Guitar Info

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Previously on Guitarz we have looked at a Wurlitzer Cougar stereo guitar, part of the Wild One series which also included the Wildcat and the Gemini. These guitars all share the same pickups and stereo circuitry which includes jazz/rock settings for each pickup - basically switching between different capacitors for to affect tonal change. Wurlitzer guitars were built alongside the now legendary LaBaye 2x4 guitar at the Holman-Woodell factory in Neodesha, Kansas in the mid to late 1960s.

However, if you look closely at the Cougar pictured above you'll notice one or two differences from the example we previously featured. The headstock design is quite different, and notice also that the vibrato base plate is missing its Wurlitzer "W" - in fact this vibrato unit looks identical to that employed on the LaBaye six stringer.

The reason behind this is that this particular Cougar is not a Wurlitzer - it instead carried the Alray brandname. From the information I have gathered, Wurlitzer offered the Wild One series guitars from 1965 to 1966. The seller of this Alray Cougar on eBay suggests that this guitar is circa 1967/68. Maybe this was assembled from left-over Wurlitzer stock after they had decided to abandon their guitar line?

This guitar is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1,200, which is in a similar price bracket to Wurlitzer-branded guitars (if and when they come up for sale).

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There are a couple of nice examples of Wurlitzer guitars on eBay right now. The above pictured guitar is a Wurlitzer Cougar. As the seller explains, Wurlitzer guitars were "...made in the U.S.A., Kansas in 1965/66 at the Holman-Woodell factory. The pickups are in stereo, but work as normal with a mono cord. Both pickups have a jazz/rock button (rolls off highs), and a separate volume/tone control. There is an A, B, and A+B switch to mix the pickups and a center detented volume control on the treble horn that allows the mixing of the two."

This guitar is currently on eBay with a starting price of $50, although there is a reserve.

Below we see a Wurlitzer Wildcat. In this instance the seller, aware that it's a rarity, has slapped a Buy It Now price of $2,499 on it. Possibly a little over-optimistically.
The Wildcat is essentially the same guitar as the Cougar, only with a different body shape. There was a third design in the "Wild One" series - the Wurlitzer Gemini - which is possibly better known and has been reissued in recent years by Eastwood Guitars.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

I thought they only made organs...

This is a gorgeously funky-looking and allegedly quite rare Wurlitzer Wild One Gemini Stereo Guitar from 1966, currently for sale on eBay. I love the shape - all straight lines and points. Also, you can't really make it out in the above picture, but each pickup has a selector switch for Jazz / Rock settings (a coil tap perhaps?... except they look like single-coil pickups) and the pickups themselves are engraved with the legends Channel A and Channel B, I guess, in an effort to be user-friendly. Another nice touch is the Wurlitzer W on the Bigsby-style vibrato. (See the album while it's still available for close-up pictures).

Update: The seller contacted me to explain the function of the Jazz / Rock switches:

Hey,

I am the seller on the Wurlitzer Gemini on Ebay. I just thought I would drop you an e-mail.

The guitar comes with two types of caps and that is were the tone difference comes from.

The jazz setting sounds muted like when you turn the tone down on a pickup and the rock setting is bright and P-90 sounding.

Thanks for your time.

Alex