Wurlitzer

The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, shortly Wurlitzer, was an American company which established in 1853-1985 musical instruments, barrel organs and jukeboxes. The company also produced stringed instruments, harps, organs, pianos and the famous Wurlitzer Electric Piano.

It was founded by Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer ( born 1 February 1831 in Schoeneck / Vogtl, Saxony, . † January 14, 1914 in Cincinnati / Ohio), who emigrated in June 1853 in the U.S. and on October 8, 1859 U.S. citizen been. In August 1856 he founded a music instrument retail business, which was awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Army. In 1861 he began the production of musical instruments, 1872 be also emigrated brother Anton Wurlitzer was co-owner of the company, which changed its name in 1890 as Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. From 1880, the business has already led a 200 -page catalog. In the same year, the first bearing the name Wurlitzer piano was built. A fire destroyed the existing main building in December 1904. The rapid growth of the American music industry was also Wurlitzer company grow, so they moved into a six-story building in 1906. One of the last activities of Rudolph Wurlitzer sen. was the acquisition of a bankrupt organ manufacturer, the Hope -Jones Organ Company in 1910. As Wurlitzer died in 1914, his three sons were already established in the company as managers.

The son of the founder, Farny Wurlitzer, acquired in 1933 a patented music box mechanism, and shortly thereafter the first jukebox ( "jukebox " ) was named Debutante successful hit. In 1936, Wurlitzer had risen to 44 397 of these devices to the market leader. In 1941 the company moved its headquarters to Chicago. From 1955, the first electric piano appeared on the market, 1956 2,000 employees were already busy. After a total of 750,000 music boxes whose production was stopped in 1974.

In 1985 Wurlitzer from the Baldwin Piano Company (then the largest American piano manufacturer) purchased. The production of electric organs has been set, and the Wurlitzer brand was used for pianos. The company Baldwin was already suffering from sales difficulties and could not maintain their market position. In 2001, Baldwin was taken over by the guitar manufacturer Gibson. In 2006 Gibson purchased the German Wurlitzer, which held until then the naming rights for Wurlitzer jukeboxes.