In 1889, Louis Glass invented the phonograph, which is known as the jukebox, and he presented it to the Royal Palace Saloon in San Francisco, California. The term jukebox originated in the 1930s. The first part of the term juke means disorder and is a West African word. Glass is an American phonograph manufacturer that got the idea from Thomas Edison’s gramophone that was invented 12 years prior to Glass’s invention of the jukebox. The jukebox would play the music and people would enjoy listening to by having them insert coins commonly in diners. Later, in 1906, Gabel Company’s Automatic Entertainer produced a jukebox that had some songs that people could listen to. The jukebox had a large ear trumpet speaker and was five feet high; however, this jukebox did not have good sound quality. With the poor sound quality, Gabel Company decided to stop producing jukeboxes in 1908. However, this did not stop jukebox production because technology was booming, and the advances in technology were used to invent the electrostatic speakers in 1926. The sound quality improved because of he electrostatic speakers and gave more features that designers could add to the jukebox. Because of the boom of the interest of consumers to buy a jukebox, manufactures wanted to make products with the new speakers. The jukebox became popular in the 1930s because Prohibition in the United States ended and more taverns were established. The Wurlitzer Company of Chicago, Illinois decided that jukeboxes would be a good investment. Even though the radio was rising, the jukebox was like a vending machine to play popular music.

The Wurlitzer Jukebox Manufacturer is Born

Neon Jukebox

In the 1950s, Wurlitzer jukeboxes began to have automobile designs and had red lights and chrome rims on its outlook. Jukeboxes manufactured by Wurlitzer were popular because of the colored “bubble tubes” that was on the sides of their jukeboxes. These were also known as a neon bubbler jukebox. Wurlitzer Jukeboxes were at the peak of their sales, but eventually lost their popularity because of the advent of radios, headphones, piped-in FM music and, music videos. Production of jukeboxes ceased in 1975 by Wurlitzer; however Seeburg brought out a now model in 1975, which gives an image of the 1950s and the rise of rock-n-roll.

Why Buy an Antique Wurlitzer Style Jukebox?

People enjoy the Rockola Wurlitzer style jukeboxes of the 1950s and today jukeboxes are seen in clubs and bars that can have hundreds of songs on compact discs that could be selected. Also people buy Rockola Wurlitzer jukeboxes for their own homes because of their nostalgic values that gives them a sense of being in the mid-twentieth century. Antique Jukeboxes are now commonly retrofitted with CD players and changers, FM/AM radio stereo, and remote controls. Although these Wurlitzer style jukeboxes may be enhanced with electronics, they still provide the reminiscent antique neon jukebox looks of the past.