J200 1044 - Horsham
Restored by Gary Nichols, 2019-2020.
Although the front badge is a USA AMi version, the serial number backplate confirms it to be a UK BAL-AMi.
Bought off Gumtree in April 2019, it had originally been used in a Cardiff pub from the mid 1960's until it stopped working during the early 1980's and was mothballed in a back room. Sold on by the grandson of the pub owner it was in a sorry state but virtually complete (just missing front grille badge, volume control/reject) and in a fairly original state.
The whole cabinet and mech were coated in a nice thick brown nicotine film that required a few litres of Autoglym's eco-friendly engine degreaser to remove. All 230v cabling was replaced along with old ballasts, tubes, micro switches, toggle solenoids, pin selector, capacitors and the magazine motor. The front grill was matched to aluminium mesh sold by FH Brundle and spray painted gold. All brightwork was re-chromed by a company that Gary also uses for his classic cars in Croydon.
The Jukebox Company supplied a new grill badge surround with other repro and original parts sourced from eBay, and other jukebox parts suppliers.
The amp was rebuilt by a Nottingham based specialist and it still retains the original Mullard valves. Matched with the Goodmans speaker/horn, it sounds fantastic.
The cabinet was colour matched with a water-based satinwood paint from the Dulux range, applied with a radiator roller to avoid any brush marks. A top tip was to use hair peroxide cream (wrapping parts in cling film and leaving in bright sun) to effectively bleach out UV damage to the turquoise front panel surround and darkened areas of the top light diffuser.
The juke occupies space in a large open-plan area and is enjoyed by family and friends on a regular basis, playing tunes from the 50's to the 80's.