Wurlitzer piano

[Dave Nereson]

I'm working on a Wurlitzer piano SN 115191 and measures about 41" high x 40"
wide x 21" deep.  It has 61 notes, 5 octaves, C to C.  The question is:  Is
the first C C1 or C2 as compared to a "normal" piano?  Along with this
question, is this piano "normally" tuned to A440?

    On some of these short-keyboard pianos, the key numbering doesn't start with 1, but rather whatever number it would be on an 88-key key set.  Not always, but....  Anyway, the C closest to the middle of the keyboard (below the fallboard decal) should still be middle C, or C4 (261.6 Hz), and the A above that (A4) should be the one that's supposed to be at 440 Hz.  I've seen several 64-note mini-pianos, made by Aeolian, some in traditional piano-looking cases, others in a "road case" made for rock bands in the 80's (with Helpinstill pickups under the strings -- the "Melodipro").  About as often, I've seen the 73- or 74-key pianos that look like a shrunken studio upright, with a keyboard compass from approx. F1 to F7.  Middle C remains C4 and the A above that remains A4.  Middle C is sort of "square one" for the piano, since it's the middle line on sheet music, between treble and bass clef, and for a long time was used as the first note tuned, about equally or even more than A 440.  
    So, yes, it's normally tuned to A440.    

So,since everything above the break seemed in relation to each other I tried to
pull the bass up to match.  BANG!!!!!  Broken string and I stopped there.
I'm wondering if it is possible that somebody else didn't have the answer to
the question above and pulled the treble up an octave, which seems not very
likely, or that this piano normally is not tuned to A440, which seems
possible, or the bass strings are supposed to be brought up to the rest of
the piano and there is a really good chance that the rest of the bass
strings are going to break.

    If it were tuned an octave low, the strings would be so loose they wouldn't sustain or even sound at all, and if it were tuned an octave high, they would all break.  All!  Yes, the bass should be brought up to the rest of the piano (but not excessively above A 440).  If they break, either tune the whole piano low (if the customer doesn't need it up to pitch), maybe a quarter or even half-step, or re-string the bass.  Some of these little pianos have the bass strings at a pretty high tension (near breaking point), or they take a sharp angle from the upper plate bridge to the tuning pins.  Maybe yours just hasn't been up to pitch or tuned in quite a while.  Yes, the inharmonicity is high, but not a whole lot more than many spinets.  They are spinets, in a sense, just with the top and bottom octaves chopped off.  
    --David Nereson, RPT