Posted 11 years ago
gerdan
(3 items)
I consider THIS the first Jukebox.
This Regina Hexphone had a selection of 6 records/songs. You dropped in a nickel (high right side), went to the round handle below that to rotate and pick your song. Then you had to crank the handle above the selector knob by yourself (!) to make it play. It started and stopped by itself. There was a marquee which was hooked on the back (missing) which listed its name: Regina Hexaphone, with instructions and selections. Made from 1908-1921, in at least 4 models that I'm aware of, this is model 102 (the second one, an oldee).
My father was an avid old phono collector. Not much is left except this Hex and a few Edison cylinder (Home & Standard), about a dozen horns and several hundred cyclinder records.
The Regina Hex plays 4 minute blue amberol records, cylinders.
The glass made it easy to watch the action; there is even a mirror behind so you could see everything going on. As kids we just loved it. It has been repaired (broken gears), but with TLC it can still play. The sound is phenomenal and fills a room (much better than the example on Youtube which has a grid model with poor definition of sounds). This one has the built-in wood horn which I'm sure is responsible for the sound quality.
These are so rare that no one thinks to mention them when talking about either jukeboxes OR coin-operated machines!
It's been in my family for probably close to 50 years. This old relic probably deserves someone new to appreciate it; someone who is familiar with cylinder phonographs and brave enough to work with cleaning old grease which I'm told is part of it's current sluggish starts and stops.
This is the EARLIEST JUKEBOX! Ask me questions if you like, and tell me what YOU know about this machine and its relatives.
these are so fun!!!!!
The table one you're talking about is a whole different animal. It's a MUSIC box, which has big, huge, metal discs with holes. Different holes make different notes and sounds. They ARE fabulous also. I had a chance to see one at auction and regret not bidding on it!
That is a beautiful machine, a mechanical marvel or mechanical art!!!
Indeed. Glad you enjoyed my little blurb on it.
I love old mechanical pieces like this, I can see why they wanted everyone to be able to see the action. Anyone that saw it for the first time were probably standing around with their mouths open in astonishment & tapping their toes at the same time.
Cute huh? Some of the early Edison machines didn't have the big horn. I've seen pix of people standing around a phonograph with earphones (almost like a doc uses) each hooked up to the sound output. Interesting and fun stuff.
The Hexaphones are way cool, I still remember how excited I was to find decades one at an antique shop near where I grew up. I was surprised by a number of things, the sheer volume of sound, how "interactive" the machines were,(the customer didn't just pick a song, they also had to move it into place and, if I remember right, wind the machine) and how "advanced" its features were, compared to modern juke boxes, yet entirely without electricity.