Keyed reed organs
Keyed reed organs were manufactured in the 1940s and early 1950s. When you press a key, air hits the reed and makes it vibrate. The vibrations are turned into an electrical signal via the electrostatic pickup.
Wurlitzer’s keyed reed organs were generally superseded by their free reed organs, which began manufacture in the early 1950s.
Models of keyed reed organs (and their initial year of manufacture) include:
5, 20, 21, 25, 25G (1945)
30, 31 (1946)
45, 46, 50 (1947)
202525GTechnical drawings for the Wurlitzer 20, 25, and 25G
The 20, 21, 25, and 25G keyed reed organs were released in 1945, and represent the first generation of Wurlitzer organs. Drawings for these organs that we have scanned so far include:
10512 (Indicator lamp for the Wurlitzer 25 and 25G)
13751 (Bulk felt for the Wurlitzer 20)
303144Technical drawings for the Wurlitzer 30 and 31
The Wurlitzer 30 and 31 were released in 1946. Some of the drawings below depict parts that were also used for the later model 44, a free reed organ.
16859 (Cover, switch, stop tablet, for Wurlitzer models 30 and 31)
16925 (Felt strip for models 30, 31, and 44)
50Technical drawings for the Wurlitzer 50
The Wurlitzer 50 is among the final models of Wurlitzer keyed reed organ. It was released in 1947.
15618 (6 prong plug for the Wurlitzer 50)
