June 9, 2025

Another jukebox chase, another story.

My pickup truck, a 1986 Chevrolet stepside jukebox hauler, made it to Vancouver a couple weeks ahead of me. After I arrived and spent a few weeks getting settled in I made it a point to contact people I had been having a conversation with about picking up some jukeboxes. This conversation started a couple weeks before I even moved from Texas. Marketplace can be a frustrating place for communication and the last episode proved it out. Some folks had an AQ100 for sale for $100 which I consider the perfect price for one that is complete needing full restoration. However, it supposedly had a buyer and was “pending”. Was I interested in some others?

Why of course.

They also had two AY160’s, same price for each. One was missing the amplifier from the backdoor. I said I’d be interested in the one that was complete. This involved several days of slow messaging. Then I was asked if I were still interested in the AQ100 which I was as the original buyer backed out. I quickly made arrangements to pick it up setting a date and getting an address. It was located close to Silverton a town in Oregon about 60 miles away.

I had just gotten a Garmin GPS device and it was a lifesaver. I still did the directions the “old way” …googling the address and then tracing a route on the map and writing that down on a piece of paper. I’ve done this for years. I was headed south on I205 out of Vancouver to exit 6 I think for Hwy224. As I’m on my way the traffic thickened and slowed considerably. I saw one of those signs that highway departments use for traffic updates and panicked. There was a bad wreck and exit 6 for 224 was closed. Oh my, a stranger in a strange land, I knew no other routes than the one planned for Hwy 224. I had no other recourse except one. I got the Garmin fired up, which I guess is one way to say I plugged it into the cigarette lighter and turned it on. As I’m inching along keeping one eye on traffic and another on the Garmin that I barely knew how to use I managed to figure out a course. I’d exit for Hwy 212 and take it to 224 to get to 211 and then to 213 to Silverton. I eventually got to my intended exit for 212 then the fun began. The next two lights I had to go through involved perhaps three miles distance and took an hour. Talk about frustrated. I guess everyone else was attempting to do what I was doing.

I did manage to get to 224 South and the idea was then to take it to 211 South and eventually connect with 213 to my destination. The drive itself was beautiful. I seemed to be headed into the foothills for the Cascades. The road was curvy, hilly, and lush with greenery icluding the tall pine trees I love so much. The weather was perfect, sunny and mild. I left about 3pm and expected to arrive between 4-4:30 pm. I got there at 5:30. No idea if they were there or had given up on me and left. Fortunately Adrienne and Rob were there. I backed the old truck in and got out and introduced myself.

They have several jukeboxes in the house and several more in the barn. We talked for about an hour as they gave me a tour and explained how they picked up all these boxes. Someone, an operator I think, had them originally for sale and when they didn’t sell basically told Adrienne and Rob to offer him something and come get them. You know that was a lot of work.

They have a variety of early to mid-sixties Wurlitzers and Seeburgs. All transistorized as they were not interested in the tube models at all. I’m just the opposite. I won’t even fool with the mid 60’s “console style” boxes and their crude electronics. The two AY160’s were there and I expressed interest in them as well. I also mentioned I’d have to come back for them as I might be able to load them all upright getting them off the truck at home would be near impossible for one man. I think this planted the seed of an idea for them. The two AY’s would be parts sources if nothing else. I imagine I’ll end up making one machine out of the both of them. I got the AQ100 prepped for hauling. I haul ’em on their backs. To that end tubes are removed, the backdoor comes out and is placed in the truck cab. All the cabling is tied up tight to the speakers so that when the box is placed on its back none of the wiring will come into contact with the bed of the truck.

They knew no one who did repairs and we struck a neat deal. They would haul the two AY’s to me in Vancouver (!) and bring a couple amps for repair. I’ll repair their amps in exchange for the two jukeboxes. A deal that was roundly admired by all. I think both parties felt very lucky which is the best kind of deal. I said my goodbyes and took off. Oh, after I arrived I learned that my roundabout route to Silverton added about 30 miles since it went in a very circular way south. I took the almost straight north route on Hwy 213 and got home a lot quicker than I arrived. I did stop in Mollala for an $18 burger and fries at a Carl’s Jr. but that’s another story.

April 11, 2025

Still Livin’ The Seeburg Life

The last several months have been spent buying a new home, readying the old home to sell, and sorting through belongings deciding what to keep and what to throw away, sell, or donate.

This includes going through decades worth of Seeburg parts and trying to decide what will be needed in the future. I started a “hoarding” type mentality when I got in business for myself back in 1988. Mainly because money was so tight and so many parts can be re-used. If I could re-use a part it meant money wasn’t spent for that part. If I tore down a video game I would keep screws, nuts, washers, trim, switches, lighting assemblies, ballasts, controls, wire and more; in short everything but the wooden cabinet. This held true for the jukeboxes as well and over a 30 year span I bet I’ve torn down a couple hundred Seeburg jukeboxes mainly the 60’s and 70’s models with a good sprinkling of 50’s.

Imagine sorting through 30-40 reverse switches of the different sort Seeburg used! Same with 50 detent switch assemblies. Or 32 tonearm assemblies. Where it hurt was having to throw away amplifiers and control centers. I knew I’d be hauling a lot to Washington, or rather that Mayflower would, and have tried hard to keep the weight down. I think I’m taking a couple amps and a couple of the DCC’s. The rest of them got scrapped with as much attention to small parts as always. You know those plastic posts used to mount the boards in those units and how one will break leaving a three-legged mount? Well I have a butt load of them now. Set for years post-wise.

Trying to save shipment weight got a serious kick when I saw a STD4 for sale very cheap. One I had worked on once. I emailed Mayflower and was pleasantly surprised to learn that adding a 375 pound juke would cost me about $75. Not bad at all! I’m picking it up Sunday. This morning I quickly found an LS3 for parts and a decently priced AQ160 and thought about hauling them with me as well.

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

That way lies madness as King Lear once said.

I do intend to keep on livin’ the Seeburg Life when I get to Vancouver. A fellow has a STD3 stashed away that I will pick up shortly after getting there. I’m already starting to make aquaintenances with jukebox people living in the area. Found plenty of places to get speakers reconed. Now to find a decently priced chrome plater if there is such a thing anymore. I intend to keep right on reconditioning parts to sell and restoring jukeboxes as well. I like doing it for several reasons the least of which is it keeps me busy.

I’ve learned a thing or two about being busy. I started in December doing all the small jobs around the house I just ignored for years. I worked harder than I’ve worked since, well, working for a living. I used to joke that home prices appreciated so much that I wouldn’t have to do anything and could still sell the house for quite a bit more than I paid for it. Something happened though when I thought about it. I turned out to be a lot more interested in making as much money on the house than I thought. It took four months but I finally finished all the caulking, painting, and repair needed. Even by gosh put 30 pieces of sod in the front lawn. House looks good and I feel great about my house.

Now, will someone buy it so I can move please?

I’ve also learned a lot about being not-busy. Most all my belongings are packed. I don’t know how often I’ve needed something only to find out it’s been packed. I’ve re-opened packed boxes looking for stuff with very limited success. Most boxes are such a hodge-podge of stuff that they’re marked Miscellaneous so there’s not much of a hint as to contents. I’m living a very minimal life in that with nothing left to work on I have a lot of free time. I have books, the TV, and my computer basically. I got all excited this morning at the prospect of driving to the post office to drop off some letters. I drove slowly there and back stopping at several garage sales and the Dollar Store.

Hasn’t been much of a “Seeburg Life”. Usually I’m working on something Seeburg everyday but the closest I’ve come to it in the last couple months is getting the jukeboxes I’m taking with me ready to move. All the Library Units got pieced back together and are now whole, not working, but whole. The Test Box is ready as is the Console Library Unit. I’ll take the SMC2 Hideaway and the additional STD4. I tied the mechs down either with a bolt through the mech to the track or baling wire to each side of the mechanism and the ends of the rack to keep ’em from being able to move. Mayflower says they’ll blanket wrap all this stuff. The only one I’m really worried about is the Console Unit with the beautifully restored mahogany finish. I’d have a fit if it gets scratched or dented. Absolute fit.

About the last thing to work on is the Honda Car. I replaced the plugs yesterday and will soon change the oil, rear shocks, and transmission fluid. I’ll be driving it Westward Ho! at some point. I’m making sure to parce this work out slowly to try and make it last.