How’d you do with the Rhodes vs. Wurli guessing game?! 🎹 Dig deeper into these songs - find lessons on most of them over at www.hdpiano.com Learn “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZsyHgJWVqdTVoJs.html

i always felt like the wurli is an electric Piano while the rhodes is an Electric piano

To my guitarist ears, the Wurli sound always has a bit of crunchy breakup when played a bit harder, like an overdriven guitar. The Rhodes is cleaner and has more headroom, with a bit of bell-like chime mixed in.

Yea man that Rhodes is so clear and bell like. It’s sounds shiny. The Wurlitzer sounds warm, but when played harder sounds crunchier. I think that crunchiness is what makes it identifiable.

Perfect video for the people who started to listen Electric piano and don’t catch the sound differences.

The beautiful hammond on the background 👏🏻

This was incredible and will rewatch several times, I am sure. You answered so many questions I've had for years, specifically about the terminology and distinctions. Point for point, so helpful and entertaining. Thanks!

You literally played a bunch of my favorites from across genres, i owe you a sub sir!

To me, the Rhodes can be chimey and glassy, but it you use the right effects and amping, it can be a little gritty and funky, but I think it naturally is more bell-like, The Wurly is naturally more punchy, bluesy and as you said, gritty. I could get my Rhodes to sound like my Wurly with a limiting overdrive effect I have in a multi effects box, but I could never get the Wurly to sound like a Rhodes.

OMG, this is by far the best video comparing Rhodes with Wurlitzer! Thank you!

"Glassy" and "gritty" are perfect. I learned to tell the difference between the two using VSTs mimicking them.

Great video Dev, As a 79 yr. old keyboard player, I delighted in your comparison of the 2 great sounds. Over the past 60 years, I've owned 3 Wurlys, including the old speckled, yellow/brownish, pressed wood, first commercial model. I have only had 1 Rhodes 73, unless you count the Rhodes, keyboard bass. I remember that before I had the Rhodes, I already had been through 2 Wurlys, but had always dreamed of owning the Rhodes. I retrospect, I wish I had kept the wurlys; I just never got used to the keys on the Rhodes, although I used it for years placing it on top of my Hammond C-2 in several of the bands I was in over the decades. I remember how much the band hated moving from venue to venue. Thank god I had a van! I was able to replace several of the reeds from time to time, which was quite easy, filing down the solder to get them tuned up. Those days have sadly passed (not the moving part) and now I've slimmed down to a Nord Electro 3, which does a fairly ok job with the 2 'boards, but I really do miss my old 200. Thanks for the memories,

I preferred the Rhodes before listening to Supertramp, now I just adore the Wurli sound above everything else.

What an amazing selection of songs to show us the differences between these two. A lot of childhood memories in this video. Thank you sir!

That was fun! Great job on this!

That was a lot of fun, thanks!

the fender rhodes is easily the most iconic sound of any instrument imho. honestly not hard to tell the difference if u know what you're listening to.

You play all the parts very accurately. Cool to see a young cat who takes the time to figure out the parts on these old tunes. BTW, the really hard comparison is between Wurlis and Hohners which were very similar and the little wooden case model often appears on Beatles, Zombies and Fleetwood Mac tunes…possibly These Eyes was a Hohner but who knows?

the way you compared them is excellent! really well done

I have always said , the easiest way to tell them apart is the Wurli has a more "hollow", almost "square wave-like" sound to it, whereas the Rhodes is more "bell-like" and ringing. You can especially hear this in a more pronounced way on both pianos when they have a chorus effect on them.

Excellent video! I learned a lot. Thank you 😊

This is such an awesome video! I've been trying to find a good way to explain the difference, and you absolutely nailed it!

Oh wow, it's easier to tell the difference than I thought. I love the Rhodes sound, it's so welcoming and warm, and bright, it's like a soft hug.

Very illuminating!

Well explained and very well played - I still can’t consistently tell the difference!

Awesome video!!!!! Thank you!

Very good and informative !

Wonderful !!! I learned a lot!!!!

this video is excellent. thank you!

Cool video! I learned a lot, thank you

what a wonderful picture seeing Wurli and Rhodes back to back ;-)

I really enjoyed this video. I can usually tell the difference but never why they are different. Happy I came across this video

Hearing Wait For The Moment on a Wurli made my day, that's literally one of my favourite songs of all time.

perfect video, great job

Amazing video, Bro! great work

While I've never taken the time to listen to the differences before, watching this its obvious to tell them apart on some songs, but other songs its not, particularly those played in lower registers.

Thanks for the awesome video! I think they become less distinguishable in the bass, and dare I say indistinguishable in the lower and mid registers if you process the signals in certain ways.

Pretty easy. For me I MUCH prefer the Rhodes, though I love keyboards like the SV2 that allow you to have a rhodes sound while dialing in dynamic based grit that rears it's beautiful head when you use a harder attack. Best of both worlds

Great video!

88% for me. I really appreciated this video so much. Thank you.

Ima be honest I have never heard of a Wurli and I could definitely tell the difference between their sounds it’s like day and night.

Very well explained and very well performed! Great job! You play it all so close that @ 5:04 it reminds me of Maurice Gibb's smile. BTW I prefer the Rhodes. For me, there's nothing like a Rhodes with some reverb and chorus. I'm 57 y.o. and I've never played a Rhodes or a Whurly (but I have a Reface CP and a MODX and I imagine I'm doing that).

I have a '69 Wurlitzer 200, and before that I had a '74 200a. They sound quite a lot different - the reeds on the 200 are thinner and sound growlier. On the 200 the felt on the lower half of the hammer tips is different and the upper half has leather - also contributing to the raunch. The electronics are very different and the vibrato circuit on the 200 just sounds nicer to me. The Alnico speakers on the 200 make a difference as well - I usually mic those up to record it. Overall I much preferred the 200, so I kept that and sold the 200a as I just did not have the space - I also have an '80's Rhodes and a not very big recording room, so something had to go.

Well done! The fact of the tines vs the reeds did it for me! THEN my guesses were right!

Thank you for the history lesson.

Love your rendition of "How deep is your love." Closest to the original I've heard so far..

Thanks, I got a lot out of that video. It's much easier to tell the difference higher up on the keyboard (the Rhodes tines really resonate there).

Your explanation during the mechanics section was extremely helpful. Both instruments had been out of production for a considerable length of time. The whole issue of copyright is a factor with DX-7 emulations as well. As an example the DX-7 emulation on my Casio WK-200 is called FM and one of the Rhodes emulations is called Dyno EP. I have seen tines and reed used in virtual synths as well. The name certainly is copyrighted but the sound associated with it has long since then been in the public domain. The trademark owners are well aware of these issues. Now whenever I buy another portable arranger or a workstation, I know what to look for

7:16 It's not a copyright issue, It's a TRADEMARK issue -- a very different animal. Other than that, a wonderful, fun and informative video!

Dreamy vs. Bangy. Beautiful creations, the both of them.

Great vid!

I thought I knew, I've been exposed to both of them. But when you add effects they sound like each other. I guessed 50% wrong, thanks for opening my ears.

I got them all right. 👍🏼 However, one popular tune with a distinct EP sound that I’ve always had trouble discerning which one is it, is Santana’s Black Magic Woman.

Thumb up for the song! And actually I can hear the difference in the sound more confidently - thanks!!

grreat job

I might be ignorant saying this but it kinda feels like if you add some drive to the Rhodes they'll be harder to differentiate

On Roland digital pianos, they're called "1976 Suitcase" and Wurly 200" which is probably the closest they could get without infringement.

thank you !!

Interesting and informative, what more do you want from a vid? I now know which one I'm listening to.

nice video!! can u teach us about effects used for wurli and rhodes? thanks

I can easily tell the difference. I have a Wurlitzer Electronic Piano. The Rhodes sounds similar but not the same. I love hearing a new song come out and finding it has the Wurlitzer in it. Nora Jones does a lot with that keyboard. Pink Floyd used it. The Beach Boys. Dancing in the Moonlight is a great example of what the Wurlitzer sounds like, or Sheep from Pink Floyd.

As a kid during the 70s I first heard Rhodes through the Charlie Brown animated specials and Taxi theme. Late 70s I heard Goodbye stranger and Logical Sog from Supertramp. I love the sounds of both these two keyboards. To my ears, the Wurli sounds a tad fuller & brighter, whereas the Rhodes has a tighter shorter attack. Of course both have their own vibrato & choreus effects. Love exploring the famous songs that use both pianos

I had swirling in the late 70s. It was tan, wooden, and had a flat top. Crunchy!

Before this vidéo i've didnt hear anything about the Wurli. Now i Can Say, "Nice job on the Wurli" instead of the Rhodes. Thanks you for this vidéo. Very clear and cool and instructive 👍🏽😁

Great video - love both keys, but Supertramp sounds breathtaking on the Wurli!

nice video!

Thanks Devin! Got the first comparison wrong!!! Dang it! I thought I would do well, NOT. Lol but love both of them. Is there a portable affordable keyboard out there that mimic both fairly well? thank you. Cheers from Motown!

The Wurli sounds naturally more compressed and the Rhodes more expressive. Both sound amazing and without effects they are very unique, I use the "Reed" most of the time

I love both

I love the versatality of the Rhodes, you can easyliy add some grit by adding saturation with the amp or any guitar effect. The sweet-spot where dynamic playing leads to break-up is pure gold.

I only guessed wrong once (a song I didn't know). The bell-like, pure tone of the Rhodes is my favorite.

yeah ! I haven't touched either for maybe 40 years - but I still remember preferring the Wurli - notice the Hammond off to the side there - so covering all the bases - good video thanks. I got most of them right.

I got every one right, but then I've been working with both for over 40 years. :) I describe them as "tinkle" versus "boing." The Rhodes has a very distinctive bell-like quality, particularly in the upper registers, whereas the Wurli is rather more muted, but has that distinctive bottom-end growly springy sound notably heard on a lot of Supertramp. They both have their roles, but personally I would call a Wurlitzer 200a every time.

amazing. thank you =) that was funny

Well done, thanks! I've wondered about this. I think the samples also confirm to me that Wurlitzer has something about its timbre that, if it had to be described as abstractly as synth sounds are, it could be described as 'plastic'. A plastic electric piano, while Rhodes falls more under 'bells/mallets' as a sub tag to describe the timbre or what you recognise in the tone.

2:48....Richard Tee of course, with MB on sax....epic!

I hope ur not to disappointed if people get it mixed up. Honestly knowing one or the other gets you respect.

it probably really depends on the settings but it sounds like the rhodes has a more softer/hollow sound while the whirly feels slightly more overdriven

To me, the Rhodes sounds more like a set of bells or, with some trem, a vibraphone. The Wurli, meanwhile, sounds simply like a piano run through an amp. However folks separate them in their minds, this was a great video.

Both classics in their own right!

Wurli =Tangy, Woody. Rhodes= Bell like. With effects either can mess with your mind and confuse you. Both give beautiful sounds.

Not to mention the Hohner Pianet. Whole nother kettle of fish. ;-)

To me, the Rhodes sounds closer to a vibraphone and the Wurli sounds closer to an organ.

You're right. In a way surprisingly. I am a Fender Rhodes sound addict. And although you gave us very good examples, I failed. Minimum 3 times on the Rhodes, same with the Wurli. Thanks!

Great video, also wanted to let you know that you were great as Hodgins on Bones.

Great video. Both are keyboard legends 🎹

Thanks for the demonstration. One question: what are we hearing here? The sound of the Wurly is from the internal speakers? What about the Rhodes? I can see a speaker cabinet below it... could you please shed some light on the actual sound capture for the video? Thank you very much!

I've been trying to figure out how to translate a piano score for a musical I'm playing (that asks for both these instruments) to be played on my humble little Yamaha keyboard that only has like 14 pre-built patches (3 for e. piano sounds). This video was very helpful. As soon as you explained it as tines vs. reeds I was able to easily hear the difference. I've still got a lot to learn on piano compared to my primary instrument but this is definitely gonna help me get the sounds I need. Now I just need to figure out what the score wants when it says "RMI". I think it's shorthand for Rocky Mountain Instruments but who knows? lol

This is most definitely an awesome video comparing renowned classic vintage electric pianos. In today’s practicality, most musicians use portable keyboards to replicate the sound of the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer Wurli Bird. In your professional estimation, what are the top three keyboards (make and model) and keyboard amps (make and model) that come closest to replicating the original sound of the Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer Wurli Bird? Thank you in advance for your response.

Thanks for this…. the guy that 1st got me paying attention to the Wurli sound was Ian McGlagan in the Small Faces.

One way I’ve always been able tell the difference is that the Rhodes is more bell-like. More like an electric celesta than an electric piano. The Wurli definitely has more bark and crunch to it.

Does anyone know where to get great Rhodes or Wurli VSTs?? Weird spot to ask but it’s worth a shot

With the Hammond in the background, you have the Holy Trinity right there.

Just recently I kinda got the idea of how to tell them apart but was still lost in how to define them in words 😂 tnx for the vid

I don’t generally have any trouble telling them apart, Rhodes: bell-like, Wurlitzer: barky, growly. But I play a Hohner Pianet T (Not the more well-known “N”), and THAT can really confound people, haha.

There's a thunderstorm outside right now and eerily just when you started playing Riders on the Storm (07:35) there was thunder joining in.. Roland sometimes call them 1976SuitCase and Wurly 200.

When I was young I found that sometimes I like the sound of EP more than other times. Eventually I worked out that I like Wurlis and don't particularly care for Rhodes. I got every example right in the test.

Okay, so I took your advice and listened to the Paul Simon song, and I really like it. But my issue is-WHAT LIVE VERSION? The Central Park show just didn’t hit the same to me, is it something else?

Nice video, I'm a Wurli guy !

Thanks for making this.. I never knew there was such a difference, and have always generically called both sounds "rhodes".. I could tell the difference though, especially in the higher tones..