Rockola 454 - tonearm help

Hello everyone - first post and I hope it's a simple solution.

I just purchased a rockola 454 and it appears to be in good working order - all of the mechanicals and lights are working correctly. Track selection works and it can play both sides of the records.

however - 2 things:

1) - the gripper picks up the 45 and deposits it on the platter which is turning. The tonearm then swings out correctly and gets into position and places the needle on the record - music plays BUT it wont track (skate?) across the record. When it completes a full revolution it just skips without advancing any further. Very frustrating. If I grap the tonearm manually and move it to the center of the record the tonearm return kicks in and everything appears to work correctly.

2) Not sure if this is related. The three pins in the center of the platter seem to be out of sync somehow. When there isn't a record on the platter they appear to be pushed up. When the gripper places a record on the platter they remain up simply by virtue of the fact that they appear to be a little sticky (could use some lube i suspect) so the record plays. But if I were to touch them gently they would drop down and the record would slide off the platter. I imagine that it should be the opposite no? No record = pins down and vice versa.

As of now the second problem does not seem to be an issue as the record sits on there beautifully and plays just fine (on a ten second loop)- it's just the tonearm problem that is preventing me from enjoying the jukebox.

Any help would be greatly appreciated - is this something one of you has seen before?

You are going to need to look and find out what/where the arm is binding-and "fixit"--a little 20 wt ND oil may "cure" it also--
As for the three red plastics--they must remain up if a large hole 45 is played. They are designed to sense a small hole, 33 rpm record.
Ron Rich

The center part is made to be easy pushed down. Say you have a 45 or 33 small hole single it would play them. To see if it has auto speed is a easy test start a recored then push down the chrome parts in the enter of the table. If it has the 33 rpm part the plater well slow to that speed. If it stays 45 rpm you can use newer 45's even uk imports with the small hole. I done this to my 478 by changing the plater so I could get better music.


If your box is anything like a 478 arm wise. The arm sets on a stem and has a bolt losing bolt to remove arm. Also under the arm is a spring to set gram weight force I would check that first pick arm straight up and look a the back of it underside and see if the spring is in the right spot.

Also check the cable to make sure it is not in shipping mode you should have a little slack in it.

thanks for the advice guys - I'll take a look later today and report back.

Makes perfect sense about the spindles too re: small hole. That had never occurred to me either.

I did occur to me that it might be a problem with the needle though - could that cause it to track incorrectly?

Yes a bad needle well cause it to track wrong if it is worn out. I have a 478 but rockola used the same needle in lots of there box's If it is blue or could be white it should pull stright out. This is a shure needle like the one in the link. If like this easy to replace and cheap.

Look up this two items in search. They are both the same

4759-D7
(generic)
N44C
Shure Brand

Now the gram weight is 3 to 5 grams.. pulled my service guide. each lug under arm is 1 gram move spring up tores the needle to decrease and back to increase presser



also on b side make sure the arm is about 1/8 over the gripper arm when it passes it. to fix that if it is to high or low turn long screw with nut under back of arm. Being to high can also make it play wrong the arm can not move free if up to high. To low will break the needle when it flips a recored.