1948 Jukebox!

[Wild Root]

Also rodders are not into brakes and suspensions from the 30s! Too dangerous.

For racing... that's why they'll put the original body on a mustang or Camaro chassis with new brakes and trans, motor and all. There are guys who will buy a completely original car and will rod it because they'll have a straight clean body. They won’t do it to a 10K+ car, they'll find one for less at an auction and then destroy them. I saw a beautiful 1941 Ply coupe bought at an auction for less then 6k... it was all original, could have won a trophy as is... the guy was going to rod it!:rage: What a shame!

I see so many vintage cars in the classifieds that are 50% original... they'll have some original parts but, have those nasty aftermarket tilt steering wheels and bucket seats... bla, bla, ba... asking 30K Whatever jokers!

Sorry to deviate from the original thread topic... say, I saw a very nice Coke Machine here... that's a sweet one!!! Also, I hope to own a very clean late 30's woody juke some day and also a nice early Coke machine! That would be so fun to have for parties and just to have around when friends come over! I would charge nickels too.

=WR=

 

[airfrogusmc]

WR I also like vintage cars that are 100% original.

 

[Salv]

Not quite as classy as Sefton's but in the early '80s I owned a 1959 Rockola 1475 Tempo, just like this one:

It looked and sounded great - it had a stereo valve amp that produced a big beefy sound from my old 45s - but it wasn't all fun and games. The amp died after I'd had it for about a year and it cost me quite a lot to have it repaired (I can't remember the exact amount now). Another time the turntable motor burned out. By this time I had moved home and couldn't get back to the dealer that sold me the box, so I had a look in the phone book and found another dealer in a town about 35 miles from home. I phoned them up and explained that I had a 1959 juke box with a dead turntable and was there any chance that they'd have a replacement motor. They explained that Rockola were still using basically the same turntable motor into the '70s and they had a few dead '70s Rockolas that they were keeping for spares. I went along with my old motor and they showed me the dead jukes and the motors looked exactly the same. They cut one out and sold it to me for £35.00 - it worked perfectly!

It developed a few mechanical problems that I couldn't fix - only selecting about half of the 200 songs was the worst - plus it wrecked a couple of rare 45s before I realised what it was doing to them, so I eventually sold it for the price I'd paid for it.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Salv great old jukebox. I love the late 50s early 60s look it has.

 

[Sefton]

Sorry to read about your Juke troubles Salv. That's a neat looking machine. So far mine is working well enough. I just need to get some replacement needles ready so I can keep up a regular schedule-I don't want to damage any old 78s.

Of course I already damaged a Tampa Red 78 by trying to clean it. What an awful feeling when you try to do something good and end up with the opposite result!:eusa_doh:

 

[Salv]

Sorry to read about your Juke troubles Salv. That's a neat looking machine. So far mine is working well enough. I just need to get some replacement needles ready so I can keep up a regular schedule-I don't want to damage any old 78s.

Of course I already damaged a Tampa Red 78 by trying to clean it. What an awful feeling when you try to do something good and end up with the opposite result!:eusa_doh:

Are replacement needles easy to get hold of? Do you have to rely on originals, or is someone producing new ones to fit the old boxes? I assume there'd be a decent market for new 78 needles.

What did you use to clean the Tampa Red 78? If you don't already know it The Record Collectors Guild is a good resource for collectors with record care tips, and excellent forums as well.

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

Sorry to read about your Juke troubles Salv. That's a neat looking machine. So far mine is working well enough. I just need to get some replacement needles ready so I can keep up a regular schedule-I don't want to damage any old 78s.

Of course I already damaged a Tampa Red 78 by trying to clean it. What an awful feeling when you try to do something good and end up with the opposite result!:eusa_doh:

Sefton,

Some enthusiasts may reply to this & warn you never to let 78s touch water ever. (That is true of the 1/4" thick Edison Diamond Discs, and of already-majorly-damaged laminated Columbia's.)

I use what the Library of Congress uses on 78s: Kodak Fotoflo solution.
http://www.silverprint.co.uk/chem7.html

You mix it w/ water per bottle directions, gently wash the record in it & stick them in a record rack in front of a low speed fan, and it evaporates off with no film.

I've used it on all my 78s with no problems, only be careful of laminated columbia's with obvious surface chipping or lifting already. (They do fine otherwise.) Note that the labels are easily damaged when wet so be careful not to touch them. Don't stack the records in the solution or red labels bleed onto white ones.

I've done before/after recordings just to see if it's worth the hassle. Even on discs that seem fairly clean but somewhat played, it audibly helps a lot when played through a modern setup. Even if the record never got "dirty", washing it removes the loose debris of record material & steel needle shavings from previous playings, which otherwise act as an abrasive during play - 78s seem to hardly wear at all in the juke under those lightweight late-40s pickups if washed first.


Swing High,
- C H

 

[Wild Root]

I'll have to look into buying some of that Fotoflo stuff! When ever I washed a record of mine, I have always just used some cold water and dish soap. I've never had any records brake because of this... I've even washed some with cracks and they never have broken on me. I've always held them carefully and let the tap water flow over the grooves. Never getting the label wet. Took a soft sponge and applied the soap. Rinsed them off and had a fresh towel and dab them dry... has worked for me pretty well but, I'd love to try this other way out. How much does this formula cost?

=WR=

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

I'll have to look into buying some of that Fotoflo stuff! When ever I washed a record of mine, I have always just used some cold water and dish soap. I've never had any records brake because of this... I've even washed some with cracks and they never have broken on me. I've always held them carefully and let the tap water flow over the grooves. Never getting the label wet. Took a soft sponge and applied the soap. Rinsed them off and had a fresh towel and dab them dry... has worked for me pretty well but, I'd love to try this other way out. How much does this formula cost?

=WR=

$7 from Amazon.com for a bottle that will probably last through your entire collection. (Lasted me for about 500, need another now.)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009R7E0/sr=1-1/qid=1156366967/ref=sr_1_1/002-9452995-5890446

I started out very gingerly washing 78s. But records kept coming out dirty & sounding the same as before. (Got mine mostly from storage in country barns; many were mint, but still dirty.)

Took a few with mud deep in the grooves & keep putting them through successive harsher & harsher treatments in the photoflo solution, figuring I'd either clean em or brake em. Never broke any, but I did end up developing a new standard washing procedure for all my 78s that I honestly cannot "officially reccomend" to anyone, but it's worked great for me - great sound improvement, even for many 78s that already _looked_ clean, but apparently still had loose shellac grit in the grooves, because the hiss went away revealing cleaner highs:

Took a natural-hair clothes brush (like a smaller shoeshine brush), clipped each bristle bunch down to about 1/4" long for added stiffness. Using a boxy '70s clear plastic turntable dustcover on the kitchen counter for a perfectly flat basin, place each record one at a time in the shallow solution (about 1" deep, room temp).

.

As you look down on the disc, scrub the brush in a windshield-washer type motion with the grooves of the upper half of side A, rotate the disc 180 degrees, and do the other half of side A; flip and repeat. Dry on a wire record rack.

The amount of pressure applied with brush determines how deeply dirt is removed; on perfectly flat records I really bear down hard; on warped ones, lightly. It gets out every kind of deep-groove dirt I've run into, and has revealed some previously unplayable-looking records to actually be mint. The thing is you have to ensure the record, the basin, and the counter, all are Perfectly Flat. Haven't cracked one yet (knock on wood), and done well over 500 that way over the years. No damage to labels except some of the 1950s non-wax-coated ones wrinkle.

Even used the hard scrubbing on deeply mold-damaged, otherwise unplayed 1980s vinyl LPs; came out sounding like CDs with no surface noise. That reassured me that it wasn't scratching the 78s. You need a brush with stiff natural bristles, not fat plastic bristles, so they'll fit down into the groove.

But again, I'm not "reccomending" the hard scrubbing! lol


Swing High,
- C H

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Here's a picture of my juke, a 1959 Seeburg 220. It's the first stereo jukebox ever produced, as you can see by the "Channel 1" and "Channel 2" graphics. I bought it from a church about 8 years ago in original condition for $200 -the steal of the century! I then had the amp rebuilt for $300, and have only had to buy two new needles since then.

Day:

Night:

I also had this neon clock made to match by a guy out in San Carlos, his website is http://www.ken-glo.com/ . The price isn't too bad, considering he makes his clocks by hand in the art deco style.

 

[feltfan]

SFO

For those in the SF Bay Area, there is a small but
impressive exhibit of 1940s jukeboxes at the airport
in the International Departures area. It's next to a
cool Tiki exhibit, too.

Can't find images or info on the jukeboxes, but here's
something on the tiki exhibit:

http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=19634&forum=17

 

[Sefton]

Thanks for the 78 cleaning tips guys! I went out today and bought some more vintage blues 78s (including another Tampa Red...I still feel bad about wrecking the last one and sorry my lips are sealed as to what idiocy wrecked the first one! ) I'll try that Kodak solution.It sounds good.

As for needles,Cousin Hepcat put me wise to some sources for reasonably priced replacements. try:http://www.2nd-sight.com/victoryglass/default.htm
Good prices and I'm told they are honest to deal with. I'll let you know how any future cleanings come out.
Cheers!

 

[magneto]

Ah, so that is the famous jukebox, then! Looks beautiful! :eusa_clap

 

[Sefton]

Ah, so that is the famous jukebox, then! Looks beautiful! :eusa_clap

Yes,famous around my home. Infamous when my credit card bill arrives!lol

 

[FedoraGent]

Yes,famous around my home. Infamous when my credit card bill arrives!lol

Sefton, man oh man. That's just great. Need LPs?

Jon

 

[Wild Root]

That machine is pre LP... plays 78's.

=WR=

 

[FedoraGent]

That machine is pre LP... plays 78's.

=WR=

Tsk, Tsk, he knew what I meant. Sefton, I have loads of 78s. My buddy does too and there is a clearout of 78s on Page in The City...

 

[Wild Root]

Tisk, Tisk, your self, having 78’s and saying LP.lol The proper term would have been shellac!

All in fun,

=WR=

 

[Sefton]

Tsk, Tsk, he knew what I meant. Sefton, I have loads of 78s. My buddy does too and there is a clearout of 78s on Page in The City...

Are you refering to "Jacks" on Page? I thought that something might be up with them seeing as they are now only open by appointment. Yes,I am looking for titles for my Ami. She's hungry for music and needs feeding!

 

[Sefton]

Some pics from the S.F. airport Wurlitzer exhibit:

The model 412 from 1936:

Model 716 from 1937:

Model P-500 from 1938:

Model K-600 from 1939:

Model 800 from 1940:

Model 750 from 1941:

? model:

Model 850 "The Peacock":

One of the most famous of all,model 1015 "The Bubbler":

And last,but not least is model 1100 from 1948:

I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures. It was a bit difficult to get clear images with the reflections on the glass. I'm no expert,but I'd guess that I was looking at about $100,000 worth of Jukeboxes! Truely stunning works of art...