Phonoland

I was wondering what the history was behind jukebox manufacturers releasing two models of a similar jukebox, one having more selections than the other? Like the Seeburg 220/222, Rockola 1496/1497, etc. What was the thinking behind doing this? Was the one with more selections priced significantly higher, so it was seen as also offering a "budget" option?

Is there any reason why the fewer-selections model would be (more) attractive to collectors now? I'm a little bummed because the one I've been looking for, a Rockola 437 popped up locally, but looking at the pictures more closely I now see that it's actually a 436, which just seems a little less cool due to the slightly different grill and more bare playlist area

At some locations due to their size or specitialy(country and western,soul, etc) a 100 selection box was all that was needed. Saving the operator some money. Don know about the collectibale factor between the 2 or 3 types.

Also, in some areas ( mostly in the south, I'm told), jukes were taxed by the number of selections available. In some foreign countries, the lower priced "economy model" was all they could afford--
Ron Rich

The more selections on a jukebox had to be paid for by the operator.
So if they just wanted to wheel in jukebox as a trial then the smaller setup costs would have been the order of the day.

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK