Fender Rhodes + Wurlys

[tuffteef]

so who would like to school me on the fender rhodes and wurlys
ive played them both the rhodes that i played had a more piano sound to it but like in a sexy fuck me kind of way
and the wurly was more gritty a little more organny

i think i wanna go for the rhodes but theres a few versions out there and cost wise im not sure where they go
from budget friendly to medium price costs ?
any suggestions

[mauerkraut]

Wurly uses reeds instead of tines and is brighter than the Rhodes. It has more of a honk than the bark on the Rhodes. The Wurly is supposed to cut through dense mixes better with the added grit and brightness. I'd say get the Rhodes... you're right it has that "sexy" piano sound. The price is competitive between the two, but Rhodes' and their parts are much more common to find (in my experiences)

[masked elwood]

wurly's can always be needing something if you move it around from gig to gig. i sure do love their sound though.

[Gone Fission]

Used to be that a lot of schools had Wurlies and the watchful could scrape them up for spare change. Like my junior high had one. I don't see them around like that any more. If you find a Rhodes in surplus, though, it's likely to have the stand-amp, though, which is pretty handy.

I'd describe the Rhodes as brighter -- that high bell tone. Wurlies definitely honk, though. Wurlies will generally blend well with rock guitars. I can't think of Rhodes in a distorted rock context, but I'd think there's potential for the part to stand apart better.

[Noise...]

What kind of price range do Rhodes usually have?

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

i've owned like 8 different rhodes and 2 wurlitzers over the years and they're pretty significantly different.
i've used them in different contexts, but at the most basic level:

rhodes - much darker sound in general, thicker and will fill a mix more significantly but tend to be slightly muddy if not eq'd well. excellent bass, so a good bass heavy (fender twin) amp will help out the situation. they were tested on fender twins and is what i've always used, so i definitely recommend them - they have the lows, clean up the mids a little because of the scoop and give some clarity to the treble. with pedals, they react similarly to a guitar, since rhodes' are passive and can feedback when shit is cranked, etc. rhodes' keep their tuning very well, are built like tanks and you can easily adjust the tuning and the overtone/fundamental balance if you want/need to.

wurlitzer -brighter, thinner and reedier (well it does use reeds!) than a rhodes. sounds a bit like a guitar, actually, especially with a bit of overdrive/fuzz added. less bass, but a better midrange and high end in my opinion. sounds really nice with an ampeg gemini... with pedals, it helps to have an input attenuation on every pedal or just use a volume pedal since the wurlitzer has an active preamp and puts out a pretty hot signal. waaaaay lighter than a rhodes if you plan on gigging with it. the reeds are somewhat delicate and can break if you play aggressively and/or move it around a lot - they're expensive to replace and painfully difficult to tune yourself...

they're very different! like comparing a strat to a hollowbody or something like that.

cost wise, i'd just keep on craigslist, be prepared to shell out $300-1400 depending on your location and the condition of the instrument and possibly be prepared to spend $75-125 getting it overhauled/set up. too bad you're not on the east coast - i've got a rhodes i'm looking to part ways with...

[tuffteef]

im pretty farrr farrrrrrrrr away from the east coast
we dont even have a craigslist
gonne be tricky trying to find one in the land of aus
the wurly was smaller and lighter compared to the rhodes
i think it would mainly be for home perhaps a show down the road im no beethoven
i think id be willing to maybe part with perhaps pushing hard maybe like 900 ill try my luck

the feedback thing is new though didnt think it would.. interesting

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

yeah crank some fuzz/reverb and your amp volume and they'll feedback...
i'm a champ at getting keyboards to feedback!

[Wizard]

I have a rhodes. I used to gig around with it. they're fucking tanks. The ease to adjust anything about them is what does it for me. You can move the tine away from or closer to the pickup, and like SS/BS said, adjust overtone v. fundamental, so you can really dial in chime or bark, easily. Plus it's cool to put shit on top of them and play them.

They handle pedals awesome.

got mine for 500$

i'm in love with it.

[tuffteef]

I have a rhodes. I used to gig around with it. they're fucking tanks. The ease to adjust anything about them is what does it for me. You can move the tine away from or closer to the pickup, and like SS/BS said, adjust overtone v. fundamental, so you can really dial in chime or bark, easily. Plus it's cool to put shit on top of them and play them.

They handle pedals awesome.

got mine for 500$

i'm in love with it.

now theres a bargain

[univalve]

I love Fender Rhodes. But the hardware is not that great (i fucking hate the keyboard of it). I went a different way: i use the samples of an original by this company: http://www.sampling-cds.com/ (73 Stage Piano collection)
If you need it and want it cheaper, shot me a pm.

[snipelfritz]

Did someone say "Sexy, fuzzy Rhodes sound?"

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mKtt7F0rPU[/youtube]

[mauerkraut]

^^sweet. I love a Jon Theodore.

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

orrrr get a nord electro...
without a DOUBT, not the same thing at all and i would use an electromechanical keyboard over a digital one in a heartbeat, but... sometimes size, weight, etc. are considerations you need to factor in. i've got a nord stage compact and it's pretty rad.

[tuffteef]

orrrr get a nord electro...
without a DOUBT, not the same thing at all and i would use an electromechanical keyboard over a digital one in a heartbeat, but... sometimes size, weight, etc. are considerations you need to factor in. i've got a nord stage compact and it's pretty rad.

yeah my old piano tutor was telling me he uses them live
and dont u have one good sir?