Did Myron Floren play a Wurlitzer?

[Philatelius]

I'm well aware that Myron Floren became famous playing PANcordion instruments on The Lawrence Welk Show, and a Google image search turned up an older photo of Myron holding a Soprani. But did he ever play a Wurlitzer?

The reason I ask is because someone in Austin, Texas, is selling what they claim is Myron Floren's old Wurlitzer accordion:

1936 Wurlitzer accordion Myron Floren’s - antiques - by owner -...

1936 Wurlitzer Accordion. Was purchased for Myron Floren by his parents in 1936, and upon his death his wife owned it, and then when she passed she gifted to her best friend(who had also played...

austin.craigslist.org

I'm perfectly happy fumbling along with my current accordion, and as I have no interest in purchasing the Wurlitzer, I neither know nor really care if the seller has any documentation linking his instrument to Myron Floren. But seeing that listing did make me wonder...is there any record of Myron ever playing or owning a Wurlitzer?

 

[Dingo40]

To my mind the name"Wurlitzer " evokes the image of a major organ, the kind played preceding the Saturday night film show at the local cinema: the organ having all the bells and whistles!
Like this one;

 

[Alan Sharkis]

When I was seven (I’m 82 now) my parents took me to Wurlitzer’s music school in Manhattan, where we rented a Wurlitzer 12-bass PA and I took some lessons before a neighbor suggested that her cousin could come to us to give me lessons. But while at the Wurlitzer school I saw a variety of larger PAs and other instruments, probably made by other manufacturers and rebranded “Wurlitzer.” Wurlitzer did, however, make make their own small organs for use with carousels and, of course, jukeboxes.

 

[Ventura]

the mighty Wurlitzer was certainly their famous claim to fame, Dingo,
but Wurlitzer was mighty in many other ways too

they were a retail giant in the USA as well as a manufacturer, and at
one time, as did many major Music companies, had many different types
of instruments branded in their name

they were one of the worlds most forward looking Piano manufacturers,
introducing some seminal and groundbreaking processes to that end.
Their upright action design and automated woodworking process for
action parts including Keys allowed them to offer very consistently
high quality Pianos at lower prices than their competitors. This action
assembly factory was also one of the first "Mahiladora" sister facilities
set up near Juarez in Mexico, which was (then) equivalent in many ways to
Hohner setting up an Asian factory in modern times

their 45" standard "Studio" upright Piano was perhaps their
most successful model and outshone it's competition, winning
1000's of installations in Music school practice rooms around the world

their electronic organ line was very successful and imitated the sounds
of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" fairly well, and also was groundbreaking
when they added a third tier Keyboard to their premium models
that was actually a MOOG Synthesizer

their Accordions unfortunately used an action mechanism that looks somewhat like
a tiny Spinet Piano action with joints that lifted the valves in a different way
than typical accordions of the day. This is kind of an achillies heel which was
next to impossible to keep in repair even when parts were available

The entire company has passed into history.. the final entity was the victim of a hostile
taken over by the Baldwin company, which went into bankruptcy itself perhaps 10 years later

Liberace was quietly famous in the Southwest USA where he retired,
as he would show up unannounced at one of the many Wurlitzer
Organ installations (many skating rinks had Pipe Organs) and play
for hours to the delight of the locals

ciao

Ventura

 

[JeffJetton]

they were a retail giant in the USA as well as a manufacturer, and at
one time, as did many major Music companies, had many different types
of instruments branded in their name

Don't forget the famed Wurlitzer electric piano!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Yep, the Wurlie! An early electric piano with a distinctly different sound from the Suitcase Rhodes. Both had their fans. Today, many electronic keyboards can emulate both reasonably well for quick comparisons.

 

[Ventura]

back when i worked at a music store in the Springfield Mall we
sold the black and silver plastic case model for $999.oo all day long

 

[Scuromondo]

Don't forget the famed Wurlitzer electric piano!

I can’t see any identifying features, but I’m fairly certain that Supertraamp was using a Fender Rhodes piano at this point and not a Wurlitzer.


EDIT: I was wrong about the Rhodes. After. Writing the above response, I started digging around for more information about the various keyboards used by Supertramp, and I could find very few of their songs that include a Rhodes piano, and many many using the Wurlitzer!

 

[JeffJetton]

EDIT: I was wrong about the Rhodes. After. Writing the above response, I started digging around for more information about the various keyboards used by Supertramp, and I could find very few of their songs that include a Rhodes piano, and many many using the Wurlitzer!

I sometimes have trouble telling them apart in a mix myself, even though I used to own a Rhodes myself back in the day. But there's a shot at about 50 seconds into the video where the keyboard is definitely a Wurlie. One of the less-common whitish/tan models to boot!

 

[JeffJetton]

And speaking of accordion makers who also made electric pianos, there's the Hohner Pianet, which also sometimes gets confused with both the Rhodes and the Wurlitzer.

It was prominent on songs like "Louie, Louie", "Joy to the World", and "She's Not There".

 

[Mike K]

Yep, the Wurlie! An early electric piano with a distinctly different sound from the Suitcase Rhodes. Both had their fans. Today, many electronic keyboards can emulate both reasonably well for quick comparisons.

Had one in the 70s because I could not afford the Rhodes. hated it, gave it away in the 80s, now they sell for several thousand.

 

[AccordionUprising]

I'm well aware that Myron Floren became famous playing PANcordion instruments on The Lawrence Welk Show, and a Google image search turned up an older photo of Myron holding a Soprani. But did he ever play a Wurlitzer?

The reason I ask is because someone in Austin, Texas, is selling what they claim is Myron Floren's old Wurlitzer accordion:

1936 Wurlitzer accordion Myron Floren’s - antiques - by owner -...

1936 Wurlitzer Accordion. Was purchased for Myron Floren by his parents in 1936, and upon his death his wife owned it, and then when she passed she gifted to her best friend(who had also played...

austin.craigslist.org

I'm perfectly happy fumbling along with my current accordion, and as I have no interest in purchasing the Wurlitzer, I neither know nor really care if the seller has any documentation linking his instrument to Myron Floren. But seeing that listing did make me wonder...is there any record of Myron ever playing or owning a Wurlitzer?

Myron's Accordion Man biography says his first piano accordion was a Soprani, and has a photo that it says is his second piano keyboard instrument, which is a more modern design with a streamlined celluloid shell. No reason his parents might not have bought him another one though. But I'd want more evidence to prove definitive connection. Guitar collectors have elaborate paper-trail standards, but collectible guitars cost many, many times more than $700