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
MMD > Archives > March 2012 > 2012.03.23 > 03Prev  Next


Wurlitzer Harp
By Craig Smith

Fredy, this will be quite a project as you describe it in the 120322
MMD.  My first suggestion is for you to contact someone who knew the
guys who made the replicas about 20 years ago.  Here's a copy of their
brochure.

  [ Craig attached a jpeg file of the brochure.   Robbie will place
  [ the image in the "Gallery" section of the MMD Website when he
  [ returns from his travels.  I'll forward the JPG image to
  [ Fredy tomorrow so he doesn't have to wait until Robbie gets back.
  [ Matthew says he's seen the brochure before and feels it is well
  [ worth having the MMD Archives.  -- Jody

Secondly, I think that there is little resemblance between a Wurlitzer
harp and a real harp; so your friendly harp maker won't be much help.
For instance, the Wurlitzer harp is fully chromatic over five octaves.
Also, as far as I know, there are no magnets in the Wurlitzer harp.  It
is totally pneumatic, right down to the coin mechanism.  The strings
are plucked by individual wooden mechanisms that have a rather
complicated hysteresis design.

I have a copy of Whitlock's original drawings for the harp, if that
would help.  Our friend Dave Bowers (I believe) bought the drawings
from the factory years ago, and I got a copy when I was restoring a
harp and needed to make a couple missing parts.  The originals have
been sold several times; so I don't know who has them at the moment.

By the way, Fredy, we still enjoy the accordion you sold us many years
ago in San Francisco.

Craig Smith
Near Rochester, NY, where it was 80 degrees yesterday


(Message sent Fri 23 Mar 2012, 01:14:24 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Harp, 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