Jukeboxes


In Back To The Future, Micheal J. Fox walks down the street of Hill Valley in 1955 after being transported back in time. He encounters a time in Americana where teens went to the malt shop to hear the latest tunes, often on a modern looking, chrome and glass Seeburg Jukebox or a colorfully lighted Wurlitzer.

Pictured above is my 1962 Seeburg DS 160 jukebox. This is one of two Seeburgs that I own. This box is almost completely restored, needing only the side name logos and new glass to restore its original shine.

During the fifties and sixties, Seeburg displaced Wurlitzer as the king of jukeboxes because of its ability to play more selections (50-60 records as opposed to 25) and because it had superior electronics. Because Seeburg Jukeboxes used glass and chrome, the 50s and 60s became known as the silver era of jukeboxes

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesterday year. Can you remember the song playing when 'Marty' walks past the record store after being transported to the year 1955?

This stereo jukebox was highly popular during the early sixties because of its clean lines and modern looks. Seeburg had wonderful cathedral styled selector boxes in chrome that could be located in customer booths. Next to the juke is Seeburg's famous logo. The fat and fancy 'S' graced the sides of tens of thousands of wonderful musical instruments. Today those booth selectors are sought ought by jukebox and antique collectors alike!

Here are a few of Seeburg's outstanding jukeboxes. The chrome and glass motiff and small footprint made them ideal for the local maltshop.

     

Wurlizers, Rockola and AMI made many wonderful jukeboxes. Some of these links illustrate the many different jukebox forms.

 

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© Fritz Messere, 1997. All Rights Reserved. Last modified on August 21, 1997