Wurlitzer 4602

[Orgrinder010]

I am now a proud owner of a 1956 wurlitzer 'electrostatic' organ model 4602. It is quite large at about 490 pounds, so it was quite amazing that it actually fit into my house. I really enjoyed the few minutes that i have played it and now i need to get down to business. The organ sounds really good as is, and is fairly good cosmetically, considering it be near 50 years old. I was thinking of redoing the finish on the wood, which is no problem. Where i am a bit concerned is internally. I wonder if its old age will cause any risks when left plugged in, should i recap the amp? I notice that movement of the expression pedal causes a scratchy noise, not audible when left alone even during play, should i use deoxit? Probably my biggest concern is the vacuum tubes, should i replace them? will it change its glorious sound doing so, for the better or worse?
this is my first console organ. it has great sentimental value to me and the lady of which i bought it from.
More about the organ: 2 61-note manuals, 32 note pedal-board, 28 voice stops not including tremulant, fast/slow attack, and sustain I and II. An electronic reed system, running through a tube amp to a 12" EM speaker. This beast sucks up over 350 watts @ 117 volts @ 60Hz from my wall.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, i can be personally reached at
digitalremastering@hotmail.com
Thanks- Nathan Wilcox

[Orgrinder010]

I also know that the model 4800 has a variable tremolo speed control, the 4602 is very similar to this model but excludes this feature. Is it posable to add this or at least adjust it in some way inside the organ?

[fuguebwv582]

Try here: http://www.organizedservices.com/librarywurlitzer.htm (http://www.organizedservices.com/librarywurlitzer.htm)

[back52887]

I learned to play on a 4602 as a teenager. The chief maintainance worry is the air blower in the reed chest. It by now may need oil. DO NOT USE HAMMOND OIL, that is much too light. I believe there are instructions inside on what weight to use, but it is quite heavy, almost grease.

As I remember, the internal speaker and amp did not have much power to begin with. Replacing the tubes will not make much difference, wait untill something obvious goes out. You will soon want a more powerful speaker system. You could use a good monaural system and experiment with crossover and balance. You can possibly add a guitar vibrato/rotary circuit. No matter how you manage to adjust the internal tremelo, it will only be liturgical, never theatrical. The historicaly correct Leslie would be a 45W.

The pedalboard, while 32 notes, has undersized pedals I think. It should be possible to clean the swell pot to get rid of the scratching noise, or just replace it. It should be a commonly available part. The 4800 had a reed voice in the pedal, and full sized AGO pedals. Not much else really different.

Lee

[james]

Do you or anyone else of the Organ Forum have a stop list for the Wurlitzer model 48? I would hope that it could be printed here on the Forum for all who are as interested in these reed Wurlitzers as I am. Thanks, James

[CMStrack]

Post deleted by author

[james]

Thanks, Charlie, I really intended to list the model 4800 Concert Organ by Wurlitzer. It was their largest organ that used the reed system for tone generation. I have info on all the other reed models, just not a stop list on the 4800. James james@arbuckleonline.com

[CMStrack]

Post deleted by author

[james]

Hi Nathan, I would like to hear more about this organ, since I am a great fan of the Wurlitzer reed models. I am in the process of acquiring one in the near future. Has this organ given you the satisfaction as far as functioning as it should? If you are like myself, I am sure you are pleased with the pipe organ sound these models could make. I wonder why they are not made today as they were great sounding organs. Thanks for any info about this organ you care to share with many of us.

James

james@arbuckleonline.com

[Orgrinder010]

"Everything you ever wanted to know about the wurlitzer 4602 ES reed organ"

Well....where do i begin?
Ok, it was bought in 1956 by a lady a few miles away from me and she has had it up to a bout 5-6 months ago. Its in good condition considering that its all original. Its the "traditional" model of a series of 4. The largest being the concert model, thus the smallest being the spinet (model 44). As you said, it uses the chest of constantly vibrating reeds that are electronically amplified by pickups. I've only removed the reed chest once to check the oil. The chest weighs a lot itself, and slides out of the organ on little tracks. on the other side, someone wrote in marker that it was last oiled in 1966, but seems to be still good and full. I never opened the magnesium airtight chest to look at the reeds, and don't plan to any time soon. I guess that the pickups use a high voltage of approx. 300 volts. Anyways, It has the full 32 note pedals, although people tell me that they are a little short. Its got 2 manuals of 61 AGO spec. keys. It has one 12" EM speaker, powered by a tube amplifier (cant remember model # but something like 7011 comes to mind...). I do remember it uses 2 or 3 6L6's. Like i say the organ is stock, and is LOADED with the black beauty capacitors. When looking inside you see bundles of wire. You will notice the percussion circuitry as it is fastened to the upper half of the organ, and it looks like a cylinder about the diameter of a CD and about 30 black beauty Capacitors around it. Oh, did i mention that there are four of these.... You will see the rather large electric motor in the middle.
It is very hard to get under the manuals. Almost impossible, unless i'm missing a bolt or something. I can, however, get a peek at what lies beneath. I think i counted 12 or more rows of bussbars, under EACH manual. Each one of these is geared to a solenoid that is activated by the stops. When off, the contacts on the bussbars are rolled so the key contacts don't touch them. You can hear them Click when you turn the stop on, and when many stops are on while turning the organ off, you will hear massive mechanical action. When i first got the organ, one stop was always on, but this was an easy fix, as i needed to replace a bussbar spring.
Well, lets say i was about to play it now. I would turn it on by pressing the power tab, which looks like one any of the other stop tabs. The amber pilot light just below the speaker would light up, and you would hear the motor wind up. Give it about 15-20 seconds to warm up the amp and your ready to go. The organ had a number of stops of traditional nomenclature which i will name later. It had two speeds of tremulant and a depth selector. It also had the percussion tabs in the lower right cheek block. This included Attack I, Sustain I, and Sustain II. The attack tab could give it the attack of a pipe organ, or the instant notes of a pop organ. Sustain was just that, a heavy sustain of two levels. Actually i think one affected the reeds and the other the flutes. The organ cosmetically is in a ripe condition. Meaning that it has the normal wear of 50 years. The keys are made of molded urea plastic. They are not glossy but more have a feel of wood almost. The organ could have been ordered with a separate tone cabinet (model 400, 626, or 800) or a leslie cabinet could be used. Also it could have been ordered with chimes.

The organ does have a very warm and pleasing tone. The voices are pipe-like, but do sound more reedy, than flutes. There is no reverb, which is either good or bad, but use of sustain could be used (dont expect pleasing results). It plays nice, and the feel of it is very pleasing.

I have, however, run into one problem. Nearly every time i play it at least once i will hear a large snap that makes me almost fall out of my seat. It does not come out of the speaker, rather a blue spark can be seen between two of the pedal stops. Other than that, and the fact that the amplifier setup is not very loud, its in good condition.

Dimentions
52" wide
40.5" high
28" deep with out pedal clavier
46" with pedals
Weight: about 500 lbs. (not joking)

Great Manual

bourden 16
diapason 8
flute 8
flato dolce 8
dulciana 8
flute 4
twelfth 2-2/3
fifteenth 2
chimes (tab only, was an option)
Full ensemble (activates a full sounding set of stops)

Swell

bass flute 16
bassoon 16
trumpet 8
french horn 8
salicional 8
clarinet 8
oboe 8
orchestral flute 4
nazard 2-2/3
piccolo 2
tierce 1-3/5
Full ensemble

Pedals

Bourdon 16
gedecket 16
horn 8
flute 8
flauto dolce 8

If i missed anything, than its because i dont know about it because this organ has a long story to tell.
I hope i could be of help.

[Orgrinder010]

-

[back52887]

Thanks for taking the trouble the post the 4602 Specs. They bring back a lot of memories. My dad traded his BV with a cut-down leslie 31H for ours and two 45Ws (all in limed oak).

I had forgotten how many combination synthetic voices made out of the flute pickups there were. You have probably already discovered that the Gt. Diapason is the 8' & 4' flute, The Sw. clarinet and oboe are flute combinations inc. fractionals. The French Horn and pedal horn are loud 8' flutes, and the Trumpet, dulciana, salicional, and 16' basoon are the reed pickups at various loudness levels.

Yes, the sustain I works on the Flute voices and II on the reeds. For reverb, the sus. I tab on a slow, full hymn sounds rather cathedral-like if you can put out some extra speakers and amps. Almost any broad-spectrum Hi-Fi system will help. The little 10 watt amp & speaker inside are not very exciting. Enjoy, enjoy. How many organs do you have now?

Lee

[james]

Hi Lee, (and Everyone),


Yes, Nathan did a great job of posting info about the Wurlitzer 4602. I am in the process of purchasing one of these organs, and the man said he would bring it to me from Kansas when the weather broke somewhat as he wanted to take a short vacation during the Spring months. I do look forward to acquiring this organ. I do like them for church music so very much.

I have studied these organs in depth, but have not played on one in a good while. A local music teacher here in town had a model 4601 at one time, and I use to play that one ever so often. I am even amazed at how pipelike the model 44 Spinette could sound as well as having a 16' in the lower manual. I do like these organs very much, and would be happy with a Spinette model 44. They are very scarce indeed. I foolishly missed a model 44 Spinette in OKC, OK about 7 yrs. ago, and have not got over that deal. I have almost given up hope of finding a Wurlitzer reed organ in decent condition.

I wish some organ firm would make these organs once again with the new digital technology, yes the 44 Spinette, 4600, and 4602. I do think they could do it even down to the sound if they are doing so well duplicating pipe organ tones. I think smaller churches would be interested in having this type of organ for worship, and those of us who prefer to play mostly church related music would enjoy them at home. I am sure they could be made once again if Suzuki of Japan can make the all too famous B-3 Hammond. Hammond just gained more popularity with John Q. Public when these Wurlitzers were in production.

I did wonder just how the Diapason was formed on the 4602, and I gather the clarinet is French Horn 8' nazard 22/3' and Tierce 13/5'. I would think the Oboe would be orch. Flute 4', nazard 2/2/3' and piccolo 2'. Well pretty good for what it is indeed. Gulbransen used the same method on their "all flute" organs, and dear old Hammond did the same basically with the drawbars. Regarding these Wurlitzers it is the great ensemble sound they produce and the touch is very pipe organ like as well as the sound. I remember the Catholic church here in town had a model 25 which was a very old Wurlizter, and it was so pipe like. I think the models mentioned in this article are from the 1950's and maybe early 60's. I do have literature on these as well as literature on all Wurlitzer reed models. Wurlitzer even used some of their pipe organ techniques in making their reed models in the North Tonawanda, NY plant.

I know the question was asked what other organs do I have at home? I have a Baldwin model 54A Spinet, Lowrey Symphonic Citation Theater Spinet, and Thomas 281 Spinet, a Crown Pump Organ by Geo. P. Bent of Chicago, Illinois, and a large Conn model 650, which is going out of the house hopefully tomorrow as a service tech and I have traded organs. I will acquire a Baldwin Church Organ Model 48C. Gosh, I wish it was a Wurlitzer, but that one comes later as mentioned above.

In times past, I have had for a breif while a model 44 Spinette which was just too far gone to be adequately repaired for the best of use. It was fascinating just the same. I have had two organs by Hammond, M-100, T-211, and played C2, and C3 in churches before Leslie speakers were used with Hammond. I am just worn out and tired of them period. I also have had two other organs by Wurlitzer, a model 4100A, a beautiful piece of furniture indeed and a fairly nice organ, and a Wurlitzer model 4300. I have had two by Conn, a 500 Series Minuet, and the big theater organ, model 650.

I once sold Thomas and Gulbransen organs, but have never owned a Gulbransen or a Kimball either. I do enjoy sharing info via the Organ Forum, and hopefully others will share info too especially about those Wurlitzer models I do so enjoy, and I do like the Baldwin very much for church use also.

Thanks for reading my post, and over look my typos. I will try to correct them when and/or if I see them.

James

[james]

Hi to all Wurlitzer fans again, I wonder if Nathan forgot to list the Tenor Trumpet 8' on the Lower Manual. If memory serves me right, it is the same sound as the Trumpet 8' on the Upper Manual of all Wurlizter reed organs except perhaps the 4800. I finally did locate a stop list for the 4800, and it is quite an impressive stop list. I can imagine it really has a great sound too. Thanks again, Nathan, for your great report about your 4602. I hope your enjoyment continues. I am suppose to acquire my 4602 within the next 3 weeks.

[Orgrinder010]

Yup, forgot the Tenor Trumpet 8'. You have a Good eye. I was actually plying around with voices today, the Salicional 8' on mine is very weak, wonder why? How many "ranks" of reeds were in these things anyway?

[james]

Hi Nathan, and all,

From my understanding and intense study of these organs, the Salicional is actually a softer version of the Trumpet 8'. The Dulciana on the Great Manual is the softer version of the Tenor Trumpet 8'. (I wonder if anyone has ever heard of a Tenor Trumpet before Wurlitzer adopted the name to use on these ES Organs?)

Nathan, I type in Ken Griffin, on Google Search and eventually you can find a complete web site by Bill Reid regarding this great organist or yesteryear as well as the instruments he played. There is a long article all about the model 4602, and I printed it. There are several pages of print there. He shows diagrams, etc. I think you might find exactly how many "ranks" of reeds are in these goodies by looking at his site and reading it carefully. I am very eager to acquire mine in order to sit down to it here in my living room and just enjoy.
I am not totally sure, but I think the Clarinet 8' would be the French Horn 8', the Nazard 22/3', and the Tierce 13/5' combination. You might check and see. It was that sound on a smaller model 44 that gave the Clarinet tone. Those small spinette organs were really nice too. The Oboe is the Orch. Flute 4', Piccolo 2', and the two fractional stops. I think you might note the Bassoon 16' is the lower octave of the Trumpet 8' They used the additive synthesis such as Hammond did with their drawbars.

From my understanding there are not too many "ranks" of reeds in these organs. Of coarse one is the Flute, and the Other is a type of "under the hood arrangement" to produce the string and reed stop tones. I read where the Diapason 8' is the Flute 8' & 4' combined.

I have two conflicting articles about these organs. Does your organ have a preset labeled Cathedral Organ? One printed article has that listing in lieu of the Chimes stop tab, and the picture shows a square shaped speaker in lieu of the round one I have in my other printed material which is actually an owner's manual for both the 4600 series, and 4602 series. I guess time will tell exactly what my 4602 has in store for me. Then, you and I can compare notes. LOL I have been told mine was totally rennovated a couple of years ago even the amp completely rebuilt by Mark Morelock at the Wurlitzer parts place in Rienzi, Mississippi.

Nathan, you and I have really come into contact with an organ of true tone above all else.

[Orgrinder010]

I bought a Schematic set from morelocks and while flipping through it, i noticed that there were three separate schematics for the 4602, the last one having Cathedral Organ as a stop beside the full ensemble. BUT with further inspection, i also noticed that it said "starting serial no. 247268". This must mean that after that number, all 4602's included cathedral organ and possibly a square speaker grille. I checked and my S/N is 245409, so i missed the conversion by a short time. Reading the schematic, i found that Cathedral organ was a combination of: Fifteenth 2', Flute 8', Flute 4', and common ground. The bourdon 16' on my lower manual stopped working, I will save that for a Later date to fix it. I have seen the Ken griffon site before, but only to skim through it, I will thoroughly read up on it later though. As far as i can tell, Mine is all original, perhaps even the tubes! I believe there are some 6L6 RCA "Blackplates" in there, and those are very valuable. These organs are VERY mechanical, and i need to give it a tune-up at some point. I think these competed with the Hammond C3.

[james]

Nathan, James here again, jas200455@yhaoo.com email me there if you want. I don't know if my organ will have the percussion tabs or not. I do find the info interesting about the three different schematics, and I kinda thought that might be possible as during a few years of producing the same model often there are a few minor changes made in some organs. All I know is that mine was completely gone over, and the pedals re-done. The service tech whom I am buying my 4602 from sent the Amp to Morelock's, and Mark completely rebuilt it including all new tubes.

The Cathedral Organ preset was common to the 4600 and 4601 Series, but they had no chimes tab. Their stop labels were more like the Spinette organs, and if not, I will later put a stop list of those organs here on the Organ Forum.

I was just thinking it might be a later version of the 4602 that had the Cathedral Organ preset as well as the square shaped speaker grille. Oh well, I will be totally happy with whatever mine is for sure.

[james]

Nathan, Which this is great info, I still am curious. I need to order a set of the schematics for my 4602. Now, the Owner's Manual I have shows the 4600 series, and the 4602. This shows the chimes stop tab, and has the round speaker grille, but no percussion tabs. Then the brochure I have with the Cathedral Organ stop, and square speaker show no percussion tabs. It is all a mystery as to what is the actual thing, and apparently seeing will be believing in print or in what each features our model 4602 organs do have. I have not asked too much about the features on my 4602. I was told that the organ had sustain in the pedals, and the tech had a switch installed to cancel sustain as the previous owner did not like sustain in the pedals. Yes, apparently, I do need a copy of the service manual. Yet you have the chimes stop tab, and the percussion tabs. Oh well.....what is just is.

[back52887]

>How many "ranks" of reeds were in these things anyway? <

Hi James & Nathan.

There is only one "rank" on these organs. Inside the tightly sealed case are about 7 octaves of brass reeds that sound constantly, with a pickup partway down the body of each for the flute voices. From the second octave up through about the fourth, there is also a pickup at the end of each reed for for the reed/string sound. The keys are in fact switches turning on the pickups. All these are modified by resistors to soften the volumn to make the trumpet into a salicional, etc. The combination for the oboe stop also included the tierce, I believe, perhaps you can determine that for yourselves.

The predecessor of these instruments, the Everett Orgatron and perhaps the later wurlitzer orgatron, had multiple sets of reeds that were activated by wind as each note was played (accordion-like); slow response, but a very natural attack. The tremelo was a paddle spinning above the speaker, like the hammond "x" series cabinets of the late 30s.

Thanx for sharing.

Lee

[back52887]

The chimes tab was a blank convenience if one wished to retrofit a set of tubular chimes to the organ after installation, not a preset.

Lee

[james]

Here is the promised stop list of these organs if anyone is interested.

Swell:

Bass 16'
Bassoon 16'
Trumpet 8'
French Horn 8'
Strings 8'
Clarinet 8'
Oboe Horn 8'
Orchestral Flute 4'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Piccolo 2'
Tone Coloring 13/5'
Full Ensemble


Great:

Bass Flute 16'
Tenor trumpet 8'
Horn 8'
Strings 8'
Accompaniment 8'
Flute 4'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Piccolo 2'
Tone Coloring 11/3'
Full Ensemble
Cathedral Organ

Pedal:

Double Bass 16'
Octave Bass 8'

Soft
Medium
Full



They had vibrato in 3 Stop Tabs for off/on, speed, and depth.

[james]

Lee, Do you have one of these model 4602 organs, or experiences playing them? I have been emailing a bit with a man in Michigan who has a model 20 Wurlitzer which he says gets a long workout each day, and operates as if new. It is a 1947 model, and he wouldn't take anything for it whatsoever.

James

[back52887]

james,
As I said above, I learned to play on a 4602 with two 45W leslies. My dad was a lounge organist, and as he went on as an organ salesman and then partner in a store, he traded his BV and 31H for it, about 1958 (see the Bio of him I put in on the artist thread"...not great but pretty good". He was originally a theatre organist and thought the 4602 + leslie was the more theatrical. As a consequence my initial experiences, I thought a salicional and a dulciana were identical soft strings, and was surprised when i first heard what a real diapason sounded like, but I also learned how to register a highly unified organ of any make.

About two years ago I bought an ES wurlitzer spinet w/25 leslie at auction for $20 which I gave to my granddaughters to learn on. I had a "spinette" model 44 with a 44W that I got from a thrift store about 15 years ago for $300. The amplifier gave out beyound my ability to repair and the blower pump transmission burned out (that's where I learned about not adding hammond oil), so I had been stripping it of parts for the other spinet, By the way, the specificaton you give above , except for the "cathedral organ" stop and the absence of 1' stop on the lower keybaord, certainly is like a 44 spinet.

We had a used Everet Orgatron in our store around 1967, which is where I learned about them. I don't have any wurlitzer right now.

Lee

[james]

Hi Lee, and everyone,

I visited with the lady at Morelock's today, and she told me that for a very modifications in the specs, the biggest change in the models 4602 during the years of production was the change in the type of amplifier used. She said to remind everyone that they do have parts as well as owner's manuals, service manuals, and other info you might need.

Lee, you might have read about my foolish situation on missing out on owning a Wurlitzer model 44 Spinette about 7 years ago. I never got over not going ahead and purchasing this organ. I find them the most fascinating spinet organs I ever saw, and the tone in all the Wurlitzer reed models is very nice especially useful for church. I have been a church organist off and on over 40+ years. I, too, learned how to "set up" and make all the use available from a unified organ, be it a pipe organ or an electronic organ .........yes, even dear old Hammond. I just wished John Q. Pulbic would want that sound these Wurlitzer organs made. They really do have an authentic organ sound.

Anyone else out there, do share any info about your Wurlizter reed models, or any Wurlitzer organs. I am a great Wurlitzer fan.

James

[james]

I am going to add the stop list for the Wurlitzer Spinette Organ below:

Model 44

Upper Manual:

Bass 16'
Bassoon 16'
Soft Flute 8'
French Horn 8'
Trumpet 8'
Orch. Flute 4'
Piccolo 2'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Tone Coloring 13/5'


Lower Manual:

Bass Flute 16'
Horn 8'
Accompaniment 8'
Tenor trumpet 8'
Flute 4'
Piccolo 2'
Fife 1'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Tone Coloring 11/3'



Vibrato - Speed and Depth Lever

Pedals - Volume Lever soft, medium , full

[Orgrinder010]

Seems like the console models are getting Rarer than Hens Teeth, I have never seen one other than the one I Have.

[james]

Here is a Stop List for the models 4410 & 4420.

Upper Manual:

Bass 16'
Bassoon 16'
French Horn 8'
Trumpet 8'
Tone Cloring 51/3'
Orchestral Flute 4'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Piccolo 2'
Tone Coloring 13/5'


Lower Manual:

Horn 8'
Tenor trumpet 8'
Soft Flute 8'
String 8'
Flute 4'
String 4'
Tone Coloring 22/3'
Piccolo 2'
Tone Coloring 11/3'

Vibrato - Lever controls for Depth and Speed

Pedals - Lever control for soft, medium and Loud

On the Model 4420 everything is the same except Pedals have Two Level controls one is for the Pitch either 16' or 8'

Also Model 4420 has Standard Percussion controls of Attack, and Sustain I and Sustain II

[james]

Yes, All of these organs are not easily found, but I have been told many people realized what they had and have hung on to them. Hammond was far more popular with John Q. Public, and they out sold all other brands put together at one time. That is why you can always find a Hammond of most any model you want. Wurlitzer organs are not that easily found, and those of us who manage to have one in working condition really need to hold on to them. I sure intend to do so with mine.

[Orgrinder010]

For those who are interested.....


Heres a Nice 1956 4602 for sale. Note the Square Speaker Grille.

http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/class/000584864100/_fs__merchandise-1116273485-196071_0.jpg?cf_L5gyCj__fQCRg


The Picture was too large to keep here, I had to stretch my window to the limit to read what was written. I am sure others had the same problem.
The link still remains though, and you can see it from there.

[back52887]

Yep, that's the familiar old beast alright. The first Lowerys that Chicago Musical Instruments produced (Storey & Clarke) had square grills, which made them look more modern than hammonds, wurlitzers, and consonattas. Then Baldwin started putting grill cloth all across the front, and everybody else saw the advantage both in looks and in cost savings. we see here a transitional phase that I didn't know existed. Thanx.

How is your wurlitzer doing? I haven't heard anything lately

Lee.

[Orgrinder010]

My wurlitzer is doing great, although my low F pedal contact sticks. After all the hustle and bustle of the 4th Im going to dig in there and fix it.

[back52887]

How about your amp and speakers? did you every try to wire it into your stereo, or at least run it into something more worthy? If you try to input in into your leslie, you will probably want to put an 8ohm resistor on one leg, but the results will be worth it.

Lee

[Orgrinder010]

Oh yes, I put it through a few things I had lying around. Namely, a HH Scott tube amp, and some newer Yamaha home theatre equipment. It sounded so different that I thought someone switched me organs, haha. As for my leslie, well, I would probably end up playing the wrong style music for this organ.

[Orgrinder010]

For those who like these ES Wurlitzers, you'll love this.

EBAY AUCTION (http://cgi.ebay.com/Wurlitzer-Model-4800-Concert-or-Church-Organ-Complete_W0QQitemZ7356662457QQcategoryZ64430QQrdZ1 QQcmdZViewItem)

[chaf]

Having been searching for a while for a more traditional type organ in Australia I came across a Wurlitzer 4602 for sale at $200 over the weekend, I had a look at the beauty and I have to say that I was more than impressed with the sound, even though a look at the works from behind was a bit scary so was trying to lift it. But when switched on a loud scratching noise comes out of the speaker, I dont think the mice have got in their yet, but even though I havent comitted myself to purchasing the organ yet any ideas would be greatly appreciated on what the noise maybe and also the availability of spares. Charles Perth Western Australia.

[Orgrinder010]

Most likely Its either

A) A bad tube (valve), This causes quite a bit of excess noise. I Believe that It would be a 6L6.

B) Bad Tube Connection. Sometimes just a wiggle gets the organ back on its feet, other times you may need to purchase inexpensive contact cleaner.

C) Dirty potentiometer in the Expression pedal.

D) One of the many Black color-striped capacitors has burnt up or leaked open.


All the above is pretty inexpensive and can be fixed by yourself with simple knowledge of electronics.

[chaf]

Thanks for your advice on the excess noise from the 4602, I have made a decision to purchase the 4602 which didnt take me long to decide after listening to its wonderful tones and hopefully will pick it up over the weekend, if I can round up some strong Aussies to give me a lift, a carton of beer shoud be enough to tempt them. I am looking forward to learning about its workings and hopefuly gradually do some restoration. Charles