Don't try this with a modern turntable! Torture test of Zenith Micro-Touch 2G tonearm

I've heard some pretty loud modern mono 45's which sounded OK with the Cobra, except for the mono Motown ones which most phonos had trouble playing.
Just as Wurlitzer started it's jukebox manufacturing using the Simplex mechanism it acquired, and continuing to be on top of the number of selections, Seeburg acquired the Andrews mech, first used in the SICM and M100A, which blew all the other jukebox manufacturers off the map because the SICM's played both sides of 100 10" and 12" 78's, sort of starting the record-based background music market. The M100A was the first to play both sides of 50 10" and 12" intermixed 78's, giving 100 selections, the most in the industry at that time. Also key with the Seeburgs is that they used Pickering magnetic cartridges from the M100A to the last Stern-Seeburgs which played records. My M100A came with what is known as the Pickering "Black head" magnetic cartridge but now has a ceramic later conversion cartridge and still plays 78's.
I can't remember what happened first, the Wurlitzer factory burned down or the sale of the jukebox division to a German concern in 1973. The newer mech was a problem for Wurlitzer, but they soon had it ironed out. The last new U.S. Wurlitzer introduced was the 1050 nostalgia model. Tooling was sold to a Mexican concern and continued for years under the Sonata name. Rock-ola also produced that nostalgia model putting it's own mech into it. Before Deutsche Wurlitzer produced it's last jukebox and the last jukebox to play records in 2013, Gibson Guitar had taken over the jukebox operations in 2006 and ran it into the ground. The online based music machines(technically to be a jukebox , it must play records) and put nails in the jukebox industry and the CD-based music machines. Rock-ola is now the only company which is still in operation and builds CD-based nostalgia music machines on a part-time schedule. Glenn Streeter sold the commercial division to a Mexican concern, which produces the online based machines. I'm not sure where the Crosley nostalgia full-sized machines are made, but it isn't China.

 

That's pretty cool. I have a 1968 Seeburg HSC3 huge and heavy console which plays both sides of 50 LP's, using a Pickering cartridge plus has an AM/FM tuner, powerful amp and a huge, for the time, 3-way tuned speaker system. I paid $ 300. for it but when new, it sold for over $1,000! Another 'millionaires' console which I have is a late-40's Capehart. Besides having the top electronics of the time, it's claim to fame was it's flip-over record changer which played both sides of 16 10" and 12" intermixed 78's automatically and used a GE VR magnetic cartridge. The last ones left the factory playing both 33's and 78's. Others were converted later to play the different speeds. The Capehart line sold for close to $1,000. and more in the 1930's-1940's, so you had to be wealthy to own one then.

 

Your Seeburg HSC-3 is awesome. One of the best of breed in the era, still superb sounding by modern standards.

 

The Crosley 45 RPM jukebox looks like it's built by Sound Leisure in the UK, appears to be the real deal.

 

The Micro-Touch arm has a floating cart so operates similarly to the one in the original post.

 

Yes, that is true. It slipped my mind. I didn't realize that they had a 45 rpm juke, I thought they just had CD jukes. Rock-ola introduced a 45 rpm nostalgia bubbler this year. I guess with Wurlitzer gone opened the door for Rock-ola to bring out a jukebox that played vinyl. The mech looks more like a traditional Rock-ola type rather than the Rowe vinyl mech they once used. Atleast the tone arm is on the correct side and the cartridge is mounted conventionally.