What happened to Wurlitzer Company?

[Guest]

Hi All,</P>


I'm new to this forum.Last sunday i've seen one Wurlitzer model-4462 in the church and even though this electronic organ is old but the sound is fantastic not heard on any latest electronic Organs so far .I came to know that these Organs are no more available and i have some questions.please clarify.</P>


1. Why Wurlitzer company stopped manufacturing these beautiful organs ?</P>


2.Has anybody played this model-4462 Organ?</P>


3.I'm very interested to play this model-4462 Organ sound in my church and is there any alternate way to get this Organ sound by playing through sound module or samples?</P>


Please help.</P>


Thanks,</P>


Sunny</P>

[andyg]

Re: What happened to Wurlitzer Company?



Hi Sunny, and welcome to the forum.</p>

1) Wurlitzer went the way of most US organ manufacturers. The bottom dropped out of the market in the mid 1980's, and Wurlitzer were producing expensive organs. They couldn't sell them so they, like others, went to the European makers, and had cheaper organs rebadged for them, but too late, the writing was on the wall. Most manufacturers had gone by the late 1980's. Now, only a handful are left and the worldwide market is very small.
</p>

2) I'm sure someone will come in on this, there are a lot of Wurlitzer fans here.</p>

3) Sound modules, no. Sampling? Yes, but it would take an incredible amount of work. I use 'virtual organ' on some recordings I do, but I still haven't got around to doing the 'sample the whole organ' thing. You might be able to sample and then create a custom soundfont set for use with Miditzer, but that's a discussion for the Miditzer forum, where they know how to do it!</p>

Andy
</p>

[seamaster]

Re: What happened to Wurlitzer Company?



Apparently, Gibson (the guitar manufacturer) owns the Wurlitzer brand now.</p>

Apart from still appearing on reproduction jukeboxes, it lies dormant, which surprises me slightly. After Hammond it must have the highest level of organ brand recognition. I'm always slightly surprised it hasn't been licenced. It would seem a good brand for arranger keyboards/pianos, the natural successors to the home organ market of yesteryear. Or maybe even just for theatre organ MIDI expanders?</p>

[toasterDude]

Re: What happened to Wurlitzer Company?

Hmm yeah, Fender and Gibson seem to be buying up everything in sight. I wonder if they've considered putting out a reissue Wurlitzer electric piano? --Or at least a digital emulation thereof. There was a big fuss about a new Rhodes piano coming out, demos at NAMM and everything - but I don't know if they've made it into actual production yet. I would think a reissue Wurlitzer 200a would be a money-maker... even if it was a digital clone, I bet it'd sell if they could build it into a box with the original, wonderful real-piano action and keys.[:D]

[Guest]

Re: What happened to Wurlitzer Company?

To my surprise, last year in the Frankfurt Germany train station I saw Wurlitzer vending machines. So there is still an operating Wurlitzer company in Europe. It is the same logo. I don't know what else they make besides vending machines.

[paulj0557]

Apparently, Gibson (the guitar manufacturer) owns the Wurlitzer brand now.</p>

Apart from still appearing on reproduction jukeboxes, it lies dormant, which surprises me slightly. After Hammond it must have the highest level of organ brand recognition. I'm always slightly surprised it hasn't been licenced. It would seem a good brand for arranger keyboards/pianos, the natural successors to the home organ market of yesteryear. Or maybe even just for theatre organ MIDI expanders?</p>

How true how true! I have a Wurlitzer series 31 keyed reed electrostatic (ES) organ and the successor to the keyed reed- a 4410 free reedES. Oh' my, how this 4410 like the Hammond tone wheel organ, it captivates you as you play. The beautiful tone is one thing, but the other element or characteristic to the sound is the amazing headroom. Of course the tube amplification contributes to this, but it is the electromechanical interaction of voltage/current flow coupled with the tubes that makes these organs special.
Right now there is a Wurlitzer 4460-4462 on Craigslist- Mansfield Ohio [ btwn Columbus and Cleveland] that looks like new, for just $200!
Happy Holidays everyone.

[handyczech]

Both the Wurlitzer and the Chickering name were gobbled up by Baldwin as the organ business and the Aeolian company collapsed. Much like the Hammond name was sold to Noel Crabbe of Australia at the time of that collapse. No products, no machinery, just the names.

Baldwin in turn collapsed after stunning financial mismanagement by then president Karen Hendricks. As I recall, criminal charges were pending at one point, though ultimately dismissed. Most if not all traded names were purchased by Gibson at that time. I am not aware that Gibson is making any pianos in a traditional sense, in the USA. I had read about a custom shop for a few hand built pianos but have seen no current articles. All the names are currently used on Chinese built pianos.

You will find the Wurlitzer name appearing on some Korean made, and subsequently Chinese made, small grand piano, and I believe digital pianos.

[james]

I have a model 4100A Wurlitzer spinet organ which is the smaller tube version of the 4462. They are indeed very unique, and how the time did fly from the time these were so popular. I am still trying to listen via the PC to various digital church organs to find a "favorite" but have not yet done so. I have only heard a couple that are most impressive yet there is nothing like the older analog organs.

If Suzuki can make the new B3 Hammond, I wonder why can't some company make some of the Wurlitzer models that could sound like these old analog models or come very close to the sound at least.

[Snowbandit]

I read somewhere that Wurlitzer outsourced their organ production to one of the Italian makers back in the 70's hoping to make a ton of money off the cheap labor. The deal was for a minimum number of organs and, when the bottom fell out of the market, Wurlitzer reneged on the deal forcing them into bankruptcy. Lots of people were ruined financially in the deal.

[myorgan]

Baldwin in turn collapsed after stunning financial mismanagement by then president Karen Hendricks. As I recall, criminal charges were pending at one point, though ultimately dismissed.

Do you recall the year(s) this happened? I remember touring the organ/piano factory in Cincinnati back in the early '90s as an organ representative, and sensed something going wrong at that time. I heard of Baldwin making spinet pianos for a couple of years after that, then they disappeared. I was out of the business by then.

Michael

P.S. I actually preferred the Baldwin pianos to Steinway because their action was lighter.

[sadatoni]

Do you recall the year(s) this happened? I remember touring the organ/piano factory in Cincinnati back in the early '90s as an organ representative, and sensed something going wrong at that time. I heard of Baldwin making spinet pianos for a couple of years after that, then they disappeared. I was out of the business by then.

Michael

P.S. I actually preferred the Baldwin pianos to Steinway because their action was lighter.

The Baldwin fiasco started in 1983 when Baldwin United filed for chapter 11. Their life insurance subsidiary (?) had been selling "single premium deferred annuities", which is what got them into trouble. The only thing to survive the mess was Baldwin Piano and Organ (or maybe it was just Baldwin Pianos) as I recall (I worked for a data processing subsidiary at the time, which was sold to Security Pacific).

See http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-c...o-2011-12?op=1 for more details.

[seamaster]

I preferred the Baldwin pianos to Steinway because their action was lighter.

So did Liberace!