My First Jukebox

[Aahgo]

Hi guys,

I've been looking for a long time for a nice late 50's jukebox.  I just picked this up on Labor day.  Had to drive 4 hours to get it but I feel it was well worth it.  It is a 1959 Rockola Tempo 1 (1468) in very nice condition.  The cabinet has been repainted in a turquoise blue speckle coat that actually doesn't look that bad.  I still need to get it into the basement which is not going to be easy seeing I have a right angle landing to deal with.  I'm sure I'll be flooding you guys with noob questions as I go forward, but here's the first one.  How difficult is it to partially disassemble these units to reduce the weight?  I was thinking about removing the glass and the front door, but what about the internals?

Thanks,
Glenn

[bcharlton]

Congrats.  That is one I have never owned.  Good luck with it.

Brian

[cohammer]

Looks like a great box , be careful moving it around and if is in good working condition I would not take anything off it. I know several people that had one and all they did was move it from one room to another and they no longer worked.

[Kilroy]

Measure the stairway and make sure the juke will fit all the way
take out the records. i would also remove the tubes. Take out the records.
There may be four bolts used to tighten down the mech.  I use painter's tape to make sure doors don't open, and tape down the tone arm. If you have the time, order a manual for your machine, it will have detailed instructions on  how to prep it for moving. If you can rremove the glass,  do it.  Take your time,  a good thump can mess things up

[Aahgo]

It will physically fit down the stairs but it will be awkward making the turn so the less it weighs the easier to handle.  I have the bolts locked down.  I plan on wrapping it with a blanket and stretch wrap for the move down the stairs.  I have a service manual for it that the previous owner had purchased, but didn't see any preparation for moving instructions in it.

[HowDueYouDue]

Congrats on the purchase.  A jukebox is something on my wishlist as well

[Aahgo]

Another question for the group...I'm assuming that the musical scale decoration that is located on the front grill below the "R" is something added along the way and the original had the "V".  Anyone ever seen anything like that?

Thanks.

[Kilroy]

Not sure what you mean. The musical scale was not a factory option, so yes, an operator or owner  installed it  sometime over the last 60 years Most likely the V fall off and someone tohught to break up the vast blank of the speakerarea

Victory Glass  sells a repop of the V for your Temmpo for $60.  And of course, you can always try Ebay. There are several  shops that sell repro or original parts online.

[Aahgo]

Yep, that was the question.  Thanks.

[davethebirdman]

I have an Empress and have taken it apart on a number of occasions just to move it around. If you lift the glass up you can then remove the front door. It pulls up. There are a couple of plugs that need to be unplugged but no big deal. You can also remove the glass dome by unscrewing a couple of fixtures. Make sure you have someone help you. The glass on one of these is not something you want to replace. That will significantly lighten the load for you and will remove all the delicate bits.

[Aahgo]

Figured out the front door removal, that was pretty straightforward.  Haven't tried to remove the glass yet because I was on my own.  Does the mechanism become too exposed with the glass dome off, don't want to inadvertently damage other components.  What was your experience with your Empress?

Thanks,
Glenn

[davethebirdman]

I just had to pop upstairs to the bedroom to have a look at the Empress. I've had her since before the kids came along. My oldest is now 13. She has been up and down flights of stairs and in my old house I had to strip her back to get her up a spiral staircase. She has always behaved very well. Could now do with a service as there is a intermittent problem with selection. The motor dies for a second or two and then restarts. Once I find some spare money I'll get that sorted.

I also have a Wurly 1900 and for looks you can't beat it. Overall I prefer the Wurly. But it is a very close run thing. I think the Empress is the best looking of the Rockolas of that period but then I am a little biased.

Here in the UK Rockola is big... I've had a Seeburg too and that was very hard to give up.

Right, getting the doom off. If you look at the bracket attached to the dome assembly you will have two screws on the outside and a bolt that can be undone from the inside. You'll need it fully extended to remove the inside bolt hence the required help. Once they are undone and the dome rest uncliped along with light plugs it should come away easily.

The record holding carousel will be exposed but unless you intend turning it on its head it should not be a problem.

good luck and please keep in mind that the dome and all its accompanying frame is heavy so don't go doing this on your own.

Dave

[rayg]

Nice looking machine... really like the ones that show the records actually playing
Good luck with your move!

[Aahgo]

Whew!  Got it down, but it was pretty hairy there for a while. 

Now to get started on her.  It's a little intimidating though, If this was a pinball I would know exactly how to proceed with that.  I have a service manual, but is there a beginners guide to restoring a jukebox?  Something on-line would be great, but purchasing a guide would be okay too if there's a good one.

Thanks,
Glenn