Wurlitzer 1700 Sound

Hi All,

I have a beautiful Wurly 1700. I really love the juke, but, is there any way to improve on the sound?

It falls way behind my other jukes.

It has the original amp and the Cobra Astatic needle. I don't want to remove the amp and replace it with a modern amp, however the sound really is lacking quality.

I have installed a new needle.

Any advice or guidance appreciated but please keep it simple. Should recapping improve the quality?

Regards

Gordo...........

Gordo;

Has the amp been rebuilt?

Have you tried adding damping to the cart. The Cobra is essentially a stylus connected to a vane which has a resonance point in the low 1000's of Hz. If it isn't packed with a viscous damping goo, that resonance will be obnoxious. You can try some silicone heatsink compound or lithium grease etc. Inject it into the cart and then remove some as needed to tune it. Try to make sure it is removed from the stylus

What is the condition of the speaker?

Personally, I didn't care for the Cobra on 45's either, but it can sound decent if properly damped. I changed the 1700 I had along with three 1800's to magnetic due to the damage the Cobras do to stereo and styrene records.

Rob/NYC

Hi Gordo,
A couple of questions---
1. Are you using the correct size Cobra ?
2. Is that Cobra "Greased" ?
IMHO, "re-capping" an amp" corrects 60-75% of the problem. There are other "things" that can, and do, "go wrong" with amps--- Ron Rich

I had a 1700 about 35 years ago and recapped the amplifier then. I remember it was the first time I had ever seen POSITIVE ground twist prong can capacitors. The cans actually said, "Can Com Positive" on them.

Mine sounded pretty good from what I can remember.

WOW!!! Thanks for the responses.

Yes, it is a new Astatic needle from Victory Glass made for 45's. Did not change the sound at all. These are becoming hard to find.

No, I don't believe the amp has been recapped. When I bought it, I had a technician 'get it going' but he only did the minimum work required. As this was years ago the gentleman has since passed away. Australia has very, very few people who can work on jukeboxes.

I really don't understand the 'dampening' discussed above. Am I right to assume I fill the space around the cartridge with a filler? What is the filler actually called? and where could I purchase this?

When I last checked, the speaker looked fine.

I think I might have a go at recapping the amp. I am not a technician, however, I was successful with another juke by following instructions with the caps.

The 1700 is a really pretty juke and I would never sell it, however, due to the sound, I rarely use it.

Thanks for your time and advice, I really appreciate it.

Regards

Gordo............

P.S. to my last post....

If I recap the amp should I also replace the tubes?

Gordo.........

Gordo, it probably isn't necessary to replace tubes as this in not likely the cause of what you are experiencing.

The amp needs to be recapped, it is nearly 58 years old.

As for the damping, yes, it s filled into the area around the vane that the stylus is a part of. When I did this back in 1986 i used some white lithium grease. At first i added too much and the sound became dull and muffled. I used a small model paint brush to remove some and got a decent sound after a few tries. The main criteria is that the damping not be prone to hardening and not be petroleum based (bad for records and the cart's plastic). You might even try a little cotton in there instead, but remove it if you decide to use a viscous liquid afterwards.

When I bought these machines I was given a half dozen "Duotone" Cobras in NOS cases. All had dried out damping and sounded like a Morning Glory Victrola.

Again, the priority is to get this amp recapped, it is living on borrowed time otherwise. Also, check to be sure that all fuses are of the proper rating. These old machines are often subjected to "mook" repairs along their life.

Rob/NYC

Thanks, I will order the caps today. I will also try the cotton for dampening.

I spent the morning getting the wallbox working properly. It was only selecting half the records....another story.

Regards

Gordo...............

Gordo,
To re-tube or not to re-tube ? That's the chicken/egg question. I have seen perfectly good 70 year old tubes, and bad "brand new" ones.
Ron Rich

Hi Again,

I filled around the stylus with some cotton wool (I think you guys call it cotton wadding), and it did improve the sound. I think the stylus had some movement and does not sit too tight.

Another sounds is when the record is playing I get a rumble sound through the juke. It seems to be picking up the record movement. The sound stops if I push the stylus off the record. It sounds like the motor movement is affecting the sound.

Any ideas what this could be?

I still intend to recap the amp.

Regards

Gordo..........

Motor mounts shot--belt wrong, or too tight --lack of proper oil in motor, TT / drive gear ? Ron Rich

Ron pretty much covered it, but also check for the motor mounting plate sagging and touching the oil pan or other elements, and give a quick look at the rotor itself. Sometimes if the machine has sat for years (decades) the old lube will slowly leak from the bearings and harden on the rotor making it slightly unbalanced.


Again, priority is recapping the amp.

Rob

Hi,

Followed your advice and sound has improved. These minor things have made a difference.

Next.....new caps.

Thanks for taking an interest and offering help.

Regards

Gordon.....