Wurlitzer Styles
Wurlitzer Theatre Organ Styles
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company developed numerous theatre pipe organ styles in the early 20th century to suit venues of all sizes — from small neighborhood cinemas to grand movie palaces. Each style number refers to a specific configuration of manuals, pipe ranks, percussions, and trap instruments.
Style Specifications Table
| Style | Built | Manuals | Ranks | Perc. | Traps | Console Type | Earlier Style | Later Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | PC | A | 135 |
| 100 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | SC | – | 115 |
| 105 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | PC | – | – |
| 108 | 49 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | PC | – | 125 |
| 109 | 55 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | PC | – | 130 |
| 12 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | PC | – | – |
| 130 | 49 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | PC | – | 135 |
| 135 | 100 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 15 | PC | – | 160 |
| 160 | 100 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 | PC | – | 190 |
| 190 | 80 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | PC | – | 235 |
| 235 | 36 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 18 | PC | – | 260 |
| 260 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 18 | PC | – | 285 |
| 285 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 10 | 19 | PC | – | – |
Console Type Codes
- PC: Publix Console — typically found in larger theatres.
- SC: Style C Console — usually used in smaller to mid-sized installations.
Terms Explained
- Manuals: The number of keyboards.
- Ranks: Distinct sets of pipes, each offering a unique tone color.
- Perc.: Tuned percussion instruments (e.g., xylophone, glockenspiel).
- Traps: Untuned sound effects (e.g., drums, cymbals, sleigh bells).