Nope, all wood, no naugies involved! Like I say, it doesn't look like a factory case - and only Wurly would delve into the world of naugies! Terry Farrell On Mar 22, 2010, at 8:42 PM, John Ross wrote: > How about it is a skinned 'Nauga'? > John Ross > Windsor, Nova Scotia > On 22-Mar-10, at 9:31 PM, Terry Farrell wrote: > >> I did some tuning, etc. on a 1959 (from serial number) Wurlitzer >> console today. First thing I noticed about it was the amateur back >> porch refinishing job on the case - I mean the brushed on quality >> type (and not using brushable clear finish!) - the finish was not >> old-looking - looked like it might be 20 or so years old - sure >> didn't look like a 51 year old finish. No big deal with that, of >> course. Open the lid - or try to - oh, okay, I finally got it - the >> lid was constructed a little bit unusual (strip of wood on the >> front bottom edge - like the music desk piece wasn't tall enough). >> Well, okay, Wurlies can be weird. Remove music desk and bottom >> board. Looks really strange inside - ah, there is no finish on any >> of the interior wood - zilch, nada. Lookin' at the "refinishing >> job" and it clearly appears that this is the original finish. There >> is absolutely no trace of original factory-type finish. And parts/ >> surfaces/edges that always get factory-finished on all pianos have >> no finish at all. And there is absolutely zero trace of any >> stripping activity. And believe me, who ever did this amateur case >> finishing had no knowledge of how to remove a finish and leave no >> trace. >> >> The case construction - the way the music desk is screwed in, the >> pedal box for the three foot pedals, the bottom board, the matching >> bench - everything is 1920s style - clearly not 1959. By 1920s >> style, I mean big wooden blocks used to hold things together. The >> bench legs have like no hardware - the bench sides a solid 2x2" >> hardwood, with a huge hardwood triangle in each corner with big >> screws holding things together - again, like you'd see on an old >> upright, not a 1959 Wurly console. Heck, I didn't remove the bench >> legs, but they probably had wooden threads! (Just kidding....) >> >> The top lid is about a half-inch short of the length of the case - >> so on each end of the top, you can see the top edge of the case >> sides - the edge of the outer oak veneer and the inner hardwood >> core. There is no Wurlitzer decal on the fallboard (although the >> fallboard did have the typical Wurly slide mechanism!). The sides >> of the keybed - usually they are sculpted in some way on the front >> top corner - these are almost squared off (looks real strange - >> like the ends of a square grand keyboard). >> >> IMHO, there is no way (zero chance) the finish on this case was >> applied in any factory in Decalb or any other Wurlitzer factory. >> And I'm 98% sure that the case was not built in any Wurlitzer >> factory. The only thing I can think of is that someone, maybe in >> the 1980s or 70s, got hold of an unused 1959 Wurly console strung >> back/board/plate assembly - and maybe a keybed - oh, and the >> fallboard mechanism that had been sitting around in some closet or >> lonely corner under a pile of whatever or up in the factory attic - >> somehow the assembly was built, but then it somehow fell off or was >> yanked from the normal production line (maybe an employee got >> drunk, swiped it off the line, hid it good somewhere in the >> factory, and then forgot the next day!). Anyway, someone - maybe an >> employee at the factory somehow got hold of this strung back >> assembly and finished it off 20 or 30 0r 40 years ago in his garage >> (or back porch). >> >> That's all I can come up with. Anyone else have a theory? I will be >> returning to the piano in a few days - maybe late this week - >> anyone find this mystery interesting enough to want to see >> pictures???? >> >> Upon initial inspection of this thing I'm sure I stared at this >> beast for at least ten minutes uttering quiet little WTFs to >> myself........ >> >> Terry Farrell >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC