Post by juke46 on Jul 18, 2019 11:40:56 GMT
MISSED THIS ONE (JUKEBOX)
I think it was about 1972, maybe earlier. I had "jukebox infection", a serious affliction. After buying our first used machine, an AMI Continental 2, from the Phoenix AMI dealer I wanted more. I looked at the want ads a lot. We certainly did not have a computer. Computers and the internet were far into the future. There wasn't a Craigslist or anything like that. One day I found an interesting newspaper ad and managed to get Anna to go with me for a look. It was an old jukebox in someone's home.
There it was, an unrestored Wurlitzer 850. I may not have even known it was an 850. I knew very little about old Wurlitzers but I sure wanted to buy this machine. It needed restored but it looked like a really great candidate for restoration. Anna thought it was too big and would take up so much room. I thought I could make it into a nice machine but I was unsure. I think the amplifier was missing, perhaps it was the speaker. I think all those big plastics were OK. I don't remember particualrs like coin gear or had it been returned from Mexico? My inexperience was obvious. I did know re-plating all those metal castings was going to be very expensive.
We decided to pass on the purchase. Anna did not care for it, it was just so big! That was a difficult and perhaps incorrect choice for us. The price was a lot of money to us and we were saving for a home of our own, etc. I really had no idea about parts availability or much of anything else. The asking price was $300.00.
I think it was about 1972, maybe earlier. I had "jukebox infection", a serious affliction. After buying our first used machine, an AMI Continental 2, from the Phoenix AMI dealer I wanted more. I looked at the want ads a lot. We certainly did not have a computer. Computers and the internet were far into the future. There wasn't a Craigslist or anything like that. One day I found an interesting newspaper ad and managed to get Anna to go with me for a look. It was an old jukebox in someone's home.
There it was, an unrestored Wurlitzer 850. I may not have even known it was an 850. I knew very little about old Wurlitzers but I sure wanted to buy this machine. It needed restored but it looked like a really great candidate for restoration. Anna thought it was too big and would take up so much room. I thought I could make it into a nice machine but I was unsure. I think the amplifier was missing, perhaps it was the speaker. I think all those big plastics were OK. I don't remember particualrs like coin gear or had it been returned from Mexico? My inexperience was obvious. I did know re-plating all those metal castings was going to be very expensive.
We decided to pass on the purchase. Anna did not care for it, it was just so big! That was a difficult and perhaps incorrect choice for us. The price was a lot of money to us and we were saving for a home of our own, etc. I really had no idea about parts availability or much of anything else. The asking price was $300.00.