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.