The others we've done say 'Wurlitzer' and 'Starke Model' on the next line down.
HOW TO INSTALL CROWN ON LYON HEALY HARP SERIAL NUMBER
That harp has unusual engraving in that the brand is 'Wurlitzer-Starke,' and the serial number on the mechanism matches the number on the wood. His design work is evident in all the harps that we've worked on, including some very early serial numbers, like the 509. There are the cheapest Wurlitzers with his name, and some more expensive ones without. Concerning the dating of the instruments, Howard Bryan, Virginia harp repairman and restorer, who has worked on many Wurlitzer harps comments: "Some harps have Starke's name on them and some do not. Many of these harps are still in service today. As no surviving instruments have a number below 500, it may be that the numbering system started there. Wurlitzer built harps through serial number 1560. Because the later models don't fall into any specific category, it is thought that they were a composite of parts from various models. In the beginning, the bottom of the column was round, although later, in the 1920's, this part of the column was straight. Wurlitzer designed the A model in two different styles. Probably designed as student models, the smallest Wurlitzer harp, the Model I, had slightly closer string spacing than the larger instruments, and the decorations were relatively inexpensive and plain. Some rare C models also had a Gothic column, which made them CX or CCX models. As the Gothic column was usually used on the D or DD harps, these models were indicated as DX or DDX harps. BB) meant the harp had an extended soundboard, while a single letter meant a straight soundboard. The models in this catalogue were identified by letters A, B, C, D, G or I.
In 1924, Wurlitzer published a forty-page catalogue of their different models with commendations from famous harpists. The company eventually moved to North Tonawanda, New York, and, in 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression, stopped building harps, although they continued to make other instruments.
Later the harp production moved to Chicago to be overseen by a former Lyon & Healy craftsman Emil O. Then, in 1909, responding to a need he saw for a harp which could better withstand the American climate and the demands of modern music, Wurlitzer built his first harp. Founded in 1856 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Rudolph Wurlitzer, a German immigrant, the Wurlitzer Company at first built a variety of instruments, including clarinets, organs and auto harps. Even if you’re not exactly getting the band back together, we can promise that the range of antique and vintage instruments on 1stDibs can help strike a meaningful chord in your interior design plan.The year 2009 marks the hundredth anniversary of the production of the first Wurlitzer pedal harp. Think of them as eye-catching ornamental flourishes that you can bring to end tables in a common area, to the top of a desk or to a mid-century storage cabinet.īring culture and creativity into your space with decades-old plywood tabletop radios or musical instruments from all over the world - be they drums from Africa or harps from France. Bells or antique wind instruments can add provocative metallic contrasts to dark woods as tabletop decorative objects.
If a room has no distinguishing architectural features, you could create a prominent focal point with trending paint colors, stylish shelving, an arrangement of flowers or by wall-mounting a spectacularly aging early-20th-century guitar or other stringed instrument.Īlternatively, much in the way that you might group a collection of artwork to hang salon-style, with a little help from strong hanging wire or some wall hooks, vintage brass instruments such as a gong, French horn or trumpet can help elevate a home office or complement the efforts you’ve made to ensure a welcoming vibe in your home’s entryway.
If you’ve got more space to work with there - or perhaps you need some entertainment room ideas - consider positioning an old guitar as a focal point. At between four and five feet in length, an elegant early-1900s Steinway & Sons baby grand piano will undoubtedly steal the show if you’re thinking of yielding some precious real estate to one of these American classics, but maybe you’re simply shopping for art to warm the bare walls of your new apartment or weekend home.įor your living room, maybe you’ve already hunted down portraits by Gered Mankowitz, a celebrated 1960s-era photographer who spent his life capturing iconic images of music’s biggest stars. Whether you’re playing them or merely displaying them, vintage musical instruments, when cared for properly, can be a wonderful addition to any space. Pay tribute to a history of rich and diverse musical traditions that have taken shape all over the world by decorating your home with a collection of antique and vintage musical instruments.