Fritzsch Phonograph Company

[BenL]

Bernhard Frtizsch, the founder of Fritzsch Phonograph Company, was born in Auerbach, Germany in 1862. He apprenticed as a violin and piano maker before immigrating to San Francisco in the 1880s. Bernhard later moved to Cincinnati, where he found employment as a violin maker for the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. By 1907, he established his own firm at 1207 Elm Street in Cincinnati to repair, tune, and craft his own instruments. He’d gain notoriety repairing and tuning violins for some of the era’s most renowned violinists, among which were Bronisław Huberman, Maud Powell, Fritz Kreisler, and Eugène Ysaÿe. Fritizsch established himself as the leading string instrument tuner for the greater Ohio River Valley. [1] 

 

                                                                                            

 

By 1915, American businesses and entrepreneurs noted the patent for “duopoly" on the disc phonograph was about to expire, which would allow others to mimic the pressing processes of major companies Victor and Columbia. Public demand for phonographs was out pacing the supply, allowing many to enter this rapidly growing market. Smaller, non-national businesses such as cabinet makers, in addition to piano manufacturers and department stores introduced their own brand of phonograph, trying to make their mark and a quick profit off of the previously unavailable market.[2]Bernhard Frizsch's oldest son, Charles, partnered with his father to manage the firm. Together, they incorporated the Fritzsch Phonograph Company in March of 1917, with around $125,000 in capital. Bernhard was elected president, his son acting as secretary, and Carl F. Wiedemann, from a connected Kentuckian family, as treasurer. [3] 

 

The Fritzsch firm, wanting to set his new phonograph apart from the rest, incorporated concepts from violin acoustics and design. The horns were built from a double layer of wood with holes, acting as a sound board similar to those on string instruments.[4]One of Fritzsch's other major differences was that he chose to build his reproducer diaphragms from maple wood, while most companies were using a mineral, mica.[5] Fritzsch had his own tonearm patented, but the motor and other hardware was from a supplier who made them in mass for other companies assembling their own phonographs. The violin workers from his firm were tasked with making the cabinets. Around eight different models were offered from their factory located at 7th and Plum in Cincinnati. Fritzsch stated they’d make no attempt to handcraft a model less than $100, positioning the machines as an upper-class brand.[3]                      

                                                                                                                                                           
    
(Fritzsch reproducer, photo courtesy of ebth.com) 

 

Supply shortages caused by the “Great War” effort delayed the initial launch from mid-1917 to autumn. In October, the Fritzsch flagship model, Phon d’Amour, loosely Latin/French hybrid of “Sound of Love,” was launched at the Cincinnati Music Hall with a demonstration to the press. Within the same week, the Fritzsch showroom on West Fourth Street in the city was opened. [6] Fritzsch issued a catalogue to phonograph dealers across the region, encouraging them to carry Phon d’Amour. However, one of the company's first large-scale orders in late 1917 wasn't even in the U.S. The E. F. Wilks & Co. of Sidney Australia made an order for a couple dozen machines to be built and shipped with urgency. [7] The company began their consumer market advertising campaign around the same time throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania, with a small showroom set up in Pittsburgh. [8] 

 

The company made a regional push, though placing national advertisements in the Talking Machine World, the major phonograph trade magazine.  By 1918, the Fritzsch company had made deals with close to twenty local businesses across this greater region to carry the brand, along with a second order from the E. F. Wilks & Co. [9] As 1918 drew on, the war was nearing an end, but supply shortages still plagued smaller companies. In September of 1918, Fritzsch closed their showroom on West Fourth Street, opting to instead outfit a space in their factory for that purpose, as a cost cutting measure. [10] As 1919 came around the phonograph market was about to reach its peak, with hundreds of brands flooding the market trying to get in on the action. Charles designed his own auto stop as an attempt to bring attention back to the company. Bernhard invented his own rubber-leather composite to try to address some of the supply shortages, and they subsequently leased a larger factory to try and increase production. [11][12] They took advantage of the ever popularizing motion picture format, having a short advertisement made to be shown in local theaters before the main film. [13] 

 

  

 

The company ran into trouble in May of 1919, when Charles Wiedemann, father of treasurer Carl F. Wiedemann, brought a suit against the company. Charles Wiedemann was the president of the George Wiedemann Brewing Company of Newport, Kentucky. He was a major investor in the Fritzsch Phonograph Company, putting his own bonds as collateral when the company took out a $10,000 dollar loan. He wanted the court to secure a receiver to manage the company's finances, pushing management in a different direction. [14] Fritzsch continued business as usual, taking out ads in the Talking Machine World through September. After this brief period, the company starts to fade; advertising stopped and there is no further mention in trade magazines. The last dealer pushing the brand into 1920 was the T. B. Johnson Union Piano Company of Ohio. It is uncertain, but the Fritzsch company likely decided to close in 1920, going into effect in early 1921. 

 

At this time, the phonograph bubble was bursting; an oversaturated market and burgeoning radio technology led the larger phonograph industry into a recession by 1922. Many phonograph brands came on the market almost as quickly as they left, Fritzsch lasting only around three years while some companies couldn't even sustain several months. Bernhard returned to violins, acting as a dealer through the early 20s. Yet he never fully left the world of phonographs, continuing to sell his wood diaphragm reproducer as an after-market enhancement. [15] Fritzsch maplewood reproducers are exceptionally rare, suggesting they either weren't great sellers, or did not last very long. Bernhard repaired and tuned violins up through the 1930s, then into the depression with a studio where he acted as dealer selling up until a few years before his death in 1948 at the age of 86. [1]

 

   

 

References: 

1.  Violinists' Friends Die". The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 16, 1948. p. 2. 

2.  Wakeman, R. J. (February 13, 2020). ""Off Brand" Talking Machines". 

3.  "Plan to Market New phonograph". Talking Machine World: 109. March 1917. 

4.  US1223338A, Fritzsch, Bernhard, "Sound-amplifier", issued 1917-04-17 

5.  US1217294A, Fritzsch, Bernhard, "Diaphragm for sound-reproducers", issued 1917-02-27 

6.  "John Church Co. to manufacture talking machines". Talking Machine World: 43. October 1917. 

7.  "PHON D'AMOURS FOR AUSTRALIA". Talking Machine Word: 30. December 1917. 

8.  "Cincinnati dealers puzzled at new army order". Talking Machine World: 43. July 1917. 

9.  "Bearing of freight situation on Cincinnati trade". Talking Machine World: 71. January 15, 1918. 

10.  "Changes in Cincinnati trade". Talking Machine World: 56. September 15, 1918.
11.  Dunlap, John Robertson; Pearson, Henry Clemens (1919). Rubber World. Rubber/Automative Division of Hartman Communications. p. 497. 

12. " Equipped with automatic stop". Talking Machine World: 58. April 15, 1919. 

13. "Stock situation shows improvement in Cincinnati". Talking Machine World: 55. April 15, 1919. 

14.  "Asks receiver for Fritzsch Co". Talking Machine World: 58. May 15, 1919. 

15.  "The Eureka Diaphragm". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 23, 1923. 

 

(Edited by Joseph DeStefano)

Edited November 21, 2021 by BenL

[phonogfp]

A well-written and nicely researched article on the company and the Phon d'Amour - - thanks for sharing this!

 

George P.

[BenL]

On 11/21/2021 at 9:12 AM, phonogfp said:

A well-written and nicely researched article on the company and the Phon d'Amour - - thanks for sharing this!

 

George P.

Thank you George, I'm hoping to do two or three more of these on some other off brand companies that interested me. 

[audiophile102]

I would love to hear the reproducer diaphragms from maple wood.  Very interesting article.

[Fran604g]

A wonderful, informative article Ben, thank you.

 

Cheers,

Fran