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**bluetantra** · 08-07-2008, 04:43 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Hi, Ben-

That is a nice Wurlitzer. It unfortunate, but there is precious little information about Wurlitzer's electronic organs on the web. Actually, the only resource you'll find for specialized Wurlitzer organ parts and service manuals is Morelock's organ service in Rienzi, Mississippi. They're nice folks; I've contacted them to get a service manual for my 1959 model 4100.

It does look to be a 4300. The information I've got dates them from 1964 to around 1968. It will have solid-state electronics rather than vacuum tubes or an electro-mechanical tone generator. Two 44-note manuals, 13 pedals, split spectra-tone, vibrato, reverb, repeat, chimes, slide, Ssh-boom, and combination pistons. I'm sure others here (where are you, James?) will be able to tell you more.

The control tablets on a Wurlitzer really shouldn't be compared to the drawbar system of a Hammond. Wurlitzer's roots in the organ industry was with big theatre pipe organ installations. The control tablets on this Wurlitzer will have names like those used on a pipe organ. If you really are interested in learning more about this instrument, start by learning a little about pipe organs.

Now- this will NOT fit in a Toyota Camry and I don't suggest tying it to the roof. Use a truck or trailer to bring it home. Trust me on this. I have more organs than I care to name and in my acquisistions, I once stuffed (barely) a Hammond S-100 into the back of a Cadillac Fleetwood limo, but only after removing the car's rear seat and the legs from the organ. The S-100 is considerably smaller than this Wurlitzer.

If you insist on chopping this organ, my completely candid opinion is to just leave it where it is. Once you do, it will be junk. This is not a Hammond and it won't sound like a Hammond. If you're looking for something to gig with, wait for something like a Hammond XB series. (Can you tell I'm not a chop organ enthusiast?) If you want to learn organ, this might be for you, if it's all working. On an instrument of this age, there will likely be some issues to resolve to get it back 100%. With some basic electronics skills, often these issues can be fixed, but you'll need a service manual.

You also asked about adding a line out to the organ. Wurlitzer added monaural headphone jacks to many of their spinets for home practice. On my 4100, it's located underneath the keyboard, just above the pedals.

When you hopefully do bring it home, use at least a flat 4-wheeled furniture dolly to move the organ and make sure you've got at least two strong backs to lift it. They're not light. Hope some of this helps and best of luck on your new hobby!

John

**andyg** · 08-07-2008, 05:12 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Hi 

Yes that is a model 4300, circa 1964. Earliest of the transistor Wurlitzers, IIRC.

First, it's a home organ and one that's over 40 years old, so splitting it is probably a recipe for disaster, so I would advise against it. These organs were never designed for it and it would be a time consuming and expensive job. It's not impossible, but why not just hire a truck, pick up or station wagon to move it home? If, on the other hand, you want an organ to gig with, you've got the wrong organ in the first place. A 40 year old like this most probably won't take to it very well, if at all.

Second, the organ is designed to work with its own speaker system, which includes a mechanical rotating speaker called a Spectratone. Take the Spectratone away and you lose the tonal character that the organ is supposed to have. So taking the speaker signals to line outs for external amplification may not be a great idea. External amplification for organs like this usually means a Leslie speaker cabinet - and you might need a pretty special one for the 4300, if you can find it. Most leslies cost $$$.

As with all organs of this era, you can expect to have to give it some TLC to get it back into shape. Caig De-Oxit will be your friend here and you'll be spraying and cleaning plenty of contacts, on the keys and on the rocker tab switches. There are some real Wurlitzer experts on here and I'm sure they will chip in with ideas. The Spectratone units are usually suspect at this age, and a missing or slipping drive belt is the cause of most problems. I think you can still get them. Do be careful how much you spend on repairs here, as the organ's true monetary value (as opposed to any sentimental value) is zero. Organs much more recent than this are regularly being given away or sold for next to nothing.

As for what switches do what, you'll find three main groups of voice tabs, one each for upper and lower manuals and one for the pedals. Each will have a name, giving you the character of the sound, plus a number denoting the pitch. 8' is concert pitch, 16' an octave lower, 4' an octave higher and so on. Any fractional pitches like 2 2/3' will play different notes. If you press middle C, a 2 2/3' sound will play the G an octave and a fifth higher. Fractionals, also known as mutations, are always used in combination with other sounds. Experiment with them all - you'l have to when you check that every voice works on every key anyway! You'll soon start to find which combinations work and which ones don't.

The main tonal group is the Flute or Tibia section, and these you'll find at multiple pitches, from 16' up on the upper manual and from 8' up on the lower. These are the basic organ sounds, the nearest you'll come to the Hammond's drawbars. The other sounds can be used as solos or in combination with the flutes.

Other controls will include vibrato, tremolo and Spectratone, to add animation to an otherwise straight organ tone. Vital to use these and find out hw they work, or you're stuck with church organ sounds! There will probably alsobe couplers, and these can either add the sounds from one manual to another, or perhaps double one manual's sounds an octave higher or lower.

The Multi-matic percussion is either a way of applying a percussive envelope to some of the organ's tones, usually on the upper manual, or it could be a set of drum-like percussion sounds triggered from the lower manual or pedals. I know that Wurlitzer called these drum sounds Shhh-Boom on some models, so I'll guess it's the first option. Someone here will know for sure.

The big pedal at the right is the expression, or swell pedal and this controls the volume of the entire instrument.

That should be enough to get you started, but ask anything you like. We'll help! Best of luck in getting this old lady playing again.

Andy

**james** · 08-07-2008, 07:52 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

im_Ben,

John and Andy have given you the best advice you could ever get regarding this beautiful organ. I wish I had it! I am a big Wurlitzer fan, and love these organs. I had one like it one time, but lost it in a move when downsizing was a must. I only wonder if I will ever get one back that is in decent shape. They are getting a bit of age on them now.

From all I have read about your post, you really want a Hammond.

James

**Guest** · 08-07-2008, 08:39 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Honestly, having a hammond would be awesome, but right now, I don't really even know what I'm doing with an organ at all. I'm really starting from the bare basics. I have very basic piano skills which I know is different but it''s all I have to contribute to my playing right now.

From everything I've read about the 4300, it seems like I found a great deal and I'm definitely going to be a proud owner and figure out how to work this thing. 

Thanks for the advice so far as well. I will keep you guys updated with what I actually do with it. 

I also have thought about refinishing it. I just think dark mahogany would look SWEET!!!

Anyways, keep the advice rolling. I appreciate what I've got so far. I look forward to visiting with you guys about organs and what I'm doing with mine in the weeks, and maybe even years to come...

Ben

**toasterDude** · 08-07-2008, 10:31 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

I know nothing about Wurlitzers (organs, that is; I have a Wurly 200a electric piano that I *love*), but here's some advice on getting the thing home. 

A small spinet like this can be moved without a rental truck ordedicated piano/organ movingequipment (or a team of gorillas!) You really only need 4 things: 1) a friend with a pickup truck (or a utility trailer). 2) a friend who has a set of those aluminum ramps that you use to drive riding lawn mowers up into the bed of a pickup truck, or onto a trailer. 3) a regular dolly or hand truck, often called a furniture dolly. These can be rented from hardware stores, etc. for something like $10/day; or as another option you can buy one. (I bought a basic one for like $40, and it has come in handy for lots of other things besides moving organs!) 4) a set of straps to secure the organ to the dolly. Then all you do is "stab" the organ withthe dolly from behind, just in the center, and strap it securely; now when you tilt the dolly back you're mobile. All you do then is run the dolly up the ramps into the truck and securethe organin the truck bed (most pickups have little tie-down hooks in the corners of the bed for this purpose.) It's really easy to do with a spinet - one person can actually move the thing, though it's a good idea to have a "spotter" to help guide you up the ramps. Piece of cake, really.

I guess you could also get creative instead of renting a furniture dolly. Lots of people rig up makeshift dollieswith a frame of 2x4s, a sheet of plywood, and some casters. The guy I bought my first Hammond from actually moved it once on a skateboard! (NOT recommended though!) Anyway good luck with it. cheers, Scott

**bluetantra** · 08-07-2008, 06:22 PM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

One further caution regarding moving: look underneath the organ as you load it on a dolly. You really don't want to accidentally damage the pedal assembly unnecessarily.

Ben, you're starting out as many of us have, with only a few years of piano, maybe some voice or another instrument somewhere down the line. Locate a few books of songs that you like and that are within your playing ability. I wouldn't bother with anything that says EZ-Play as they generally are written for organs with a lot of automatic features and only include a simple melody line and chord notations for the left hand. You might also want to look for some instruction books. There were many good series written. Manufacturers often gave new owners some type of "organ method" with the purchase of an instrument. I recently saw a set on ebay put out by Wurlitzer that was of about the same vintage as the 4300. One of my favorite places to look for used and out of print books is www.alibris.com. Enter something like 'organ music' or just 'organ' in the search box. 

There's almost NO contemporary music being arranged for organ aside from liturgical music, but I'm having a blast learning tunes my grandparents would have enjoyed. Jazz and swing tunes from the '20s through the '40s, pop tunes from the '50s, movie themes, classical.... they are all lots of fun to play on an organ. I confess, though, that I occasionally try tomash outa little Depeche Mode, Nickelback or Erasurewhen no one else can hear except the dogs.....

John

**back52887** · 08-07-2008, 11:11 PM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

You didn't mention what you want to play. The basic instrument was deseigned to play theatrical and broadway type tunes. Clasical and liturgicalmusic is possible but keyboard and pedalboard limitations will not allow you to follow the musical notation without extensive modification.its also possible to play rock, jazz, and Gospelon it, but it will be more challenging and perhaps less satisfying. Do you know how to improvise some, especially using 6th, 7th, and diminished harmonies? 

How about sending us a list of your stops: We can suggest more specific registrations. and how to use various special effects. Remember that you do not have to use Rhythms, percussions, and various organ voices simultaneously at first. Lets start with the basics and add theOregano and whiped cream when we can see where they belong. [pi][C][^]

Lee

**abcavitt** · 08-07-2008, 11:15 PM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Ben;

Most definitely this is a Wurlitzer 4300. The 4300 is the 'spinet' version of the 4500.

The 4500 has 2-61 note manuals and a 25 note pedal board. The 4300 has 2-44 note

manuals and a 13 note pedal board. I had a 4573 which had a few more 'whistles' than

the 4500, plus a cassette tape deck. A box of Q-tips and several cans of contact

cleaner will bring this baby back to life. I restored my 4573, then gave it to my lodges

retirement home because I now have a Conn 653, 3 manual Theatre Organ. You've 

mentioned Hammond several times. Comparing this instrument to a Hammond, to a 

lot of people here,is sacraligious/insulting. If you use a 'furniture dolly' to move this, 

make sure it is a 4 wheel, casters-lockable on one end. Or, rent the 'Piano Movers' 

from your local rental place. These slide under the ends and the straps pull them 

together'around the organ', just like a piano. Play it safe! Rent the correct equipement. 

If you were to buy them, they will run between $250-$400.00 (more than the value of the 

instrument). If the Spectratone doesn't work or is slow to work, you can get a belt from 

Morlocksfor $4.00 plus shipping. They do have a $10.00 minimum order.

Do not try to 'chop' this instrument to fit into your car! All you will end up with is a pile of

wood for your fireplace. I played a 4500 at my mothers funeral. Nice, but the 4573 is a bit better 

due more voices to play with. This 4300 will bea great starter organ. The voices are arranged, 

top row, left to right-Pedal, Solo/Upper, Accomp/Lower. The stops to the left of each manual control the

'Special Voices' and Vibrato/Spectratone. The'voices' are based on TheatreOrgan Voicing as

described above. The headphone jack is located under the keydesk, eitheron the right or left side

of the console. I don't remember if this instrument had provisions for an external speaker. If it

does, thejack would be located on the back, near the bottom where the power cord comes out

of the console. You can also order the complete schematics from Morlocks. I'ld get a new

belt for the spectratone, and the 'books' as soon as you can. They do not have a computer,

andrefuse to get one. (Direct quote from the daughter.) Here is their phone number 662-462-7611.

Good Luck! Have Fun! Make some music!


Al

Duncanville, TX

**andyg** · 08-08-2008, 01:44 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Comparing this instrument to a Hammond, to a lot of people here,is sacraligious/insulting.

But probably, and hopefully, not to the majority of us level-headed people who frequent this side of the forum! We're more broad-minded than that, I think. [:)]

**abcavitt** · 08-08-2008, 08:54 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Hello AndyG [:)]

The Hammond Organ is in a totally different catagory than the Wurlitzer. As most of us know, Wurlitzer 

started building pipe organs, Then the Wurlitzer company hired Robert Hope-Jones. Robert created the 

Unit Orchestra Organ, which went on to become the Theatre Organ. Laurens Hammond's creation was 

an attemptat re-creating the organ sounds electrically. Sadly, IMO, the Hammond organ does not emulate

a Theatre Organ. The Hammond fits into a 'special nitch' all on it's own. It is great for Gosple, Jazz and 

Rock-n-Roll music. It is portable. A Theatre Pipe Organ definitly is not portable. Wurlitzer wanted to get

into the home organ market that Hammond created. The home organs they built used an electrially based 

tone generator. Hammond used a mechanical tone generater powered by an electric motor. I can't get the

same sounds from a Hammond that I can get from an electronic theatre organ. Really, one can not compare

a Hammond to any Wurlitzer, or other organ. Especially now, with the digital sound sampled organs, it is

hard to tell the difference between a Walker 3/35 and a Wurlitzer 3/35. One person stated that the only way 

he could tell the difference was the Wurlitzer had a pipe cypher.[:D]It is still my opinion that to compare a 

Hammond to a Wurlitzer is an insult to the Wurlitzer. Wurlitzer is the benchmark that all other, except 

Hammond, organs are compared to. Allen, Barton, Compton, Estey, Moller, even Walker,are great organs

yet they are compared to the Wurlitzer. I've played several different 'brands' of organs. This includes the 

Hammond line. I would select an instrument, based on what type of music is needed for the 'event'. 

Jazz or Blues--give me a Hammond any day! Broadway musicals--almost any theatre organ would do.

This is my 4 cents worth. ( I went a bit long--from 2 cents to 4 cents [;)] )

Al

**james** · 08-08-2008, 10:03 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

My two cents worth,

Hammond is in a class of its own. At first it was determined that L. Hammond could not call his invention an organ. There is info to read about the beginnings of most organ companies.

A Hammond will never sound like a pipe organ, yet some good tones can be had. When they finally accepted Leslie speakers in both Fast and Slow mode it enhanced their tonal capacity a whole lot.

The early Wurlitzer ES models were mechanical in that they used free brass reeds that were vibrated by a blower, then the sounds were amplified through a speaker. They were most close in sound to a real pipe organ than any Hammond could ever be.Their maindesigner was a man who had worked for the Moller pipe organ company. When Hammond had a wide margin on the market and began building spinet organs, Wurlitzer got into this market with their first spinet called Spinette, the model 44. Later as others came on the market, Wurlitzer dropped the reed models in favor of using tubes. Many other brands came on the home organ scene such as long time band instrument company the Conn, then the Baldwin piano company, Gulbransen, Kimball, and other. They all wanted a piece of the big pie that developed the home and church organ market during the mid 50's until the mid 80's. Of coarse there were some of the larger models on the market by Hammond and Wurlitzer before WWII, and then some right after. The spinet series was started by Hammond in 1949 with the M or Cinderalla model. Then, the big times began to roll.

A Hammond can not be compared to any other electronic organs since it just has a sound of its own. To me everything regardless of a drawbar setting, it stills sound like a Hammond. It is that pure sine wave (flute tone) that is the mother of the whole tonal system.


James

**andyg** · 08-11-2008, 10:33 AM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Hi Al

Thanks for your 4 cents worth!

I actually thought you meant thatpeople would think it insultingto the Hammond, and there are a few people on here who definitely would think that, hence my reply!

The Hammond is indeed unique. It doesn't try to imitate a theatre organ, asyou say, it can't do it, but please don't get misled into thinking that Gospel, Jazz, Bluesand R&R is all it does.Broadway Musicals? No problem for me if you give me a decent Hammond and leslie. I won't play it the same way that I'd play a theatre organ for the same pieces but it would do a great job. If you gave me an older Wurlitzer or Conn, the arrangements would be closer to the theatre organ. If you gave me a modern Roland AT900, it would be much more of an orchestral sounding arrangement. I've done this 'multiple arrangement' of most pieces I play for as long as I can remember.

You're quiteright in saying that Wurlitzer wanted to get in on the home organ market that Hammond created, every electronic organ manufacturer did, but there's really precious little to connect the Wurli pipe organ and Wurli electronic. The Wurli pipe organ is again, a unique, wonderfulinstrument and has an unmistakable sound, and many of its legions of fans would certainly claim tobe able to tell a Morton from a Barton from a Wurli etc! I could certainly tell a UK Wurli from a Compton or Christie.

Wurlitzer electronic organs a 'benchmark'? I'd have to disagree with you there. Sure, the earlier ones like this 4300 could make some great sounds, but so could other makes. Each make had its own fans, sometimes devoted. I tended to take each one for what it was, good points and flaws alike. If you mean thatelectronic organs other than Hammond should be compared to Wurlitzer theatre pipe organs as a benchmark,that was probably so at one point back in the 50's and 60's (and certainly for certain makes) but, not long after that, andeven more soonce the orchestral organ came about, those comparisons became meaningless, as the home electronic organ just wasn't trying to be likea pipe organ any more.

I'm lucky, I have close on 40 years of working in the organ business, playing just about every make and model of organ available in the UK, and a few special or one-off imports too, as well as playing some of the best theatre pipe organs over here. However, I'd never claim to know more than anyone else. Quite the opposite, there's always something to learn here and on other forums, and I love the debate and discussions we have. I might not always agree with what people say but I'll always listen and join in the fray! Please keep your 2c and 4c worth coming!

Andy

**Guest** · 08-11-2008, 02:22 PM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

Some new questions for everybody. Is it easily possible to rewire the Spectra-Tone to have an adjustable speed? I just read that that is kind of what the theater/cathedral switch does. If so, I probably just need to clean that contact because that isone of the switches that is not working.all it does is make a clicking noise whenever I switch it. How do I get the manuals off so I can clean all the contacts and get to the pedal contacts? Also, is it possible and/or easy to detach the pedals?

I have definitely realized that it isn't easily to chop it in half AT ALL! I definitely have decided that that is not the way to go. I still have to try to get it to fit in a Camry at this point in time. It would really be nice if I could be able to easily transport it in my car, but I realize that's not easily going to happen. If I can transfer it to one location, I can keep it in one location and move it by trailer.

Anyways, I have found some tones on the organ that I definitely like and I definitely like the organ over all. It still needs some work, mostly on the contacts, but overall it's in great shape. It's definitely staying with me for as long as I can keep it.

For those wondering what style I'm playing, It's mostly going to be used for worship so mostly just chordal work. Other than that, I'm really getting into the old 70's rock with organ, such as Boston, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Yes, Deep Purple, all that stuff.

Anyways, I really appreciate all the advice. Thanks to everyone...

**myorgan** · 08-11-2008, 03:40 PM

Re: Completely new and have no clue...

[quote user="im__Ben"] I've read that you can take of the top and remove the manuals. I doubt this, but is it possible to take the wiring apart at all in this position? If I'm wrong please correct me. I'm basically trying to get the thing in my Toyota Camry so I can transport it. It would be awesome if that were the case because it would save a LOT of work.If this isn't possible, I want to try to split the body in 2 pieces for traveling purposes. I'm thinking about splitting it where the part that is above your legs meets the bottom. I think I would use recessed butterfly latches to keep it secure when I do have it together and I'm thinking that I would usethe ends from certain typesof computer cables to be able to connect anddisconnect cables while in transport. If anybody has any experience with this and knows if this is feasable, please tell me about your experience. [/quote]

Ben,

Let me suggest a U-Haul truck. The smallest truck should be able to transport it, and is only $19.95 per day (with a mileage limitation). I just relocated a 3-manual classical organ (over 1,000 lbs.) from Alabama to Maine, and the U-Haul trailer was only $200 one-way. I was quoted $1,400 to have it professionally moved, and that didn't include the speakers!!! Round trip for a trailer is something like $20/day for a trailer (no mileage limitation).

Not that I have anything against a Toyota Camry (I have a couple Honda Insights), but you're probably best transporting it as it sits. Don't put it on its back in a trailer or truck. That can cause problems. Invest $5.00 for a tie-down strap at a local discount store. I paid $9.95 for 2 straps, and I used those in transporting the classical organ.

Hope this helps.

Michael

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