Electric pianos are wonderful, but one thing we’ve always found slightly lacking is the sustain pedals. Sadly they sometimes they feel like an afterthought. Now granted, the Wurlitzer pedal is certainly a better design than the Rhodes piano, but, sometimes they just don’t work properly. Whether the pedal isn’t working at all, allowing all notes […]

If you have a Wurlitzer 200 or 200A model, you may have noticed that the very top five notes (G#6-C7) do not dampen and freely sustain. This is because there are no dampers on these top five notes. It is completely normal and nothing to worry about. On these top notes there is a small […]

It a classic Rhodes problem, your Rhodes sounded great but now its sounding dull and lifeless. For such an instrument that in many ways is quite a simple design, it’s funny how the the changes in sound can be so dramatic. This issue could be down to many things, so we’ll start with simpler and […]

The damper regulating screw, also known as the damper screw, is a long flathead/hex screw on the rear side of the whip in a Wurlitzer piano action. Each note has an individual action mechanism that includes this screw. It forms part of the whip assembly. Threaded through the screw is the damper grommet which connects […]

A damper arm, also known as a damper lever is an action component on acoustic pianos, and Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos. On all pianos it is a lever that has damper felt at one end, and is engaged by the other parts of the action mechanism at the other. It’s function is as followed: View […]

A damper arm is an action mechanism found in Wurlitzer pianos. It is responsible for lifting the damper felt away from the reed when it is struck by the hammer. This causes the reed to sustain. When the key is released, the damper arm falls down and the damper felt mutes the reed. It also […]

A damper grommet is a small circular rubber grommet found on the damper regulating screw of each note in Wurlitzer pianos. It is either black or grey in colour, depending on the model of Wurlitzer and year of manufacture. It inserts into a the damper lever clip found on the damper arm. Function: The grommet’s […]

A bridle strap or bridle tape is an action part found in upright acoustic pianos and Rhodes pianos. It consists of a fabric strap that has a leather end with a punching in the centre. Its function is to aid in movement of other action parts. Upright Pianos: On upright pianos, one end of the […]

Lost motion refers to the amount of movement that is not transferred between different parts of the piano action when it is engaged. It is usually because a small gap is present between different components. Because the energy is not transferred, it is referred to as ‘lost’. Function: This space is designed between mechanisms to […]

The mechanism in a piano action used to mute or dampen a sustaining note, usually by means of felt contacting the string, tine or reed. See Dampers (Rhodes) See Dampers (Wurlitzer) See Dampers (Acoustic Piano) In a Hohner Clavinets and Pianets, the system of damping the sound works differently. See Yarn (Clavinet) and Sticky Pads […]