See our Jack Daniels Vintage Look Jukebox here. The later decades of jukebox designs have paid tribute to that jukebox heyday (and nostalgic appeal) ever since. Because those particular models of jukeboxes became pop culture icons with age, so did their art styles. Jukeboxes were given a makeover very similar to the eye-catching style of the cars of that time period. Jukeboxes were birthed in the 1890s, when recorded sound made its way into those music boxes and caused an evolutionary leap forward.Ī leap forward like that and a boom in the industry fifty years later make for a perfect opportunity for a new, flashier art design. That original, wooden style stemmed all the way back to the 1800s, when the jukebox’s forefathers, the music box and the player piano, were the people’s source of automated music. Before the popularity of the designs created in the 40s and 50s, jukebox models had been mostly coming in solid wood. It was also almost completely made out of chrome, which leads us to our next iconic characteristic of jukeboxes…Ĭhrome, steel castings, and coloured panelsįor whatever reason, it’s practically a law that a vintage jukebox has to have excessive amounts of chrome, steel castings, and brightly-coloured glass or plastic panels. The novelty of the machine was incredibly popular. Customers could select songs from right where they were sitting. This machine was not a mini-jukebox rather, it served as a remote control for that restaurant’s or bar’s jukebox. At that time in history, wherever you went, there was a Wall-O-Matic on the counter, at your booth, or on the wall. The same year Seeburg came out with their Select-O-Matic, they also produced the Wall-O-Matic, which became prevalent in restaurants, diners, and bars all over. The opening credits for the show feature Seeburg’s M100C model. If you’re familiar with the old American show Happy Days, then you have been subliminally conditioned to love this jukebox design. Just one year later, Seeburg pioneered the jukebox industry again by switching over to the smaller and lighter 45 rpm records-another iconic characteristic that remained popular for almost half a century. This new stacking system allowed for more space, which meant more records for the customer to choose from! The rest of the jukebox manufacturers had to scramble to keep up. This exponential increase in song selection was made possible by Seeburg’s rail system that stacked the records horizontally instead of vertically. In 1949 when every other jukebox had no more than 20-40 songs available, the Select-O-Matic boasted 100 songs! That front panel of song titles sure was handy. This was first made famous in Seeburg’s Select-O-Matic jukebox (aka the Seeburg M100A). We are an Officially Authorised Sound Leisure Retailer.Īnother well-known design choice in jukeboxes is the front panel of song titles listed in a grid for the song selector. It’s not that we’re psychic it’s just that The Bubbler has had that much of an impact on pop culture.īuy this Jukebox here. In fact, it is most likely this very design that initially appeared in your mind when we asked you to think of a jukebox. Since The Bubbler’s debut, many other jukeboxes have incorporated the shape and style of its design. A dye in the fluid made the bubbles stand out more, and the extra coloured lights on the jukebox helped emphasise the effect as well. These heated crystals caused the fluid inside the tubes (dichloromethane) to boil at just 39.6 ☌, which saved energy costs. The tubes had crystals in the bulbed end that would get heated by a resistor. It sounds simplistic in theory, but it was an eye-catching effect. Inside these tubes were bubbles that continuously flowed upwards. The Bubbler’s design featured glass tubes that arced along the top of the box. Why was the jukebox business so good back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s? Well, it was a time for celebration now that the boys were back from war a time to relax and enjoy life with family and friends and rock & roll. In just two years, Wurlitzer sold over 56,000 units of the 1015 Bubbler. It was designed in 1946 by Paul Fuller, just in time to ride the wave of success in the jukebox industry that boomed after World War 2. Perhaps the most well-known jukebox design of all time, The Bubbler is actually called the Wurlitzer 1015. Lucky for you, Home Leisure Direct has thought about it, and here’s an article on iconic jukeboxes to prove it. There are thousands of variations of jukeboxes out there, and yet most people probably have the same basic image of a jukebox in their mind. When you hear the word “jukebox,” what image pops into your head? Chances are that what you are picturing is an iconic representation of what the jukebox is and what it stands for.
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