Seeburg LS1 Jukebox

My jukebox will not pick up the records and I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to fix the problem. It searches and when it
gets to the right location stops and sounds like it's trying to pick up the record, but doesn't.

Hi Suzyq,
Funny--My wife and I were on our way home about an hour ago, when I saw a license plate on the car ahead of me that said "SuzyQ, ILU"--
Anyway, it sounds as if the record transfer (aka "lift") arm is "stuck"--bent --broken--Got the Service Manual ? Ron Rich

When I dealt with this sort of thing in resurrecting mechs it was a matter it was a matter of lubrication. Either the mechanism was bone dry or old oil had turned to molasses.

Here is a lube chart: http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=18 Click the fourth "button" enlarge.

Use a good grade of non-detergent oil at 20 weight. A hose type oiler is a real help.

Aside from my personal dislike toward flipping the mechanism inward on these later models which I felt led to neglect, these LS-1-2 were near-perfect jukeboxes. All transistor, super simple control electronics and no speed unit.

That having bee stated, they are approaching the 50 year point and are already way past needing a general overhaul including amp rebuild.

At this point you need to asses your abilities here. If you feel competent to do some basic soldering and cleaning, the first step is to order a service manual (see listings above). If you don't want to deal with it, again, check the listings and see if you can find someone to send the amp and control center to for servicing. There are several people, including Ron who have good reputations for this work.

Rob/NYC

Hi Rob,
Thanks for the "plug"--glad to hear I have a "good rep"--I try hard to do it right, the first time--fail, once in a long while, but still am trying !
As for the LS-1, and all newer phono's up to the SMC series, they either had a 33 rpm Autospeed as original equipment, or an optional 33 Autospeed.
Upon re-reading this lady's statement, I wonder if the clutch is gummy, or worn out ? Also, as this is a LS-1 model, they had a major failure with the main cam gear on some of the early production LS-1's. Seems the supplier made a change in the material used, without notifying Seeburg, and the gear would strip off teeth. I sorta doubt this is the case here, as this problem seemed to show up after the first few hundred plays of a new machine--but ??? Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Hi Suzyq,
Funny--My wife and I were on our way home about an hour ago, when I saw a license plate on the car ahead of me that said "SuzyQ, ILU"--
Anyway, it sounds as if the record transfer (aka "lift") arm is "stuck"--bent --broken--Got the Service Manual ? Ron Rich

Thanks Ron,
We will check out the lift arm and see if we can figure out the problem. Someone told my husband to check the clutch. No, we don't have
the manual, but I am planning to get one. When we got the jukebox, it was working fine and then all of a sudden quit. Still comes on and
searches, but as I said, tries to pick up the record but can't.

Rob-NYC wrote:When I dealt with this sort of thing in resurrecting mechs it was a matter it was a matter of lubrication. Either the mechanism was bone dry or old oil had turned to molasses.

Here is a lube chart: http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=18 Click the fourth "button" enlarge.

Use a good grade of non-detergent oil at 20 weight. A hose type oiler is a real help.

Aside from my personal dislike toward flipping the mechanism inward on these later models which I felt led to neglect, these LS-1-2 were near-perfect jukeboxes. All transistor, super simple control electronics and no speed unit.

That having bee stated, they are approaching the 50 year point and are already way past needing a general overhaul including amp rebuild.

At this point you need to asses your abilities here. If you feel competent to do some basic soldering and cleaning, the first step is to order a service manual (see listings above). If you don't want to deal with it, again, check the listings and see if you can find someone to send the amp and control center to for servicing. There are several people, including Ron who have good reputations for this work.

Rob/NYC

Thanks Rob,
We have been trying to find someone in our area to service it, give it a good cleaning and see if they can figure out the problem, but
haven't found anyone so far.
If you know anyone in the Dallas, Tx area who works on them, please let me know.

Suzyq,
Please check your PM's
Ron Rich

OK, "suzyq" -here is a little test: Select a record at a point where you can see down into the mechanism. When the mech stops there you should see the turntable clamp close as if to clamp a record and the tonearm move toward where a record would be.

If you do see these actions it is likely that either the lift arm is stuck, or the spring which provides the lift force is broken. I've never seen a broken spring there, but it is possible.

If no cam-tonearm-clamp actions takes place, put your ear near the mech and listen for a ticking sound while in the play mode. This can indicate a binding clutch yoke that won't allow it to fully shift. Oil -may- help here.

I hadn't wanted to mention the stripped gear just yet, but it is a distinct possibility in this case and model. The sudden failure points to that situation. It is a major repair requiring near total diss-assembly of the mechanism. I've only done this twice and it is not really a DIY task.

Anyway, take a look and let us know what you see.

Rob