Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My husband picked up a really interesting guitar after following a local ad: A really cool-looking big hollow body guitar similar to a Gibson ES-335, with the name WURLITZER on the headstock, and a sticker on the back that reads "Made in Italy." After doing some research on the internet, we have determined that this guitar was made in the late 60's for Wurlitzer by Welson Italian. It has great-sounding humbuckers, and great intonation.... and really over-the-top detail in its triple binding, even around the sound holes and pickups! The only drawback is that it has pretty severe checking in its dark cherry sunburst finish.... I think I'll keep it, because it really has an awesome cool factor, finish issues notwithstanding.

Very cool!

Wurlitzer, in this case, was/is a department store, not the organ company.

jps wrote:Very cool!

Wurlitzer, in this case, was/is a department store, not the organ company.

Not the department store, but the musical instrument company, whose offices were in Elkhart, IN (brass capital of the USA!) in the mid-to-late 1960s.

Also, the logo on the serial # plate is the Wurlitzer musical instrument logo...

Gibson bought Deutsche Wurlitzer in 2006.

Wurlitzer started guitar sales with two pickup solid body stereo electrics in '65. The Cougar, Wildcat, and Gemini. These were built by Holman-Woodell in Noedesha, Kansas. Due to finish issues they dropped these in late '66 and contracted the Italian company Welson to build the hollowbodies. They pulled the plug on the guitars in another year or so.