1967-1971 Seeburg "AP-1" Jukebox

1967-1971 Seeburg
33 1/3 - RPM Jukebox
Model "AP-1"
Over 1000 Selections

It's true that the music on CDs is compressed. In other words, parts of the sound are cut out. Maybe that's why many LP aficionados say vinyl has a warmer sound.

A lot of bands are releasing their new music on vinyl, bringing back the LP now more than ever. Some are going to thrift stores and buying up all they have of the "good stuff".

Many people hung onto their LPs even though they bought replacement CDs. Well if you were one of the smart (or frugal) ones who held onto your LPs, here's a reward for you. The reward is this amazing unit that stores and plays 50 albums.

These units were only made between 1967 and 1971 and sold through TV, Radio and Stereo stores. But the stores weren't really set up to display and properly market these wonderful machines. Even so, a sizable number were sold in the US.

Through the years they would quit working (the turntable belts would stretch) and no one knew who could service them. Seeburg closed up shop in 1980. Thus they were sold at garage sales and even turned into thrift stores who sold them to unsuspecting folks who in turn couldn't get them repaired either. When they would set not working, other problems would develop also.

Well, our people were the ones who would install them in the mansions of the rich and famous of Los Angeles. (Mr. Hefner has several in his Playboy Mansion.) Some were purchased by professional sound system installers who would tell their customers that they built the units by hand. Then they'd install them at a cost of $40,000 and that was back in the late '60s!

Now we have available a number of these gems in various shapes and sizes to either hide in a closet or proudly perform in your living room. It's kind of like Dad's Admiral or Westinghouse stereo console, but playing 35 hours of unduplicated music with the press of one button. (You can also dial up one side at a time or 20.)

The cabinet configurations allow a wide choice to fit anybody's needs. You can buy the mechanism alone to place in a closet and run wires to your present sound system through RCA phono plugs. Or you can buy a 5-foot long cabinet with it's own amplifier, radio and speakers.

They're so darn cool. Heck, they're RETRO if there ever was one. So dig out your old LPs (even The Beach Boys and The Who), plop down a few bucks and dig some great sounds from the days of vinyl.

This album player is a solid state, 50 LP, light tracking stereo. A great way to store and play 50 of your favorite LPs. 35 hours of constant play without repeating. Intended for home use and to be connected to an existing sound system.

We have numerous cabinet configurations, just ask us about them. You might want to purchase just the album player mechanism itself, without the cabinet and then it can be tucked away hidden from view.

1950 Seeburg Model "B" Jukebox

1950 Seeburg
45 - RPM Jukebox
Model "B"
100 Selections

The "B" was introduced in Oct of 1950 for the 1951 year. It was a transitional juke between the "A" and the "C". The "A" was the last 78 - RPM jukebox Seeburg made and the "B" was the world’s first 45 - RPM jukebox.

Seeburg took essentially the same amplifier, Pickering cartridge and 15-inch speaker of the "A" and put it in a nearly identical cabinet, just not as wide. That was the point … size. Seeburg was the first with 100 selections in the "A" but strived for more tunes without increasing the size of the jukebox cabinet.

Earlier talks between Seeburg and RCA engineers lead to the creation of the new, smaller, faster 45 - RPM disc introduced in 1949. Thus with the smaller disc the wide "A" cabinet was shrunk down considerably while still accommodating the same number of (50) discs. Eventually Seeburg introduced 200 selections in 1955 with the V-200.

The "B" was nearly as good sounding as the "A" and continued Seeburg’s domination of the marketplace, through innovation, all the way through the '50s.

This unit was probably originally reconditioned about 15 or 20 years ago and done with a Southwestern motif. We chose not to strip down the painted cabinet even though it has some areas where the paint shows seems in the wood beneath.

Other than the freedom used on the cabinet the "workings" are all original. We've reconditioned everything operational and it works and sounds great. If you look out your backyard window and see cactus or want to add some music and color to a room, this is the juke for you.

1953 Seeburg "G" Jukebox

1953 Seeburg
45 - RPM Jukebox
Model "G"
100 Selections

Following the tremendous success of Seeburg's M100C of 1952-3 came two nearly identical looking machines both introduced in September 1953 for the 1954 year. I wonder if the complaints that filtered back to the distributors regarding the fragileness of the front of the "C" had any bearing on the "100W" and "HF100G" being built considerably more rugged? Although the "W" had plastic pilasters, the noisy animation was even dropped.

The front of both the "W" and "G" was sturdy chromed metal and resembled the front bumpers of the cars of the day. That 'bumper' could probably hold its ground against the real front bumper of most of today's cars and even light duty trucks. The "G" went one step farther in ruggedness with stainless steel pilasters.

Ironically, those very features of the "C" that irritated jukebox operators of yesterday, (animation behind frosted plastic pilasters with round glass mirrors in the grill) is what drives buyers to seek out the "C" today.

Jukes can get pretty banged up while being drug from one location to another and pushed around in the shop. So a big difference between the "C" and the "W"/"G” was durability. Gone was the exposed wooden front covered only by a decal made from a Polaroid photograph. (You could order replacement decals).

From the earliest days, jukeboxes mimicked the styles of the new cars. So by 1954, with cars no longer having that "Tin Lizzy" look, it was natural for plastic to give way to chromed steel.

The "C" and "W" had basically the same sound system whereas the "G" was Seeburg’s first High Fidelity jukebox. It incorporated an advanced amp and tweeter with a primitive dividing network besides the 15 - inch woofer of the "C" and "W". The "G" did sound better. In fact we've even gone a step farther by adding one transistor. We might call it a "Hybrid".

Someone had already begun rebuilding this particular juke when we got a hold of it. So rather

than tear it down and start from scratch, we've corrected a few technical errors and completely rebuilt the workings.

Practically everything metal that could be removed, had already been chromed. Even the original stainless steel pilasters looked dang nice. We've also done a little cosmetic work to the cabinet. It's just about ready now, but here's the question for you:

If you're interested in this baby let us know if you'd like us to keep it original ($5295) or have us install quiet, colored, revolving cylinders and frosted plastic pilasters? With this upgrade, you get the "prettiness" of the "C" and ruggedness of the "G" for an additional $600 more. Your call.

1980 Seeburg "Phoenix" Jukebox

1980 Seeburg
45 - RPM Jukebox
Model "Phoenix"
160 Selections

This 1980 Seeburg Phoenix is one great jukebox. With it’s disco ball rotating under high intensity spotlights it’s the life of the party. All you need is a dance floor.

1994 Rockola Model "CD-8" Jukebox

1994 Rockola
CD Jukebox
Model "CD-8"
Over 1500 Selections

A while back I get a call from a fellow who runs a very respectable company in nearby Van Nuys. He says he's got this Rockola CD-8 Bubbler jukebox that he can only remember playing one song on since he bought it some 14 years ago. I'm curious and it's only a couple of miles away.

He meets me in his warehouse and points to it over in a corner, covered in plastic wrap and strapped to a pallet. We unwrap it and lift it off the pallet. It’s beautiful, but dusty. He hands me a key that he's recently gotten from the factory in Torrance, CA.

I open it up and see that there’s still a CD in the play position. He says that must be the one he's been missing all these years. Seems he got it brand new from a local pool table store. It was on the showroom floor playing at the time. He had it delivered, played part of one CD and turned it off.

Shortly afterwards he moved into another home and placed the jukebox in the back of his warehouse never to be played again. I wasn't sure about his story, but the price was right and the unit looked great.

I got it back to the shop and covered it up. Only recently did I get a chance to examine it. The insides were as dusty as the outsides with an extremely fine silt. Then I remembered he ran a wood molding company. Thus it was wood dust.

I covered the player and hit the whole machine with the compressor. Wow! It really did look brand new. But I was still curious if the fellow had only played one CD since 1995. So I punched up the code and asked the computer how many actual CDs it had played. (Keep in mind, this reading can not be cleared). It was just over 3,000 plays. It was manufactured 11-3-94.

But if you remember this was playing in the store when he bought it. Yet 3,000 plays is nothing if you consider that people who rent jukeboxes for weekend parties put 500 plays on one in a few days. We actually rent out this model ourselves through our other company, JUKEBOXES FOR RENT ®.

So here we have a real beauty with barley any mileage on it from an era when jukebox manufacturers weren't cutting corners to save a buck. It was in it's own personal time warp waiting for me to come along and release it.

What's nice about the Rockola reproduction "Bubbler" verses the Wurlitzer "Bubbler" is that even the top section has revolving color wheels. These are glorious in the dim light of a party.

Isn't it time you had a party?

1974 Rockola Model "456" Jukebox

1974 Rockola
45 - RPM Jukebox
Model "456"
160 Selections

"The Sophisticated Jukebox".

At first glance it could easily pass for your folks old Admiral or Magnavox home stereo system. Remember the one that sat stately at one end of the living room?

Well this ain't your Dad's old AM/FM, 5 record, 3 speed changer. It's a 2 speed, 160 to 480 selection "retro" style juke that would just plain smoke that Westinghouse console from back in the day.

The stereo separation and killer sound that emits from this beautiful cabinet are unachievable in conventional jukes unless you connect remote speakers to them. The speakers are an amazing 31-inch apart! If you sit somewhere between 5 and 15 feet in front of this lovely beast, you'll be blown away by the stereo separation.

The rugged Shure M-44 cartridge (we used them in radio stations) sends its signal through a powerful (100 watt) solid state stereo amplifier into two 6-inch mid and high frequency speakers and two 12-inch full range speakers.

Although intended for use in fancy restaurants and classy lounges it came along during a time when jukebox use in exactly those places was waning. Thus not too many of this style were ever sold.

Then once they were retired from service by the jukebox operators, they tended to get banged around a bit. They normally ended up acting as storage since they had a nice flat top. Luckily that surface was a burn and mar proof polyester material. In the end they'd get torn down and stripped for parts that could be used in conventional jukes.

This particular unit has been in the living room of a sweet little ranch house in fashionable Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley of LA since it was new. The minor dings on the cabinet come from helping raise a family over 35 years.

The "innards" are spotless and the playmeter shows an accurate 3500 plays. As a comparison, a typical jukebox rented for a weekend party chalks up 200 to 500 plays in 3 days.

The mechanism is tried, true, dependable and simple. For a few bucks more, we'll throw in a nifty Rockola motorized remote control so you won't have to get up from your easy chair to turn it up or down, on or off or even cancel tunes.

So if you have a comfortable place in your home for the fun of a jukebox and the sophisticated look of a fine piece of furniture, this is it.

1946 Wurlitzer Model "1015" Jukebox

1946 Wurlitzer
78 - RPM Jukebox
Model "1015"
24 Selections
Previously owned by Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson

This is one from our "Celebrity Jukes Collection". This was Burt Reynold's personal jukebox in his home in Florida. It was also in his and Loni Anderson's home together off Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and in Loni's home off Mulholland Drive after they split up.

Don Muller (JUKEBOXES UNLIMITED ®) saw a 1015 on the set of "Evening Shade" years ago when Dom Deluise introduced him to Burt. But, Loni and Don’s memories are a little fuzzy on whether this is the same one. This could easily be verified by viewing an episode to see if the Wurlitzer decal on the front window of the jukebox on the show is missing the "W" as this one is. The decal on this machine can easily be replaced it if the buyer prefers.

What an amazing history this jukebox has. Owned and loved by Burt Reynolds, the number-one box-office attraction for five straight years (1978-82) and lovely Loni Anderson, the sultry co-star of "WKRP In Cincinnati".

JUKEBOXES UNLIMITED ® has been servicing this beauty since Burt brought it to Los Angeles in the early 1980's. Photos taken when Don purchased it one year ago show some discolored metal moldings and veneer that is lifting slightly.

We've completely rebuilt the "workings" of the jukebox including the sound system. We've installed updated components that allow this baby to really crank out the sound. The speed is "right on" and it sounds great!

The speed had been changed to 45 - rpm when we bought it, but we've brought it back to it's original 78 - rpm glory. Also in keeping with originality, most exterior cosmetics will be left the same as when Loni owned it. The unit is on permanent free play.

This was part of the private lives of these two beloved superstars and it could very well be sitting in your business, office lobby or home game room. All original papers and digital photos included.

1949 Seeburg "A" Jukebox

1949 Seeburg
78 - RPM Jukebox
Model "A"
100 Selections

First of all this is, hands down, the best sounding 78 rpm jukebox ever made. It had been in development for nearly 8 years. Star Title Strip Company of Pittsburgh had already begun printing the new double strips for the "A" by 1947. Needless to say this is the jukebox that revolutionized the industry.

Here's my take on this jukebox and the record industry and you can correct me if I'm wrong. Before the 1920s phonograph records were engineered to sound good on a crank up Victrola. Remember there were no radio stations until the1920s.

But by the mid 1920s just about all of America could hear music on a radio. Yet no matter how good a 78 rpm record sounded in the control booth of a radio station, it still was going to be heard thru either a tiny speaker in a table radio or a large 15-inch full range one in a floor model.

Eventually Paul Galvin introduced in 1930 Motorola radios for cars. Now the recording engineer was up against the dilemma of trying to make tunes sound good coming from small and large home radios and those tiny little oval speakers in dashboards.

Although Americans invented jukeboxes at the turn of the 20th century, their sound systems were quite primitive until into the 1930s. But by the 1940s jukes were becoming a powerful force for demonstrating new music to the public.

Even with a limited array of artists on a handful of labels, the public's appetite became insatiable. Jukeboxes were showing up at bars, lounges, restaurants, U.S.O. halls and even drug stores.

It didn't take long for record companies to realize the marketing possibilities of "jukes". Where better to hear your favorite new artist's newest hit but on a jukebox.

All the public had to do is hear a tune sound great on a jukebox for them to go out and buy the record. It didn't matter what it sounded like after they bought it. The sale was done and the jukebox did it!

With improved jukebox amplifiers and cartridges, recording engineers worked hand in hand with the industry leaders in developing records that sounded good on jukes.

From the beginning, jukes were made large so a customer walking into an establishment would spot it immediately. The big cabinets made for excellent acoustic devises or speaker enclosures.

Now record companies could engineer records with a standard in mind. That of sounding good coming out of a 15-inch jukebox speaker. The jukebox became their best salesmen.

To continue with my theory, it just stands to reason that this marriage of recording engineers and jukebox manufacturers would be at it's peak, at least for 78 rpm, in the years before and just after 45 rpm came along in 1949. Thus I believe tunes produced between 1940 and 1959 were intended to sound their best emitted from a jukebox.

(Motown records of the 60s and Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" recordings were intended to sound their best in mono car radios.)

To hear the original 78 rpm RCA version of Elvis Presley's monster 1956 hit "Don't Be Cruel" or even Glen Miller's "In the Mood" on a Seeburg "A" can be breath taking. You'd be blown away by the fullness of sound coming from the little black Pickering cartridge through a 16 watt push-pull tube type amplifier out a 15-inch full range speaker inside a massive wooden cabinet. All the components were "tuned" with each other.

It's how '40s big band and early rock and roll was meant to sound. It's absolutely amazing and no other means of reproduction comes any where near matching it. As far as I'm concerned, the M-100 A is the best sounding 78 rpm jukebox in the world.

On a side note: Seeburg took essentially the same amp, cartridge and 15-inch speaker and installed it in the worlds first 45 rpm jukebox, the M-100 B in 1951. Although the only difference was the speed of the record and the size of the cabinet, the "B" only sounds half as good as the "A".

Remember, the faster the record spins, the better it sounds. So L.P. versions of early Rock and Roll at 33 1/3 rpm leave a lot to be desired compared to a 78 rpm juke. "Rock Around the Clock" was produced before "HI-FI" came along. By the way I'm a radio engineer with a "First-Class" ticket, the highest broadcast license the FCC issues.

Here's another side story: Shortly after starting JUKEBOXES UNLIMITED ® in Phoenix AZ, a guy calls me and asks if I buy 78 rpm jukes. He had 25 "A"s in a shed behind his hair saloon in Mesa (a city outside Phoenix). He wanted to jump on the bandwagon of making tons of coins from jukeboxes, so he invested in 25 brand new "A"s at the end of 1948.

He placed the first one in a little Italian restaurant on 7th street near downtown Phoenix called the Blue Grotto. By 1951 the Seeburg "B" model playing the new 45 rpm records came along and made his "A"s obsolete.

He never placed another one on location again. So in 1971 I bought them all including the one from the Blue Grotto for $25 each. I should be shot, huh?

So you should buy this wonderful music machine and breakout the old Rock and Roll 78s. Does anybody still know how to "Bop"? You should hear Gene Vincent’s "Be-Bop-A-Lula" on an "A". And what’s also cool about an "A" is you can hear "Woman Love" on the other side without flipping the record over.

1957 Rockola Model "1455" Jukebox

1957 Rockola
45 - RPM Jukebox
Model "1455"
200 Selections

Compact, cute and colorful.

This was Rockola's first foray into 200 selection jukeboxes and offered Seeburg's V/VL models of previous years some decent competition. It was considerably smaller and lighter which was achieved by using its Ferris wheel record basket configuration.

Even it's sound was competitive with other jukes of the time through the use of a huge 15-inch speaker in conjunction with a small high frequency horn. (AMI was the first to use a horn in it's great sounding F model of 1954.)

The 200 tune title strips in the 1455 are displayed at a slight angle in increments of 40 in a 5 sided rotating drum.

This particular unit is from the personal collection of a very talented Southern California

jukebox operator. And although one to always be trying technical experiments with jukes on his route, this one seemed to have escaped his trials.

It’s in amazingly nice, original condition. The top part of the side of the cabinet is all original, which by now would’ve been painted over 5 times. The bottom half is not originl, but in good shape. This is one sweet little juke.