Wurlitzer

 In 1856, Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer established an instrument company in Cincinnati, OH that simply became known as “Wurlitzer”.  He had been sent to America from Germany at the age of 28, trained in piano and organ making, to feel out the prospects of setting up a manufacturing facility in the U.S.  Along with being a trained technician, he was also a gifted businessman and brought to his business great organizational and marketing skills.  The company got off to a great start.
Wurlitzer introduced America to spinet pianos.  This newer compact design showed that pianos could come in all sizes and didn’t need to be as bulky as many pianos that were being made at the time.  They were interested in making innovations that kept their products unique and exclusive.  They even developed a finish called Wurlon that proved very durable and more resistant to scratches than many others.

Through the years, Wurlitzer has had its hand in many different music making endeavors.  It has manufactured pianos, organs, harps, jukeboxes, and electric pianos.  Their main changes in ownership happened in 1995 when they were bought out by Baldwin and then in 2001 when Baldwin was bought by Gibson Guitars.