I s'pose I could have bought an i-pod...

I decided a while back, I hadn't room in my jukebox for all the records I would like available.

So on a "whim" I made a provisional offer and have had it accepted on this. I'm going to have a look at it tomorrow. The deal is for delivery and 90 day guarantee. It's in immaculate condition and fully serviced. It's an NSM with visible mechanism. Well... I've room for two in my tea-house.




Here's the "technical bit"

For those who don't want to know the score......

Jukeboxes fall into two main categories,

Those where the records are stored in rotating carousels, Rowe-Ami, (Bal-Ami made in the UK) Rock-Ola and Wurlitzer.
The first two play the records "flat" as on a record player, Wurlitzers play them "on their edge."

The other two main manufacturers are Seeburg and NSM.

Here the records are stored on their edge on a rack. The playing mechanism travels up and down in front of them and pulls the record out of the rack.

"We don't talk about CD playing jukeboxes."

Here's one in operation. They were made in the UK around 1984.

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Having been messed around by the vendor, as the performance on inspection wasn't as good as I was led to believe, I've baled out of negotiations, he also kept trying to up the price on another he had which I liked.

So now I've settled on this from someone else, if all goes well I hope to pick it up between Christmas and New Year. It's in good nick and has been recently serviced.
It's a Rock-Ola 443 which takes 50 records and is only 31.5 inches wide. It's the "baby brother" of the 442 which is wider and holds 80 records, like my other one.

I think this one looks quite pretty.

 

Great Christmas prezzie doghouse!!! :thmb: 02

 

The Christmas presents you buy yourself, are always the best and the most appreciated.

On the subject of presents...

As a retired retailer, I like shopping as much as any woman would like going next door and doing their washing up......

But we went into the Trafford Centre yesterday, for a bit of shopping and an afternoon coffee and some cake at Caluccios. It wasn't too busy. I reckon it'll be packed today. Mrs R had another £25 M&S voucher, (she puts a lot through her M&S card).

So we stocked up on a few food special offers. I took the stuff to the car while she "had a look round." I met her as she came out. The conversation went like this.

"I've seen a couple of watches in there I like, but I can't make up my mind."

"Do you want me to come back in and look at them with you?"

"Yes."

So we did, I said both were nice.

"Yes, but I can't make up my mind now, so I'll come back on Tuesday."

The last thing I needed was coming back to the Trafford Centre on Tuesday and she knew it.

"Err... Do you think you could make up your mind now, if I offered to pay for it?"

"Yes!"

The present I am buying her for Christmas arrived yesterday. (there also has to be a "surprise present")
After she'd opened the parcel, I went upstairs. When I came down I said that she might as well have it now.
I was a bit late as everything had been removed from her current bag into the new one.

This new bag has at least stimulated a clear-out. I've just taken six of her old but hardly used handbags, down to the charity shop.
I said to the girl, "I 've just done over six old ladies, so you can have these bags, after all...it is Christmas."
I was out of the shop before I could tell whether she thought I was joking or not.

 

I've got this home now and it's installed with the other one in the tea-house. There's a bit of work to do, I've to sort out the fluorescent that should illuminate the numbers bank. Discussing the problem on a jukebox message board site we've decided it's probably the tube sockets which are the problem, someone has kindly offered to find me a couple of forty-year-old replacements.
I've ordered a "new old stock" record sleeve insert from the USA from a firm that bought up all Rock-Ola's warehouse spares, when they were bought by Rowe Ami a while back. That's the "round thing" next to the title cards which is badly faded. You can slip a 45rpm cover in front of it if you choose. It was a way to advertise to patrons a new addition to the carousel. But I want it "right."
Apparently, it was only because I had the part number that they were able to find it, as at first they didn't think they had any. There were only "six left in the world." I ordered two because of their minimum order value, I'll sell the other on eBay.

I also need to sort out the coloured graphic above the bass speakers, this too is faded, but I think I can repaint it with some iridescent paint. The graphic is fixed to the back of the front screen which can be unclipped and removed for cleaning.

I've sorted out the records, keeping some of those which were in it and others of my own and some I've ordered. I've also printed up new title cards to replace the mish-mash you can see in the photo.

Nothing much happening at the moment as it's too cold to run either.

 

As I can't get much done in the garden. I've had time to sort this out.

For those who don't want to know the score, "look away now."

Had to get rid of the old fridge/freezer, as I was running out of room but picked up a good as new little "Budweiser" fridge from eBay for about thirty quid for my beers and the odd bottle of wine.
I've made the cosmetic changes and fitted new end caps to the faulty fitting behind the numbers bank and got the "right" 25w fluorescent tubes for all three fittings from a specialist lighting wholesaler. (it came with 18w ones). They were only a fiver each, half the price of what a DIY shed would have charged if they stocked them. They are only made in Canada now.
I've nearly got all the records I wanted for it, some unusual choices included, like this one. Not had much chance to play either, but "I'm ready for any warm weather" we might get.

This was before I changed the faded lower graphic.


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Trying to repaint the original with poster paints was a bit of a disaster, but "where there's a will."
I printed up correct sized coloured panels using "Excel" on my computer and "sandwiched" them between clear plastic behind the plastic "lozenges" in the bass speaker grill. Not a bad result.


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