

check out http://www.fenderrhodes.com/ for info on the rhodes.
They're like apples and oranges. And i like apples and oranges so i have both.

Check out the Wurlizer EP200A, the 120, and the 140B. I prefer the sound of the 200a.

For rhodes pianos i'd get the Rhodes Suitcase 88 or 73 mark I. preferably made fronm 1972 to 1974 it has a really full tone. Reference Herbie Hancock, chick corea, early stevie wonder records.

I'd also look at a Suitcase 88 mark II electric piano.

vintagevibe.com has them for sale. If you want a deal try ebay.
you can also join a few yahoo users groups for more tech info.

[into the white]

I have never played an actual Wurlitzer, but I do own a Rhodes. The wurlitzer has more of a "bark" to it, whereas the Rhodes is a lot smoother sounding and more like a real piano. The older Rhodes (pre 1975, the vast majority of the rhodes mark 1's in existance) have bark too, but it's different. On an additional note, Rhodes are a little bit cheaper than wurlitzers on the used market. For one thing, a decent rhodes can be found for about 500, whereas a decent wurlitzer is usually in the ballpark of 800. Plus the rhodes has a much simpler sustain pedal so if you find one without the pedal its a lot cheaper to find one for the rhodes than for a wurly. Overall I kind of prefer the wurlitzer sound but found the Rhodes to be a bit of a better buy for its versatility (there is a big difference in sound depending on how hard you play) and for the fact that it is a full 88 key piano.

[robot gigante]

You gotta have both!

Seriously.

[PJB5060]

For me Rhodes have a jazz vibe (Herbie, Chick Corea, Jan Hammer etc) and wurlitzers a soul/pop vibe (Donny Hathaway, Little feat, Supertramp). Rhodes have a more expressive action and wurlitzers a thonky action but they can groove. They are quite different and need to be approached differently.

[roger]

you need both for sure - you truly do. i used to use my rhodes a lot more than my wurly but the tables have turned over the last year - the wurly just sounds so damn cool - listen to some of my songs at myspace.com/plutoniclove - 'mr long-sufferin' has wurly playing the main hook under the guitars and it just adds a cool vibe - subtle but nice. 'this boat will float' is a keyboard fest - lotsa rhodes and wurly together (and my hammond L100 too)......it's a good example of why you need both because together they sound a lot like sex! you can also hear some demos at myspace.com/rmas that feature both as well.....'we had a fire' is a guitar riff that i just ended up playing on the wurly L and R with some higher overdubs in the chorus - i can't imagine it any other way now.....wurly is great for that - instead of doubled guitars for example you can have guitar L and wurly R and a little it of rhodes splashed around.......whichever you get first you won't regret - every time you put your trembling clammy fingers on the thing a smile will appear on your face and you will feel a warm glow all around you.......ahhhhh....

[amino]

To put it simple, I would say that Wurlitzer has more character, while Rhodes sounds cleaner and is the standard, the one to get first. I don't know any figures, but I would guess that there are 10 times as many Rhodes' than there are Wurlitzers out there.

[PJB5060]

Unless youre a complete purist, why not buy a secondhand Yamaha Motif synth.
In the seventies I wore out three real rhodes and one wurly. The stock rhodes and wurlitzers in the motif are, in my opinion, pretty dam authentic... certainly very playable.
You also get a variety of rhodes models and years. Also no mechanical hassles such as broken tines and no recording dramas. Just DI and Bobs your uncle.

[HEADROOM]

+1 for having both. A " rhodes versus wurly " debate resembles a "Strat versus Les Paul "debate....

[roger]

like marvin and tammi said: "there ain't nothin like the real thing....."

i'm pretty sure they were talking about rhodes and wurlys! difficult to confirm (with all due respect).
...but it is true....soft synth whatevers just don't cut it....some of the sample based ones are ok but you can't smell it, hear the wurly hummin, hammer those heavy rhodes keys, run 'em through wah pedals etc etc.....and they don't inspire like the real thing either - i havn't really heard of one being 'worn out' before...generally speaking they are a life-long investment....i had the capacitors changed in my wurly a few years back and that's about it.......worth the money.....worth putting that new preamp purchase on hold!

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by HEADROOM

+1 for having both. A " rhodes versus wurly " debate resembles a "Strat versus Les Paul "debate....

Totally. But if I could only have one, I'd go the Wurlie.

Wurlie's as different from a Rhodes as a clavinet is from a B3.

[84K]

Originally Posted by invinco

I think this would be comparing apples to oranges.

As soon as I saw the title my response (before I even opened the thread) was going to be Apples versus Oranges. Beat me to it.

[Kingtone]

Love the Wurly
Love the Rhodes



ummmm.....


get both. and a decent amp for each!

[Steamy Williams]

Originally Posted by max cooper

Wurlie's as different from a Rhodes as a clavinet is from a B3.

I would tend to disagree with that statement.

[roger]

i would disagree too. clav vs b3 is extremely different.....more like apples vs bananas i would say.

[drockfresh]

Live --> Wurlie. It really sucks when you sit down to play a gig and your fingers are tight and the back achey from moving the Rhodes. Wurlie fits perfect on a fold up hand truck.

Studio --> Rhodes & Wurlie. As Kingtone said:

Love the Wurly
Love the Rhodes

[Steffmo]

Generally speaking....in my book the Wurly is more at home in rock, and a Rhodes more in Jazz or R and B. Obviously, there are exceptions, but its a decent general rule.

If its Rhodes in rock,,,,its probably a Stage with external amp, because the amp on a suitcase tends to be cushy, althoiugh you caan still distort it or make it bottom out.

To my fingers the Wurly actually plays more like a piano, the Rhoses is a bit sluggish.

The earlier Wurlies....the off white or yelloeish wood things are very piano like in sound. Rather sharp. The 200's head a little toward the Rhodes sound, just just a little.

Earluer Rhodes have heavier, square tone rods. They have a bit more bell tone and more sustain. They sound beautiful solo, but sometimes have trouble cutting through a track.

And...yes a Motif has a decebt version of each. But if you set them all up at once you realize the sound is just .....similar. I have all 3, and a Hammond. Now I just need a Clavinet, and if I get crazy....a Hohner Pianet or Cembelete.

All and all, these keys are a joy to play....very rewarding.

[drockfresh]

Originally Posted by Steffmo

To my fingers the Wurly actually plays more like a piano, the Rhoses is a bit sluggish.

That actually depends on the year, the piano, and how it is setup. The later pianos (starting in the late 1970s) had a different action. My 1978 plays like butter. The action is amazing.

[Ashermusic]

Originally Posted by platypus

Live --> Wurlie. It really sucks when you sit down to play a gig and your fingers are tight and the back achey from moving the Rhodes. Wurlie fits perfect on a fold up hand truck.

Studio --> Rhodes & Wurlie. As Kingtone said:

Love the Wurly
Love the Rhodes

Owned them both. Played them both. Loved them both. Both have good emulations so no need to have to choose anymore.

[drBill]

Man, there is a lot of disinformation and vintage love that seems to have no real world experience here.... And a little bit of truth as well. you know who you are....

I've owned several versions of both. I've loved both. I've hated both. I will most likely not own either of them again. And that's not because I don't like vintage keys - I do, and I have a pretty large vintage key collection.

The rhodes ended up breaking my foot. The wurly ended up causing me so much embarassement due to it's lousey design. (The way you adjust the tuning almost guarantees that you'll get micro metal dust in between the pickups and the reeds causing.....um.....EXTREME loud noises in the middle of keyboard solos.)

Both are a huge PITA to keep in tune - especially if you are moving them a lot. (I was.)

Nostalgia is great and I wouldn't mind owning either one again if I had a LOT of storage room where I could keep them set up and out of the way 99.9% of the time. Until then..I'll do with one of the samples. There's nothing like the real thing, but the samples are good enough for what I need them to do.

[HEADROOM]

Every serious keyboardplayer should have a wurly, rhodes, b3 and clavinet.
Minimoog comes next and then the modernstuff.

It is like:guitarplayer: Les Paul, 335, tele, strat, d28, rick12, and then the rest.....

Having said that:I know some brilliant players that have 1 instrument.....

As far as I know: Snowy White......one gtr...a 1959 LP standard.....

[HEADROOM]

Originally Posted by drBill

Man, there is a lot of blathering disinformation here.... And a little bit of truth as well.

I've owned several versions of both. I've loved both. I've hated both. I will most likely not own either of them again. And that's not because I don't like vintage keys - I do, and I have a pretty large vintage key collection.

The rhodes ended up breaking my foot. The wurly ended up causing me so much embarassement due to it's lousey design. (The way you adjust the tuning almost guarantees that you'll get micro metal dust in between the pickups and the reeds causing.....um.....EXTREME loud noises in the middle of keyboard solos.)

Both are a huge PITA to keep in tune - especially if you are moving them a lot. (I was.)

Nostalgia is great and I wouldn't mind owning either one again if I had a LOT of storage room where I could keep them set up and out of the way 99.9% of the time. Until then..I'll do with one of the samples. There's nothing like the real thing, but the samples are good enough for what I need them to do.

Mine are staying in the studio these days.....use modern sample stuff as well on the road.....sorry bout your foot......that must have hurt...

That reminds me of a jazzgig I did in the seventhees in Amsterdam: B3 , third floor, six stairs.......

[drBill]

Originally Posted by HEADROOM

Mine are staying in the studio these days.....

Wise choice!

Originally Posted by HEADROOM

sorry bout your foot......that must have hurt...

Well.....yes it did. For quite a long time actually.

Originally Posted by HEADROOM

That reminds me of a jazzgig I did in the seventhees in Amsterdam: B3 , third floor, six stairs.......

Ahhhh, amsterdam, gotta get back there on of these days.
thumbsup

[MDM]

I live in Amsterdam with my Danish girlfriend and my Rhodes.

I love both - they just have different characters, that's all. but they do the same job: they are so sexy sounding and play so smooth



Wurlitzers are way cool too - Funky little things! - I'd love to pick one up one day. Someone said something 'bout a Yamaha Motif.
I own that too. That is indeed a good classy keyboard for gigs and delivers exquisite Rhodes, Wurly and other authentic keyboard sounds.

[soundbarnfool]

It took me two days to tune one note on my Wurly (first time doing it, that is). I mean, piling the right amount of solder on a thin metal bar? Come on! But I love it. I also have a rhodes and it has been my experience that chords can get real muddy real fast on a Rhodes. The Rhodes also seems a bit more nostaligia-tinged, soundwise, at least to my ears... and right now it is sitting in a room outside the studio door.

[Jazzpunk]

Go play em! You'll no immediately which one you've got to have. I'm guessin' it'll be both

[u b k]

rhodes vs. b3 = apples vs. oranges.

rhodes vs. wurly = oranges vs. tangerines.

i reckon they're close enough that your average non-musician can't tell them apart. i can, i know you can too, but c'mon... we're freaks.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[drBill]

Huh? You really think a non musician can't tell a B3 from a Wurly? Wow. Have listners degraded that far?

[Led]

I reckon a non muso can tell the differenve between a Wurly and a Rhodes. They're totally different. Wurly has more character but not as useful all round as a rhodes. IMHO