Nashville based Gibson Guitar Corp. has announced it has acquired Deutsche Wurlitzer from Sydney based Nelson Group of Companies.
This means the famed Wurlitzer Jukebox will now be produced under the Gibson name.
The Wurlitzer plant is based in Hullhorst, Germany and employs 260 people.
The company was founded by Rudolph Wulitzer in 1856 as an import company specializing in musical instruments. The company started production of pianos in 1880.
In the 1930’s, Farny Wulitzer, the youngest son of the founder, started the Jukebox business for the company based on a music box. The first Wurlitzer jukebox played 78RPM records and become known as ‘the small man’s concert hall’.
