General thoughts on jukebox reliability

If you've seen my other posts, you know that I am working on a 1957 Wurlitzer. I am finally coming down the home stretch and looking forward to enjoying it. I have an old EM pinball machine as well. Given the nature of a steel ball randomly crashing into things, replacing parts and adjusting switches is a normal, on-going activity. I'm hoping that the repetitive, smooth nature of a jukebox translates into a situation where it is fairly bulletproof and should run without needing a lot of adjustment and maintenance.

However, what should I expect once I get everything dialed in?
Thanks
Brooks

Brooks,
Expect the unexpected !! They are seldom "dialed in"", especially the first time, you do one !!
Ron Rich

Play it. The more they get played the smoother they seem to run. I always give my juke a spin several times a week. It really does help, I think anyway. Mark.

DoghouseRiley wrote:
Regular use, is one of the best forms of "preventative maintenance."

Also, make some of your favourite tracks "B sides" rather than "A sides."

That is a good point. Also with your Wurlitzer make sure the brass guide tips are spot on. Those lift arms will shred a record in no time flat with bent guides. I found out the hard way.

"Brass"?? WurliTzer used plastic tips ( aka, "Duckbills") in all 200 select production--I have seen some cast metal repros, but never brass--100 select models used "tin"--I think ?? Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:"Brass"?? WurliTzer used plastic tips ( aka, "Duckbills") in all 200 select production--I have seen some cast metal repros, but never brass--100 select models used "tin"--I think ?? Ron Rich

I mean the flimsy little tips that centre the record on the end of the guide arms. 1956 model.I think mine are brass. Or the Australian air has dis colored them

Those are the "Duck bills"-- you must have some "strange air" down there ?? Maybe that's why you blokes "talk funny" ?
Ron Rich

Ron .We speak perfect English here in OZ. It`s the rest of the world that talk funny. I am off topic here but happy Christmas to all THANK YOU for this great forum. It has made an Aussie very happy. Mark.

Seems like there are about a dozen things you can adjust to get the arms to work, from the pawls to the guides that the pin goes into at bottom of stroke to the guides under the table that engage at top of stroke to the plastic rollers to, you name it. I finally got it working properly on both sides. Unfortunately, I have these lingering fears that that I didn't tighten something down. But I'm too chicken to re-tighten for fear I'll knock it out of alignment.

Of course when Ron says duckbill, he pictures a mallard while Mark pictures a platypus

Hi Mark,
Yep--just what I thought you would write--My Aussie friends all tell me the same thing here---That does NOT make it true !!!
Ron Rich

Would love to see some pics of the finished juke. I sort of side swiped your topic with my prior waffling sorry. Also ,what gave you the most problems with your jukebox as we can all benefit from other peoples headaches. Any tips will help our addiction. Cheers Mark.

v200juke wrote:Would love to see some pics of the finished juke.

Trust me, no one would like to see some pics of the FINISHED juke more than I. I know I have some minor tweaking but it is pretty well done mechanically. It's that darn speaker issue that is killing me now and a jukebox that doesn't actually produce sound isn't much of a jukebox. I'm not really hitting the cosmetics until all the other stuff is sorted out. And, of course, the 2150 is kind of the stripped down, no bling, version of the 2100., so it's never going to be that pretty
Also I think the old decals are a great touch but the glass lid was replaced with a piece of plexiglass, so I am holding off on adding decals until I can find the glass. Given the simplicity of the glass lid on this model, I can't bring myself to pay $500 plus shipping for one from Victory.
I'll definitely detail my lessons learned when I am done
Brooks

Brooks & Co. I owned one 2150 and particularly like two features: The keyboard is on to -sufficiently out of the way of spills and the dear little bas......kiddies.

The other is that it used the same latter-number strategy as Seeburg (A1-B1) allowing easy use of Seeburg wallboxes with out have to renumber the pages.

Add a magnetic pickup, a crossover and horn tweeter and this was a very good sounding machine.

Rob