A while back I interviewed Scott Cortez of lovesliescrushing and Star. In the three articles that resulted from this interview, one piece of information stuck in my head -- the fact that Cortez played a Wurlitzer guitar. Like most people I associate the name Wurlitzer with organs and had no idea that they made guitars. This fish out of water guitar story intrigued me enough to do a couple of internet searches, and I found that other perplexed but far more organized people had produced websites and incredibly informative articles on these oddball instruments. The real clearinghouse website is wurlitzerguitars.com. And by all means, read the in-depth article from Vintage Guitar in July, 1997. The article, written by Kevin Macy and Michael Wright, collects what seems to be all the info on the short life of the companies that produced Wurlitzer guitars and the other brands associated with them. And yet there is still a great deal left unanswered.

In point of fact Wurlitzer really didn't make the guitars but simply put their brand name on them. They were made by a Kansas company, originally named Holman-Woodell Guitars. The company was founded by Howard Holman and Victor Woodell in 1965 in Kansas. There were three models -- the Wildcat, the Gemini and the Cougar. They were likely made only for a year or two. But that is not the end of the company. They continued making the guitars under the Holman name and then later as Alray guitars (purportedly after two new managers known only as "Al" and "Ray." This story sounds apocryphal but I am not going to gainsay people who did a great deal more research than I did!

These guitars have business connections to both Kustom and Roy Clark but the company was finished by 1968. Under any name these guitars were made for only three years. This doesn't, make them collectible or even good guitars. By Cortez' account a guitar is just a noisemaker he plugs into a series of effects. Others compare these instruments to the higher end late 60s knock offs of Gibson or Fender. Some, however, say they are unique and well worth the price tag -- if you can find one. They show up for $600 or so on various auction sites.

These were not, however, the only guitars to bear the Wurlitzer name. They were not even the first. In the 1920s Martin made acoustic guitars that bore the Wurlitzer name. More on that soon.