Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

End-of-Year Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > May 1997 > 1997.05.28 > 09Prev  Next


Wurlitzer Player Harp
By Stephen Kent Goodman

In digest 970527, Matthew Caulfield wrote:

> Wurlitzer sold a player harp.  It was exceptional in that it was not
> made by them.  The music rolls for the harp were also made by the same
> Engelhardt company which manufactured the harp and therefore didn't use
> the standard Wurlitzer hole spacing of .1227 inch, Wurlitzer's unique
> spacing that makes it so difficult to copy.

Actually, both the harp and the rolls were manufactured by the Whitlock
Company of Rising Sun, Indiana.   Farny Wurlitzer "discovered" this
company's harp playing in a Cincinnati cafe and decided to offer it under
the Wurlitzer label.  Two styles were produced, the plain case style A
and later,  the harp-shaped case style B.  Both style harps sounded more
like an acoustical guitar than a harp.  Mechanical fingers plucked each
string and it had a tune indicator wheel.

In the mid 1980's David Boehm sold reproductions of the style A.  I
understand his re-engineering of the plucking mechanism and the quality
of the sound boards put them in high demand - so much so that owners of
original machines ordered replacement parts from him.

S. K. Goodman


(Message sent Wed 28 May 1997, 15:38:03 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Harp, Player, Wurlitzer

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page