Wurlitzer SideMan - 1950s Tube Drum Machine

[muzikman2008]

Wow! so mechanical! i never knew these existed till now...thanks for sharing :o)

[MrWestonColleon]

This is dope .. How much is this worth ??

[geroin31337]

you can make some deadly minimal music with this machine

[Prublixa]

i prefar tape based when you getting this early - cr78 was 1st worth while e - machine

[DesecratedProduction]

That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[madincraft]

Good Gawd man! $50? Where? How? Wha!?

[paulj0557]

5/15/11 was one w/ a Wurli 4700 in Bowling Green Ohio for a hundred bucks total for both!( another rare incredible sounding organ, as are the 4500, 4520, 4502- same as prev., but no key percussion). Also the 4300 is same, but in spinet form. Ironically it had same exact functions as the 4500/4520.

[411Soulman1]

Didn't Stone Flower Records use one of these in Little Sister's 1970 recording "Somebody's Watching You"?

[ENZEEVIDS]

that is f**king cool as!!

[vulturedot3x3]

Haha thats badass

it's like a steampunk drum machine!!

[AZWozzeck]

I want one. :(

[theredreceivers]

Just imagine if this sound had become popular in the 50's. We would have had primitive techo 20 years before its time.

[kedavis]

WOW!!!!

[taigkyo]

I see YouTube's "like" and "dislike" buttons... but where's the "love" button?

[PopsGribs]

That device really is a very interesting piece of electronic music history. I see this video was posted a few years ago. If the OP is still around, is the device still functioning? The device might not have been manufactured originally for recording, but it certainly creates appealing analog drum sounds that could easily be recorded/sampled.

[buddyeagle]

thank you Professor Beat Box, cool stuff bro! awesome Rhythm Machine.

[bbyrd009b]

what a hoot.

[jancivil]

$50?! that's a win on top of win

[ModernSaxDotCom]

wow, never seen this before........would be interested in know who was recording with this back then

[TheFreshPeddler]

@ModernSaxDotCom - dont think it was really meant for recording but more for someone to play guitar ect over.

[BilisNegra]

@TheFreshPeddler Beggar-style, that is :-P

[TheRattlerProduction]

nice

[amourdutigre]

Did you have to recap that?

That is an amazing machine...

ADT

[Meteotrance]

my gosh it's electromechanical drum machine just awesome ^^ !!!

[DackIsBack]

It sounds bloody AMAZING!! So WARM =O

Can't imagine what I sounds like on a more analogue format...

My subwoofer loves it!

[multitalent737]

This thing is reallly fn cool. It could be a very useful prodction tool....

[samplesmasher]

Awesome!

[adebicki]

unreal!

[RVProductions]

I think it's weird that there's a "Bolero" setting.

[theHackerOfMayhem]

a-w-e-s-o-m-e!!!!

[Fpockets]

if more people knew about this back in the day...techno would have started in the 50's? lol

[FlametopFred]

this is wonderful - - the unit could star in it's own Sci-Fi movie. I am stunned by the sounds. And the technology. Mostly mechanical. Ahead of it's time.

[seifukusha]

wow, the 1950s really? soooo cool

[yondermanly]

I love my sidemann. He plays for room and board. Never complains about the hours and doesn't try to steal your girlfriend.

[adebicki]

brilliant!!

[BoogieWoogieDuffBeer]

HAHAHA!!!!! That thing is awesome!!!

[raymondleeleggs]

Thats a massive sounding analogue bass drum, that's what I am talking about.

[LHZZ12MM]

I remember being a kid playing with an organ (Kimball or Wurlitzer) and got it to play these rhythms...I wasn't really interrested in playing a song...just the beats. I always wondered how they did it.

I would agree...first drum machine.

[26highstreet]

be careful playing with your organ!!!!!

[VJFranzK]

Also, consider the story of Kraftwerks' first drum machine! (See monologue by Wolfgang? in Modulations, or some similar film.)

[Coastincolt]

Sound @ the beginning sounds a little like the old Salt N Pepa hit " Push It', just slightly slower. Cool little machine. Many of the old analog music makers were very clever; case in point the Hammond tone wheel. What a brilliant idea, & still very unique sounding!

[lcooke]

I'm having a hard time figuring out which components make which noises. Does the spinning arm on the front shift provide the beats and the wheel on the back does the various shuffle-like sounds like the cymbals?

[koldkuts2]

its sounds like a choo choo remix

[weylin6]

How did it electrically generate sounds like the symbols that have a random -hiss- to it? You say it was generated, not prerecorded, right?

Is there a schematic of this device anywhere?

[itswagon]

The rotor/motor almost appears like the one you'd find in an old electro-mechanical pinball machine. It looks identical.

[woodsbike]

That's *really* cool! Thanks for posting. What does it smell like? If it's anything like my old Hammond BCV, it's a combination of antique furniture and an old Indian motorcycle. Or, as a friend put it, "old electronics and cat turds"...

[Gonjasufi]

is this the instument used in Peking O by Can? and also on some parts of Dark Magus by miles davis?

[ORUPRANKSTAZ]

The co-founder of Korg was dissatisfied with this machine, so he created his own and got the guy who owned the night club he played in to finance his ideas. Together, they founded the new company which would initially be called "Keio Electric Laboratories," but was later changed to Korg once the company began producing organs (Keio Organ, KORGAN, KORG). Each letter of the company's name is also the first initial of each founder. :) Fun little history. Wurli started it by accident. :)

[VJFranzK]

Great video, great extra info here. I think I read It was nearby the "Keio railway line"

AHA! So this was the machine that inspired them?

So this, in a way, is an electro / mechanical KORG Electribe ER-1? ;-)

With it's drum patterns hard wired as dots of metal,

brushed by the rotary arm sensors?

[sswiderski]

Now thats what I call "Old School"

[Keijz74]

It even sounds a bit like Blondie's Heart Of Glass drum machine.

[figamarsa]

Nice machine

[Greensmurf]

Thanks for posting this

[09fod]

wot a butie full meachean !

ps i love valvs....

[bukuroprince]

Is this older than Doncamatic for sure? I've thought that was the oldest for a long time. It's an interesting footage. Thanks for upload

[spectralmusic]

Interesting that it triggers some fixed rhythm 'clusters' and not only seperate beats. If there are a finite selection of sounds and rhythms, you could sell a sample pack of this. If there is a direct output, even better.

[bartonbuster]

The first Wurli Sideman I "Played" was at Thomas Music Store in Newport News Va. I was a young teenager and was fascinated no end !! (circa 1957)

[minihats]

that bolero rhythm sounded totally metal

[ednolbed]

ow! it hurts how beautiful this is...

[crinanthebrave]

It's like an electronic music box.

[kaloriblossom]

That's a beautiful piece of technology and history.

[dubhippy]

wow. i thought rhythm aces were 1st. it actually has a really nice fat sound. thanx for sharing

[tfrost1988]

Its huge.

[lordmjh]

How did we get to the technology we have now?"Did we get it with some help".

[Keijz74]

With all respect, it looks like an electric music box. Nice machine.

[kronic2233]

that thing sounds like the drum machine on my organ

[pgcarea51]

Scary. Really creepy.

[pgcarea51]

In a good sense, of course. :-)

[b43xoit]

Good old 12AX7 twin triodes.

[Leftjab1]

Very cool Thank you for Sharing!

[2agray]

That's amazing. I'd never seen one of those.

[focorockstar]

i have one of these. yours is in a bit better shape than mine. but the buttons are equally worn out. nice to see another one. I paid $50 for mine too!!

[CoolDudeClem]

That's amazing for such an old machine! How does it make the actual sounds? Are they synth or recordings?

[roblegit1212]

Synth, rhythm (note on/off) is controlled mechanically.

[bartonbuster]

What a wonderful memory !! I demonstrated those "sidemen" at a local music store in Virginia as a teenager. The company was Thomas Piano ..they had the franchise for Wurlitzer pianos and we sold a flock of those spinets at $400.00

[Eyemallfunkedup]

Beautiful. My ears appreciate it.

[michmakker]

I love the cymbal. it's noise. haha :D

[MrSaturdayNightSpecL]

dude, I would totaly use that to make beats with

[vinylman86]

omg, that machine sounds ahead of itz time! thatz some awesome shit there!

[Taobeth]

$50???! You are so lucky!

[coilgunner2]

Im picking up a wurlitzer electric organ for 50$ today from out goodwill

[CassetteMaster]

That is soo cool! It's cool to see the machanical device work and all the tube chassisis and speaker! Those beats... wow~!

[VideyoJunkei]

cool find! may need a bit of work (instrument balance) usually some caps get leaky...

[tresillo]

Thanks fingerzzzzz for showing! ;-)

[Yunneck]

nice vintage

[streakofreaks]

awesome. i want it!

[432hertz]

what a beauty ! the tempo controls sliderod/wheel arrangement is especially amusing.so organic!

[carbiduis]

they dont even have a chuck berry rock & roll beat ????!!!!!

[contents99]

love the sound of the bass

[carlus90]

Amazing! Even if I can't understand how it works...

[jeffr890]

I like anything mechanical because you can actually see it work. With everything on a 'chip' these days, you can't see anything. Thanks for posting the video.

[clydesight]

It is so cool to see these old machines in operation. I assume that this unit was passed through an amp eventually for BIG sound? Thanks for the video!

[peahix]

actually, it has a built in amp/speaker. it was intended to be a stand-alone unit that you could put beside, say, your piano or something. there's no jack on the outside of the unit for PA hookup, but you can get a signal directly from the amp, like i did for this recording.

[samuelmichaud]

It's got kinda like a samba sound to it. Was it made down south? Or was this the standard sound back then.

[wiresoulmax]

sell it on ebay

[etronnel]

hey michaud ..t'as rien compris toé..on parle dun drum machine des année 50....ca flash pas dans ta tete.......tes lseul quebecois icitte pis tu dis dla marde....

[samuelmichaud]

You people are fucking retarded. Seriously! That was a fucking joke obviously.

And i'm not from Quebec idiot criss d'epais. Ever heard of Canada being a bilingual country??

Shit, it really pisses me off when people pounce on me for nothing like that.

Screw you and you're disregard for humor.

[Hexatyrant]

Quality man

[ladyandatramp]

greaat drum machine..the sideman is the best

[AerialTheShamen]

The sequencer looks like made from electro-mechanical pinball machine parts.

Why not make a drum machine completely of old EM pinball hardware?! Playing samba by some dozens of relays and bumpers mounted in a big metal locker would be definitely awesome. Think of the historical "Wall of Sound" sequencer machine. I have ideas for lots of feakish EM sound generators.

[etronnel]

WHAT A GOOD IDEA....GO AHEAD BRO.....

[ishredu]

I think this same machine was used on rock the boat by the hues corporation and family affair from sly and the family stone...I could wrong but it sounds exactly like it

[64mung]

Amazing !!

[paulj0557]

I bet the original purchaser was impressed highly by the Western beat. I bet you could do a mod here and there and get it to sound really cool. Except I've yet to hear an intensely sounding tube anything, except when it comes to guitar amps, then nothing is better! I especially like the mechanical sequencer. Crazy!! I grew up playing around with a Hammond tonewheel organ w/ the fizzy pop tuht ssss drums. No wonder I now play a B3 instead of the drums. What about the REAL drum machine??

[TheSwillMan]

How big is that thing?

[gibs0nguitaro]

lol its probably worth like a million bucks

[adrian480]

sweet sound

[firstmusic00]

Very cool. It reminds me of my grandmother's old organ. I was just a kid when I played with it. That would have been in the early '70's and it was at least 20 years old then. It had very similar percussion sounds on it.

[afxjim]

muy dope

[blackpoolbison]

$50??

absolute bargain.

[tubellarbells]

Mmm...this is a real gift to all music lovers and technology freaks. It reminds me of the great use Arthur Brown's KINGDOM COME band made of a probably transitor drum box on their landmark album JOURNEY. You are lucky to have this toy home !

[aihoschema]

Great stuff. This doesn't sound much different from the first transistor based rhythm boxes built into early 1970s entertainment and home organs. Like a thud for a kicj drum, several woody clicks and a hiss - that's all. Sample that thing and you can make the coolest hip hop groove. Love the contact wheel and the non-stepped transmission wheel to control tempo. Nifty stuff!

[nerdelicious5]

I didn't know drum machines were that old!

[Andronicus2007]

Bizzare! Not a surprise this thing didnt really take off! Super-cheesy! Makes a Korg Minipops seem like a real latin percussion band!

[emotionaljoystick]

I love the exposed contact wheel "sequencer"... Gives me ideas....

[LHUPA]

Very stunning this drum box! I had never think a rhythm box was built in this era! We can see that Wurlitzer is a jukebox maker with the automat system closely built on the jukebox searcing unit! It's a rarity today!

[kimowasabe]

phat bass damn --plastikman eat yer heart out!

[Ryoga2K]

amazing! some sounds are really fat, worth sampling them.

[REMchout]

very cool!

[elknufrag]

does it have midi?

[jmorgay]

I really hope thats a joke

[mooghammondb3]

Very Neat. Reminds me of the drum machine on my old Electrohome Carousel Organ! Sounds very similar, a nice, warm sound.

[robxxbp]

Very interesting to meet a vintage drummachine thanks to the net - I read about it now I have seen and heard it :)

[cicciodinonnapapera5]

incredibile!!! ma se si rompe chi la ripara?

[indigo419]

I think i saw this once in a Flash Gordon serial.

[mralex321]

I want one!

[MontroBeats]

whoa it looks like its from outerspace, it is wicked man!!!!

[bongierastaman]

whoaa.. wicked x)

[Shayu]

dumb question, but where can i get one?

[peahix]

they turn up on ebay from time to time- you might want to add a favorite search to be automatically notified.

[xishimarux]

Sounds like Suicide!

[ermollejuo]

that sound similar to Prince's little red corvette song....

[peahix]

prince used the linndrum on most of his recordings in the early 80s

[ermollejuo]

thanks for the info , I didn't know it existed..

[FuzzyCabesas]

Aww, man, you have some of the coolest, old school gadgets around. Imagine somone making a Hip Hop album with this thing.

[voiceprint101]

Holy cow, that thing is thick sounding, that bass kick is pretty tight for the 50s!

[KAPORALDANGER]

THAT'SA NICE PIECE !

[r3d3]

wheres the "disco" setting ? ;-)

cool bit of kit

[phatfish78]

Sweeeeeet!

[plexiflexi]

Now that is SUPERB!

[Paardekut]

That Rhumba is used on a track called "Mr.Jones" by British funk band Incognito, on the album "Adventures In Black Sunshine" from 2004.

Now I know where that beat is coming from. Thanks!

[atpMayne]

hey, do you think you can get a small sample of that kick drum on a wav or mp3 for me? I would really appreciate that man. -thx

[Neltron]

superb, thanks dude

[sunnylicious]

OMG $50!!! jeez!

[hugevitunbasso]

oh! how about some high quality WAV's...? ;)

[janenil]

cool

[danger0ss]

thats awesome. the rotating thing hitting the contacts is pretty cool!

[FullMetalWarrior]

Weeeeird.

I always assumed drum machines were introduced in the 70's or 80's. Shows how much I know :)

I wouldn't owning that for the sake of telling people "I've got a drum machine from the 50's" :D

[totalaccent]

wow men !that so cool! today is the garbage day,i m going out for try to find one like that.

[bertskoi]

I'm impressed!

[redrightbear]

What a great piece of music history. This was the start of rhythm machines and later the programable sequencers. Interesting that they put individual trigger controls for the instruments on this machine - I wonder if it was ever played live in the same way samplers are today ?

[deadvolvo1]

I'm certain somebody at least tried. Probably after years of accumulating dust, the contacts get a little unpredictable...thus the multiple triggers in this video.

[redrightbear]

Does anyone else think that the Rhumba pattern from this sounds a lot like the start of Blondies "Heart of glass" (which I used the Roland Compurhythm) - Shows how other musicians thought this was a cool sound.

[hackazz]

useless......

[deadvolvo1]

you must be talking about yourself

[hackazz]

Wrong.. was talking about you! Muahahahaha :)

[zupamen]

WOOOOOOOOOW

[LFORSK]

sooooo fuckkkkiiinn coool

[kaferere]

That is truly amazing, thanks for posting. Anyone remember the Wurlitzer "Orbit 3" synthesizer? Despite being not very nice to listen to, it's design was quite revolutionary too.

[cinesedemmerda]

oh god

[mesaoneCCK]

this would be a great DIY project, if someone could get a hold of the prints and materials. I'll start a band with one of these and two theramins or something!

[truehousemusic]

Great!!

[Cubik89]

nice deep bass :P pretty amazing for the 50's

[setoguru]

That's the Machine!!!

[analoguemonkey]

I had one of these but I hated it so I gave it to a tramp

[disengage12a]

lol

[epservice]

absolute wicked machine! thanks for sharing!!

[biotonk]

that's beautiful! thank you for this.

[juliandunn]

Oh god I want one.

[I967]

HOLY SH*TF**K!!! im into tube technology, but this just freaked me out....never knew they had a DRUM MACHINE in the 50's!! wish i had this at home....AMAAAZING!!!

[ray8up]

dayum!

[djbelho]

Ole me ha encatado la maquinita

[diemidimonsterdie]

Wicked!

[tucainga]

brutal!

[sync5controller]

That was fricken amazing. You gotta give it up for the engineers of that era, considering what they had to work with in terms of available technology. Moving the drive wheel along the larger discs axis for infinately variable speed? Ingenious!

[rekkujalmari]

$50? Dude, that's just wrong.

[DougJ]

Well...it's got a fat bottom end and the toms kinda sound blipy which is cool, but no freakin snares, that would push it over the edge. And if you could program it. That thing is massively massive too, dope though.

[Creepydorky]

that is great! just look at that thing!

[Synthersizer]

Id love to take that on tour with me.. hook it up to a filter

[NebulaBurst]

ok.. i just watched the video .. i think thats one of the best beat machines ive heard. the way its built... amazing.