[Jukebox-list] "50 Hertz"

[Bob E.]

Ron Rich wrote:
> Hi All,
>   Does anyone happen to know how fast a Seeburg set up with 50 cycle gears will go at 60 Hertz?  A customer brought me an EAY set up for 50 cycle, and he has owned the juke for years, and never realized that it runs fast (here on 60 hZ).  Everything sounds like "Alvin and the Chipmunks" to me--but he's happy ???
>   Ron Rich

Something I didn't realize is that there were areas in the US that were 
50 Hz until well to the middle of the last century.  The timing of this 
post is really coincidental, since I just got back from my Sunday 
afternoon visit to my dad's house.  He had been to the flea-market 
earlier, and presented his latest find to me...a Meissner Phono-Recorder 
(with PA system).  It's a largish suitcase-type affair, so it's a 
portable set-up, but it is *really* heavy.  It has radio, a microphone 
(with desk-stand) that stows into a compartment, and a phonograph with 
two arms (one for  recording and one for playback).  It will work at 
both 78 RPM as well as 33 1/3.  What was interesting was the small 
data-card under the microphone compartment door that gave the model and 
serial number, tube locations and the legend "117 Volt AC, 50 cycle".

I asked my dad about that, and he said that California (or at least, the 
Los Angeles area) was 50 Hz until just shortly before he and my mom 
moved from Montana to California in 1950.  He remembers their new 
neighbors telling them that the utility company had to buy a new clock 
for every house in their service area.

I've come across these self-recorded records before, there are several 
brands such as "Recordio", "Wilcox-Gay", "RecorDisk", etc.  Until now, I 
have never seen an actual record-playback unit for them, though.  You 
can see one at a New Jersey auction site at:

http://www.njauction.com/cgi-bin/new/item.pl?item=95140448

This one came with the user manual, a bunch of spare needles (not sure 
if they are record, playback or both yet!), and a bunch of records, 
including some blanks.  Perhaps the most interesting thing is three 
records of a program that someone recorded off the radio: a boxing match 
between Joe Louis and someone named Walcott in June of 1948!  It 
apparently went to 11+ rounds (don't tell me how it comes out, I haven't 
listened to it yet)... The radio plays (with the usual bit of hum from 
dried electrolytics), but the phono motor was gummed up almost solid.  I 
think it will free up with some cleaning and lube.  Interestingly, the 
motor has a data plate that says "60 cycle".

--Bob