Man, I could watch this machine all day. What a remarkable bit of engineering. Designed to run literally for weeks at a time without intervention, for for an overall lifespan of decades. It leveraged existing technologies - the phonograph record, and the automatic changer, and extended both to impressive proportions. No computers involved, either. And, for 16 rpm records the sound quality is superb. Although the music is 'generic', it's still quite pleasant to listen to and well performed. This what quality used to mean in the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s.
DFWSoundman...This is AWESOME! What an INCREDIBLE restoration! The music played here makes me feel like I'm shopping around at Sears in the 1960s! LOVE this upload!
What an awesome record changer. More complex than my markel playmaster. The music you're playing is so non descript that if you had to hear it over and over you wouldn't think that you're listening to the same stack of records more than once. And it looks like brand new. You're a lucky man.
I am truly green with envy with that restoration and marvelous unique record player. Those Seeburg records are very expensive if you can find them. Any record player that has 16 RPM can play them with an adaptor for the enlarged middle hole. Now that I do have.
Assuming it is never shut off and has the complete set of 25 records, it is 37 hours until the arm raises them back to the top to start over. Each side of the record is 40 minutes due to the slow speed and that the music is in mono.
By the time I came along, most background music came in via phone line -- might have been ISDN for all I know.. By 1982, hotel I worked at had a big noisy platen set up in a closet. I don't know if it was optical or magnetic, but would play five hours before starting over. Today you can build your own system cheap, although royalty fees are on you rather than the supplier.
There are three idler wheels. Facing front, the first has two rubber idlers, the large sits below the small. The second has one large rubber idler and one small brass, the brass sits below, rubber on top. The third is all metal. the large diameter idler sits below, the small brass idler is on top. Also, I've eliminated the dense foam motor shockmounts. You don't need them. Replaced with brass spacers and washers.
No luck getting mine to work. The motor assembly makes a lot of noise without moving the spindle. platter or tonearm. I try to turn it off and it often does so reluctantly, maybe trying to complete a cycle before doing so? Any ideas?
Great, great, GREAT! Been looking for a Seeburg record/disc player (also a MUZAK record player) and it's soooo fun to see one in action! Thanx for an informative upload. SUBSCRIBED!! PS (edit), Any chance we might get a tracklist in the description? Thought I identified two Syd Dale (maybe Steve Gray?) tracks I haven't heard before.
one question the top weight falls down when the last record comes down to be played can I adjust this out? lemme know I have two machines that do that fine without the weight but the weight falls WITH the record lol not cool!
the music sound reproduction was actually good for playing recordings at 16 2/3 r.p.m!!!!, it was unfortunate that you had to go to seeburg to get the recordings, and return the ones that you had for the month. if you did not return the recordings that you have, seeburg would not send you the next months recordings, and being that the records had extra large hub openings, you were stuck if you did not go along with the program!!!!
Yes indeed. 45s are terribly limited with regard to capacity - you'd need several hundred of them to equal the capacity of this machine, assuming you wanted the music to play without the frequent repeats. That was the big selling point for the Seeburg 1000 - it would go some 35 hours without ever repeating a song. Furthermore, it was completely automatic. You switched it on and it did its thing automatically until you turned it off. In the late 1950s, another background music service (Rowe/Customusic) used an elaborate carousel type record changer (basically the same mechanism they used in their jukeboxes) that played 7 inch records that were essentially just like 45s, except they ran at 33-1/3 rpm, and had three songs per side. The machine accepted 100 such records for a total of 600 songs. It was quite a sizeable piece of equipment, as you can imagine.
they were used in stores, malls, and factories. they were very practical in terms that these units needed no real attention, other than maintenance and record changeouts, and tracking at 16 2/3 r.p.m. you would not hear a repeated tune until the next day, and the surface noise was almost non existent, record wear/ needle wear was also not an issue
This is cool 😎. .it is far better than the the new garbage 🗑️... looks like space age....1960s style.. ..are those records playing the same way as a LP😊
Originally, it was 40 per record - 20 on each side, times 25 records, for 1000 songs (hence the name). Later they shortened each record slightly and increased the number of records in the stack to 28.
Your restoration was an inspiration to me. I had a working BMC1 and one for parts that I was planning on restoring to original state, but the more I looked at its case the uglier it looked. Here is how mine turned out: photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cb9gMLn/0/fedc1c23/X3/i-cb9gMLn-X3.jpg The case is "wenge"; I took your example on the front switches. The switchplate was hand etched using a laser printer method. I put the serial number plate on the top like you did. I installed a preamp inside the case and wired it up for a standard 3-wire computer cord.
@@dfwsoundman Thanks! In the intervening time I posted a video showing some brand-new Seeburg records being played on the machine. You can see it running about two thirds the way through. ua-cam.com/video/EkfxRCDYQ5M/v-deo.html
It is really too bad that the speed can't be changed to 45 from 16. It would be great to load a stack of 45rpm records. It is a neat way to get background music, but does anyone really want to listen to it...
These old Seeburg two side, continuously playing record players were truly a pre-electronic mechanical miracle. The only reason I don't have one is that the records that come with them are, well, lets say not terribly listenable..People used to call this "elevator music" and made fun of it. LOL.
Any of these samples is far preferable to "Under My Umbrella" or "Hotline Bling" in a FAMILY retail store like GW or Sears. Those songs are expected inside a FYE or other entertainment retailer, but not a general mdser.
Man, I could watch this machine all day. What a remarkable bit of engineering. Designed to run literally for weeks at a time without intervention, for for an overall lifespan of decades. It leveraged existing technologies - the phonograph record, and the automatic changer, and extended both to impressive proportions. No computers involved, either.
And, for 16 rpm records the sound quality is superb. Although the music is 'generic', it's still quite pleasant to listen to and well performed.
This what quality used to mean in the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s.
DFWSoundman...This is AWESOME! What an INCREDIBLE restoration! The music played here makes me feel like I'm shopping around at Sears in the 1960s! LOVE this upload!
This is absolutely fascinating. I would love to see this machine working in person.
What an awesome record changer. More complex than my markel playmaster. The music you're playing is so non descript that if you had to hear it over and over you wouldn't think that you're listening to the same stack of records more than once. And it looks like brand new. You're a lucky man.
they need to bring these back the hell with the new shit!
Awesome. I just bought one at an auction sale a couple nights ago. I had no idea how it worked. Thanks!
Now THIS is retail music!! Especially just after 3:52 - Could also be straight out of a ballpark.
I am truly green with envy with that restoration and marvelous unique record player. Those Seeburg records are very expensive if you can find them. Any record player that has 16 RPM can play them with an adaptor for the enlarged middle hole. Now that I do have.
First class restoration! Very, very well done!
that's excellent! I'd heard of those machines but never saw one in proper operation. great job and great video!
Excellent work
I just bought a nice encore model
I love these machines.
I have 2 BMC's and would love to have them updated and restored kind of like yours.
Do you still have them by any chance? I’ve dreamed of having one of these a long time.
Thank you very much for posting a video. I just love this machine! :)
How long would this bad boy play?
Assuming it is never shut off and has the complete set of 25 records, it is 37 hours until the arm raises them back to the top to start over. Each side of the record is 40 minutes due to the slow speed and that the music is in mono.
By the time I came along, most background music came in via phone line -- might have been ISDN for all I know.. By 1982, hotel I worked at had a big noisy platen set up in a closet. I don't know if it was optical or magnetic, but would play five hours before starting over. Today you can build your own system cheap, although royalty fees are on you rather than the supplier.
There are three idler wheels. Facing front, the first has two rubber idlers, the large sits below the small. The second has one large rubber idler and one small brass, the brass sits below, rubber on top. The third is all metal. the large diameter idler sits below, the small brass idler is on top. Also, I've eliminated the dense foam motor shockmounts. You don't need them. Replaced with brass spacers and washers.
No luck getting mine to work. The motor assembly makes a lot of noise without moving the spindle. platter or tonearm. I try to turn it off and it often does so reluctantly, maybe trying to complete a cycle before doing so? Any ideas?
that is so cool, remind me of the RCA 45 I had as a young man
This is fascinating.
Brilliant engineering.
the machanics in these machines in amazing to play music on 16
Great, great, GREAT! Been looking for a Seeburg record/disc player (also a MUZAK record player) and it's soooo fun to see one in action! Thanx for an informative upload. SUBSCRIBED!!
PS (edit), Any chance we might get a tracklist in the description? Thought I identified two Syd Dale (maybe Steve Gray?) tracks I haven't heard before.
MUZAK didn’t use record players. They used automatic tape decks designed by them in collaboration with Ampex.
WOW, I love it, wish that I got one like it
I have a taste for music that's instrumental form it's really classy
World #1 Muzak player...
Just got one. I hope it works just as well as this. Those BMC cases usually look just awful, rusted out and disaster area-like.
Finally got around to trying it out. No luck. The motor assembly makes a lot of noise without moving the spindle/platter/tonearm. Any ideas?
I would like to purchase a restored Seeburg 1000. Dou you have any for sale?
tom
Does anyone know what causes a noisy motor even after oiling?
the motor mounts will cause a noisy motor from the rubber mounts turning to dust, they more than likely will need replacement
Marvellous
very nice job.....
In this video is a demonstration record, on a conventional 12" record
1:11 he says "medium tempo" and you hear about 220 bpm
SO completely bad ass
one question the top weight falls down when the last record comes down to be played can I adjust this out? lemme know I have two machines that do that fine without the weight but the weight falls WITH the record lol not cool!
Very nice!
the music sound reproduction was actually good for playing recordings at 16 2/3 r.p.m!!!!, it was unfortunate that you had to go to seeburg to get the recordings, and return the ones that you had for the month. if you did not return the recordings that you have, seeburg would not send you the next months recordings, and being that the records had extra large hub openings, you were stuck if you did not go along with the program!!!!
around 2:00 i can hear alot of speed instability. why is that?
I' d Like to purrchase a Seeburg 1000. Do you have any for sale. I would like to habe a restored one. Tom
Were these units even practical in its day when you couldnt use regular 45's?
Yes indeed. 45s are terribly limited with regard to capacity - you'd need several hundred of them to equal the capacity of this machine, assuming you wanted the music to play without the frequent repeats. That was the big selling point for the Seeburg 1000 - it would go some 35 hours without ever repeating a song. Furthermore, it was completely automatic. You switched it on and it did its thing automatically until you turned it off.
In the late 1950s, another background music service (Rowe/Customusic) used an elaborate carousel type record changer (basically the same mechanism they used in their jukeboxes) that played 7 inch records that were essentially just like 45s, except they ran at 33-1/3 rpm, and had three songs per side. The machine accepted 100 such records for a total of 600 songs. It was quite a sizeable piece of equipment, as you can imagine.
they were used in stores, malls, and factories. they were very practical in terms that these units needed no real attention, other than maintenance and record changeouts, and tracking at 16 2/3 r.p.m. you would not hear a repeated tune until the next day, and the surface noise was almost non existent, record wear/ needle wear was also not an issue
excellent video.
This is cool 😎. .it is far better than the the new garbage 🗑️... looks like space age....1960s style.. ..are those records playing the same way as a LP😊
I would love to buy the record you're demonstrating would you sell me that one of the set? lemme know I got pay pal!
was it 25 tunes the record can hold?
Originally, it was 40 per record - 20 on each side, times 25 records, for 1000 songs (hence the name). Later they shortened each record slightly and increased the number of records in the stack to 28.
Your restoration was an inspiration to me. I had a working BMC1 and one for parts that I was planning on restoring to original state, but the more I looked at its case the uglier it looked. Here is how mine turned out: photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cb9gMLn/0/fedc1c23/X3/i-cb9gMLn-X3.jpg
The case is "wenge"; I took your example on the front switches. The switchplate was hand etched using a laser printer method. I put the serial number plate on the top like you did. I installed a preamp inside the case and wired it up for a standard 3-wire computer cord.
love your restoration. looks amazing!
@@dfwsoundman Thanks! In the intervening time I posted a video showing some brand-new Seeburg records being played on the machine. You can see it running about two thirds the way through. ua-cam.com/video/EkfxRCDYQ5M/v-deo.html
It is really too bad that the speed can't be changed to 45 from 16. It would be great to load a stack of 45rpm records. It is a neat way to get background music, but does anyone really want to listen to it...
Are these 33s or 45s?
No.. 16 RPM Records
Looks like they play at 33 & a third RPM. Perhaps a single-speed model.
they are a little slower than that, 16 and 2/3.
Oh, I get it! Snails' speed! Ha-ha-ha!
Wow! Amazing!!!!!
BOŽÍ.- )
The narrator sounds like Ken Nordine
♥
These old Seeburg two side, continuously playing record players were truly a pre-electronic mechanical miracle. The only reason I don't have one is that the records that come with them are, well, lets say not terribly listenable..People used to call this "elevator music" and made fun of it. LOL.
For me the music is the best part.
Literally "Automatic for the people" :-)
Any of these samples is far preferable to "Under My Umbrella" or "Hotline Bling" in a FAMILY retail store like GW or Sears. Those songs are expected inside a FYE or other entertainment retailer, but not a general mdser.
I saw one in a "BUTCHER SHOP" back in the 60's, and yes it was active!!!!
bellisimoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Nice!
Wow!!!
How much do these ones look like a 45 lol