Price Check: Seeburg DS160

New to jukes - and hoping to buy a juke. I have found a few on
kijiji / craiglist , but the responses from the sellers are scaring me
off - as I do not know enough about them.

I have a recommendation of a restorer - who has a Seeburg DS160 that
he can offer me. I have heard good things - that he restores the
mechanics / amp for years of use. He doesn't touch the cosmetics.

So, with that said, what's a fair price for fully working / o.k.
cosmetics DS160?


Thanks. I'd have to drive 14 hours for it - but I'm willing to do
that due to his reputation (or get it shipped).

DanishBeer- wrote:
New to jukes - and hoping to buy a juke. I have found a few on
kijiji / craiglist , but the responses from the sellers are scaring me
off - as I do not know enough about them.

I have a recommendation of a restorer - who has a Seeburg DS160 that
he can offer me. I have heard good things - that he restores the
mechanics / amp for years of use. He doesn't touch the cosmetics.

So, with that said, what's a fair price for fully working / o.k.
cosmetics DS160?


Thanks. I'd have to drive 14 hours for it - but I'm willing to do
that due to his reputation (or get it shipped).

I got my DS last year off of eBay (it was only an hour drive away,
otherwise I probably would not have bid) and thought I got a really good
deal at $560. I was the only bidder. It was complete, the cabinet
sides were very acceptable (one area of scratched-off paint about 4"
dia.), chrome good, undented grille, etc. The silk-screened glass was
pretty good, very acceptable really, but I happened to have a NOS set
for that model, which, helped me decide to buy the juke to match! All I
had to do to it was clean it up (smelled like animal pee, which also
might have been responsible for the scratched side...), lube it
thoroughly, as it was dry as a bone (but very clean!) and cycle it
repeatedly to get the oil worked in everywhere. I had to correct a
couple of issues in the amp, which had been partially re-capped by an
amateur. I think a couple of resistors needed to be replaced, as well
as the caps overlooked by the previous service, which were in a bag
inside the cab.

The things that I would ask about your DS, if it were me, would be:

1) Does it have the "ear" speakers on the upper sides, and are the
plastic cases uncracked and are the speakers good? The vulnerable
position of these speakers means they can get whacked on a doorway when
pushing the juke around, and the backs are frequently cracked. These go
for significant money the rare times you see them on eBay. They are
also an uncommon size for an oval speaker, good luck on finding
replacements. They add a lot to the sound and appearance of the juke
(and they are the reason for the DS designation...Directional Stereo!

2) What output tubes are in the amplifier? Are they original 6973's,
some of the new Russian 6973 "reproductions", or has it been converted
to use something like 6CZ5's? To my mind, they go in that order from
most-desirable to least desirable. The original 6973's are higher power
and lower distortion than any of the replacements, from what I understand.

3) Is an autospeed or a stepper included? While not necessary, they add
to the value in that you can play some of the 33 1/3 "Little LP's" as a
novelty feature if it has a working autospeed, and you can add a wallbox
if you have a stepper. Both were extra-cost options back in the day.

I don't know if that really gives you an idea of relative value, I don't
know if I would have paid a lot more for mine (as I have a couple other
jukes), but I always liked the idea of a DS (I also have an AY, which is
basically a DS without the "ears"). I threw out a low bid when I saw no
one else was bidding on it, and got it for a good price with no
shipping. I like Seeburgs to begin with, and like I said, I already had
NOS glasses in my stash, so I'm happy with mine. It might be a sign of
the softening of juke prices, I think it would have gotten a higher
price 5 or 6 years ago. Good luck with your search, and be careful
moving it if you haul it any distance. Feel free to ask if you need
pointers before attempting to haul it yourself. If you do get a juke
there are knowledgeable people out there who will be able to help you
with yours if you do your own work, all they will ask is that you get a
service manual first. Have fun!

--Bob

Thanks Bob,

Some excellenet advice there and questions to ask. I'm definately
"amateur" when it comes to this - so I need to do my homework first.
The price he asked was $1500 (in Canada). Now, I have good questions
to ask to ensure all the right components / parts are there.


Thanks again - Doug.