Wurlitzer by Rhodes
The Wurlitzer family, aka Wurlitzer Licensing UG, has announced that the Wurlitzer 250D project has been “paused”.
Following the successful 2021 launch of the Rhodes MK8, it had been mooted that a modern successor to the legendary Wurlitzer 200A—dubbed the 250D—might finally debut this year. In 2024, Wurlitzer partnered with Italian manufacturer Dexibell to scope the project, but Wurlitzer felt that the proposed instrument wasn’t quite what they wanted.
“Reintroducing a new Wurlitzer instrument is something we take seriously. Rather than releasing something that does not fully meet our standards – musically, mechanically, and creatively – we have chosen to pause and reassess the right path forward. After considerable effort and evaluation, the 250D project will therefore not be moving forward in its original form.
“At the same time, our broader mission remains unchanged: to preserve and evolve the Wurlitzer sound for today’s musicians.”
Press release: Wurlitzer Licensing UG
However, in line with the second paragraph of the above press release, Wurlitzer has collaborated with Rhodes Music Ltd to produce a new virtual instrument that captures the character and feel of the legendary original Model 200A electric piano.
Wurlitzer by Rhodes (originally Rhodes Wurli) is the first officially Wurlitzer endorsed virtual manifestation of the legendary Wurlitzer 200A reed piano. The introductory price (available at the time of writing) is $64.95 (£44.95, €49.95). More details can be found on the Rhodes website*.
Tentij ORB MK1
But for those looking for some physical reed-based electric piano action, there is something on the horizon. The new Tentij ORB MK1 is a fully analogue two-octave bass piano that captures the distinctive character of the lower octaves of a vintage Wurlitzer piano.
This new electric piano is made by Netherlands-based Tentij Instruments, named after its 22-year-old founder Floris Tentij. Its design is simple yet stylish. The casework is pressed steel with smart wooden end cheeks.
The ORB (Optical Reed Bass) uses carbon fibre reeds as the vibrating medium, and optical sensors as pick-ups. But what’s interesting is that the tuning and voicing of the instrument—exceedingly difficult tasks with all other Wurlitzer electric pianos—has been made extremely user friendly.
These adjustments are managed via 25 slots, one for each note, on the underside of the unit. The slots provide access to a slider for pitch correction and an adjustment screw to reposition the reed, effectively altering the instrument’s timbre. The action can also be easily adjusted from within the piano.
The ORB has a single mono jack output and tone and volume rotary controls on the front of the instrument. Power is supplied through a USB-C port.
The Tentij ORB MK1 is extremely compact (375x230x95mms) and weighs just 3kg. A 64-note version is being planned. It sells for €1,499 (approx. $1,725+delivery), and ships within 2 weeks. More information can be found on the Tentij website.
Rhodes Pianology
And more from Rhodes. The company has just released Rhodes Pianology a new plug-in that features three iconic pianos: a classic American concert grand, a Japanese acoustic upright, and a distinctive Japanese electric grand. Trademark law would seem to prevent Rhodes from directly identifying what these actual instruments are, but you can probably make an educated guess and be right! The user manual gives much of the game away with the terms Model D, U-Series, and an unmistakable image based on the most famous of electric grands. But no manufacturers names.
The Rhodes Pianology plug-in is sample based. It takes up around 14GB of memory, and is available in VST, AU, and AAX formats. The software is designed to be fast, simple and intuitive with a one-knob-per-function user interface. Much of the sound shaping modelling is derived from the Rhodes MK8, V8 Pro and Rhodes Anthology plug-ins.
Rhodes offer a 14-day free trial of Pianology, which currently sells at the introductory price of $104.95 (£99.95, €109.95). Again, more information can be found on the Rhodes website*.
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