Jukebox Genius into year 3...

So you may have noticed that this is the first time I have blogged this year, I must apologise for this if you have been waiting to hear what I have been getting up to. I have just finished the accounts fro 2015/2016 and can announce that I have managed to fit in 178 services in the year as the business is continuing to grow. My poor car has now clocked up 220000 miles and is perhaps due to retire soon! I have carried out repairs in so many far away and interesting places from the depths of Cornwall to East sussex. 

As the workload increases, I am beginning discussions with engineers who are keen to take on some work in areas further afield, mainly in the north of England. If you live in the north and have need of a service or repair or know someone who does then please get in touch and I will keep you posted..

Here are a few of the Jukeboxes I have serviced since Christmas...

Wurlitzer 1015 which is at a factory in Chard Somerset. The factory specialise in the manufacture motors which are used in the modern Wurlitzer One more time series. This however is the real thing! 

This Wurlitzer Lyric was delivered back to its owner after the christmas holidays, It was completely restored and is shown here almost ready to return. 

This is the pulse converter from an AMI I200 which is a rather complicated part of a very complicated selection system. I very often find that these have never been serviced and I really like to overhaul absolutely everything in there. It basically works like an old telephone stepper, it is fascinating to watch...  

November Round up..

Hello and welcome,

I can't quite believe that November has come and gone already, it has been an exceptionally busy month. I have managed to carry out 19 full and thorough services and 3 partial services, traveling over 4000 miles in the process! I'm actually nearly fully booked now until the new year but please do get in touch if you are reading this and would like to get your jukebox serviced before the christmas holidays, I will do my best to fit you in. You will find an enquiry form by clicking here.

Here are a few photos of some of the jukeboxes I have repaired this month....

This Lovely Wurlitzer 1100 is now fully serviced and repaired and is on display for all to behold at the Duchess in Battersea London. Its always nice to see a jukebox in its natural environment, I don't very often do repairs to jukeboxes in pubs.. 

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A fully restored AMI I200 which just had a partial service, this is one of the best restorations I have come across...

This Wurlitzer 2610 belongs to a very lovely lady whose soothing voice and wise words can be heard on Radio 4 from time to time....It needed a full and thorough service and a few parts repaired. 

This is a photo of every piece of chrome from a Wurlitzer 2100 which is currently undergoing restoration. Having a classic jukebox re-chromed is a big job and can be quite costly for the chrome plating alone. Most jukeboxes were partly constructed using an alloy formed from magnesium and zinc known as 'Mazsak alloy'. It is quite possible for these castings to completely disintegrate if they are treated like a solid steel casting during the plating process, it is well worth using an expert restorer for this level of work!

Here we have the inner workings of a 1941 Wurlitzer 81 countertop jukebox. It is always a pleasure to work on 78rpm jukeboxes though they are incredibly time consuming and often don't run perfectly every play. This particular mechanism had unfortunately been sprayed almost entirely with silver paint leaving many of the gears and workings struggling to operate efficiently. These machines where so beautifully engineered using top quality metals. There would however, usually be a fibrous gear, early in the drive system which is often the one that fails, as it was with this example. A specialist gear maker in Manchester has now finished machining a new gear for us, it will be arriving this week! 

Finally, you may have read about my experience and training with Dave's Jukeboxes ltd over the last 15 years or so. I can now announce that new owners will be taking over the business next week as Dave makes the transition to (semi) retirement. Dave will be working with the new owners for the next few months and indeed thereafter as they take the brand forward into the future. 

The new owners have an excellent knowledge of vintage electronics and audio systems which will give them a massive advantage in their new ventures with Dave's jukeboxes. Both Dave and myself have been using them for many years for the repair of jukebox amplifiers and sound systems. They have been hard at work preparing their new showroom and workspace, I'm sure there will be a grand opening soon! I will continue to work closely with Dave's jukeboxes and offer my full support for the future.

Here is a memorable moment that sums up how far Dave would go to get the job done......


Welcome to the Jukeblogs....

Hello, and welcome to the first instalment of the my jukebox blog. It's going to be a sneak peak into my daily adventures, travelling around the country servicing and repairing classic jukeboxes. You may have already found my info page and read a little about my background and training in the jukebox world. People very often ask me how on earth I got into this line of work and the answer is through being given a safe and supportive environment in which to learn and experiment with jukeboxes. It was through Dave's Jukeboxes ltd that this was made possible for me. I think I was 14 or 15 when I first stuck my head in a jukebox, It was mostly washing and cleaning machines in preparation for restoration and also dismantling and breaking up jukeboxes that were not going to be sold or repaired. 

“It has often occured to me that perhaps part of the reason why Jukeboxes are so valuable now is due to the sheer number that were scrapped throughout the years”
— unnamed jukebox engineer who might be partly to blame

After many years of gaining experience through part time work with jukeboxes. I eventually set aside other jobs and career opportunities to come and work full time with Dave's Jukeboxes. I was able to take a leading role in the service and repairs side of the business. I realised during this time that there was a real demand for the engineer to come to the customer at home. I started to specialise in mobile service and found it to be very rewarding and as the years progressed, I was able to carry out a more and more comprehensive service without needing a workshop. I continued to grow this area until it was as big as the rest of the business. It was then only a matter of time before all the pieces slotted into place and I was able to branch out and set up on my own, just me and my tools and everything I had learnt. When I recently went back through my accounts for last year, I had clocked up over 40,000 miles and serviced 152 jukeboxes, all at the convenience of my customers and at their addresses. 

So where next? well maybe your house! I am most often fully booked up to 3 weeks ahead and with christmas around the corner it is definitely worth getting that jukebox service booked up sooner rather than later. I will be expecting the usual enquiries a few days before christmas from the optimistic ones who will be hoping I have appointments available on the day!! I do hate to disappoint. 

There are many thousands of jukeboxes out there that need a good regular service and I'm pretty sure its more work than one man can handle all alone. It is with this in mind that I am now aiming to recreate that safe and supportive environment in which others may learn as I did. Keep an eye on the restoration workshops page where the dates of my first event will be announced shortly. Come and have a go just for fun, or see where it might take you...