5th acoustic from a 1960 Wurlitzer piano

[Tim Braun]

I’ve been away from this forum for a while. My fifth acoustic took me five years to finish. After a shot pin block and cracks in the soundboard, my mom’s 1960 Wurlitzer piano was not even worth giving away. In 2014, I flew back to Chicago to help my mom move and took apart the piano to salvage what I could of the soundboard. I worked around the cracks and boxed up soundboard and bracing pieces to ship back to myself.

To make a long story short, I went back to school while working full time, changed jobs, moved from Utah back to Arizona, sold my wood shop, and moved in with a friend. I worked that new job and worked on finishing the guitar. I finished the guitar two days before taking another new job and moved back to Utah.

The piano serial number is inlaid in the top. The fretboard has piano key inlays which are pre-ban ivory from old piano keys and black water buffalo horn.

[Bob Gramann]

Very nice! I wish I had thought to do that with my Mom’s 1960 Wurlitzer—the one we learned on as children. It served its purpose, but it ended up a sad and unplayable piano.

[Tim Braun]

Very nice! I wish I had thought to do that with my Mom’s 1960 Wurlitzer—the one we learned on as children. It served its purpose, but it ended up a sad and unplayable piano.

Thanks Bob. When my mom said the piano had to go away, I told her “don’t do anything until I get there!” When I arrived in town, I drove to the closest Woodcraft and bought a Japanese hand saw.

I grew up listening to my mom practice her choir on that piano. I, regrettably, never learned how to play piano, but the fact that I could resurrect it as a guitar and continue its musical journey gave me and my family great joy!

[Carl Dickinson]

I've been slowly dismantling the piano I was forced to practice on from the ages of 5 to 12. Vengeance! Most wood parts have gone into jigs and such. It still plays but sounds more honkytonk than concert hall now. Eyeing some of the veneer for laminated back and sides and of course the soundboard. It originally was a player piano from the '30s that my parents had rebuilt in the '40s.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Lovely guitar,
The piano key fret markers are a nice touch. The spruce looks much nicer than the stuff I see on most old piano soundboards.

[Tim Braun]

Lovely guitar,
The piano key fret markers are a nice touch. The spruce looks much nicer than the stuff I see on most old piano soundboards.

Thanks Clay. The sharp keys don’t stand out against the ebony. I came up with the idea after the neck was done. I was originally going to do gold MOP. The spruce soundboard had several cracks but was in, otherwise, good condition.

[Matthew Lau]

That's pretty spanking cool

[Ryan Mazzocco]

Man that looks great. very good use of an old family piano. How is the sound?

[Tim Braun]

Man that looks great. very good use of an old family piano. How is the sound?

Thanks Ryan. Sorry for the late reply. It sounds fantastic. I admit, I don’t play much so I can’t put it through its paces like a skilled player. My best friend who has my #2, says it’s my best one yet. I trust him