The Wurly traces its ancestry to the Storytone, an upright piano in which inventor Benjamin Miessner replaced the soundboard with electrostatic pickups and an amplified speaker system. A masterpiece of engineering and Art Deco design, it wowed crowds at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. In the 1950s, Miessner worked on what would become the Wurlitzer.

The goal was to create a piano that was easier to move and that stayed in tune when you moved it. Miessner hit upon the solution of using flat metal reeds instead of strings. The smaller the reed, the higher the pitch, and they were much more pitch-stable than strings. To preserve the feel and dynamic range that would make pianists feel at home, the Wurlitzer used an action very close to a grand piano in terms of its components and geometry.

The first production model was the 100 in 1954. This was succeeded by a number of 100-series models including the 112 (played by Ray Charles on “What’d I Say”), the 120 (first with tremolo), and 140 (first with a solid-state amplifier). The model 200/200A however, with its lightweight plastic housing, became the applauded edition - lasting from 1968 all the way to 1984.

The Wurlitzer is often considered the “other” electric piano next to a make that used tines instead of reeds. But the more clarinet-like harmonics and compactness edge of the Wurlitzer has earned it plenty of loyal fans, which in addition to those mentioned, include Pink Floyd, The Small Faces, Three Dog Night, Josef Zawinul, Norah Jones, Alan Parsons, and of course Stevie Wonder. Wurli V will inspire you like the hardware inspired them.