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Post by doghouseriley on Mar 26, 2020 14:57:37 GMT
Yesterday, one of the items "repaired" in the "pretend" shop was a Rock-Ola Tempo. This interested me, but I wondered why it was necessary to completely disassemble the pin bank.
As is usual in these sort of programmes, we only get to see bits of the restoration (mostly the polishing). But we did see the restorer change two caps, but no mention of the valves or speakers cartridge or stylus. Anyway at the "reveal" they played it. This was the second jukebox they've repaired on this programme, they did a Wurlitzer a year or so ago. But given the sophisticated audio/visual equipment the BBC must use, in both cases the sound reproduction of the finished job was really poor. But as would be expected the owner was really "emotional over it."
Well, I think it was rubbish when compared to that of my little Rock-Ola 443, which I recorded on a little ten year-old Lumix camera and would have been subject to the compression on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIaVfQT84S8 |
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Post by juke46 on Mar 27, 2020 12:43:30 GMT
We own a Rockola 1478 - Tempo II that we really enjoy. Purchased partially disassembled from the frustrated owner. Good steady hands are a big help for cleaning that pinbank! (I'm old enough now that my wife stands by with a fire extinguisher when all the birthday cake candles get going!). Problem was when a selection was made many of the pinbank pins would not move. Also, again if my failing memory is correct, I added a capacitor (in the circuit) to give a little more power to the pinbank coils to move those pins. I was already almost certain that the pinbank would need to come apart since manually moving the pins proved they seemed to have a tendency to stick. I think the bottom ones were the worst. I used tuner cleaner or something, on a couple and found the pins moved very easily after a squirt of that.
I decided that was not a likely fix for the entire pinbank. It had to come apart if we expected a dependable machine. Not too bad to remove. Lots and lots of parts to spotlessly clean and not lose! I bought a spare pinbank from one of our used parts guys on this site as a parts donor. I usually shake and fumble around and lose tiny washers and parts so that was just a precaution on my part. I don't think I lost anything but I don't remember for sure.
Not much fun on reassembly. Don't force anything and eventually it just all fits together easily. I believe I used a length of soft wire to sort of hold the segment groups in place. It is not easy to get all that stuff lined up so it fits together properly without anything being forced. If my wife and I got it done probably anyone can. Since then it has selected flawlessly. I don't ever plan on doing another, well maybe, if I found another machine with that round pinbank.
Perhaps we should move this to the Rockola Section of this site?
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Post by gazzy58 on Apr 11, 2020 19:21:20 GMT
Hi, I also saw the repair shop episode with the Rockola Tempo. As with most of these programmes they are made to appeal to the general public. I would agree that a lot of it is made up for this purpose. Probably the main reason that the sound was so poor was that the owner's choice of record was Glenn Miller "In the Mood". They played it on the jukebox as a reproduction 45. Where in fact this record was originally from the 1940s and issued in 78rpm format. Before purchasing my Rockola 1454 the owner gave me a demo with an Abba 45. No wonder it did not sound so good. There is a US Tv programme called American Restoration and a friend told me that there was an episode where they restored a vintage Coke fridge. The restoration wes so good that by the end of the programme, the fridge had become an entirely different model.
Gary
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Post by Ron Rich on Apr 11, 2020 20:09:22 GMT
Gary,
Read the "scams---" post in the off topic section--"Restored" apparently has different meanings to different people ! Ron Rich
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Post by doghouseriley on Apr 11, 2020 23:29:34 GMT
Hi, I also saw the repair shop episode with the Rockola Tempo. As with most of these programmes they are made to appeal to the general public. I would agree that a lot of it is made up for this purpose. Probably the main reason that the sound was so poor was that the owner's choice of record was Glenn Miller "In the Mood". They played it on the jukebox as a reproduction 45. Where in fact this record was originally from the 1940s and issued in 78rpm format. Before purchasing my Rockola 1454 the owner gave me a demo with an Abba 45. No wonder it did not sound so good. There is a US Tv programme called American Restoration and a friend told me that there was an episode where they restored a vintage Coke fridge. The restoration wes so good that by the end of the programme, the fridge had become an entirely different model. Gary Why do they feel the necessity to dumb down so much on these programmes? Sometimes they get really emotional over stuff normal people would consider not worth restoring and would have consigned to a skip, whatever the sentimentality. I like the clock guy, he knows his stuff, as does the picture restorer. The rest are no more able than a lot of amateur DIYers, much of what they do is just common sense using basic tools.
That Jay is a waste of space. At least he's stopped wearing that expensive looking leather bib and brace, he wore in previous series, with a paintbrush always in the top pocket. Just "set decoration" of course.
I raised the subject because it's twice now I've been disappointed by the sound of jukeboxes repaired on that programme. I've an extended Glen Miller 45 with IN THE MOOD / STRING OF PEARLS/ MOONLIGHT SERENADE / SUNLIGHT SERENADE in my Rock-Ola 468 and it sounded a lot better than what I heard on the TV on both occasions. It was probably produced at the same time as the one we heard. I bought my record quite cheaply on eBay and it had been well played. |
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Post by Ron Rich on Apr 12, 2020 12:50:57 GMT
Hi Doghouse,
We don't get (at least I don't) that program here, but it would be my guess that the audio on that program is set up to catch the "host", not a record playing, from a jukebox. Also, remember the size of the speakers on your juke, as compared to the ones in your telly--plus, you are hearing it re-amplified thru your telly's amp -- hard to judge any sound quality, that way ! Ron Rich
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Post by doghouseriley on Apr 12, 2020 20:06:56 GMT
Apr 12, 2020 13:50:57 GMT 1 Ron Rich said: Hi Ron.Just my observation. I was comparing it with the video I made of the sound of my jukebox using a little ten year-old Lumix DMC LZ7 digital camera which will make short videos, which I uploaded to YouTube. Those videos are compressed so there is a loss of quality of the sound.I'm sure the BBC use better equipment equipment than that. Of course in these programmes they don't show you everything. They made a point of showing him replace a couple of paper caps with the modern equivalent, whether he did a full overhall we don't know, or whether it was a case of I suspect, of "just get it going."But as I said before it was the second jukebox they've done and the Wurlitzer they did over a year ago didn't sound any better.I usually pump my TV sound through my vintage Leak tuner/amp and Goodmans speakers. |
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Post by Ron Rich on Apr 13, 2020 2:43:57 GMT
Hi Doghouse,
The only way we are ever going to know the answer here, is for you to "invite" them to you house to do a show on your juke box --LOL-- Ron Rich
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Post by doghouseriley on Apr 13, 2020 9:21:24 GMT
Hi Doghouse, The only way we are ever going to know the answer here, is for you to "invite" them to you house to do a show on your juke box --LOL-- Ron Rich
This is true, but this just started off as a "passing observation," I'm not really that bothered.
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