Sanfilippo Foundation - Gables Entertainer 1906 (early disc jukebox)

We've pulled the back board off our rare, Gabels Automatic Entertainer, made in Chicago in 1906, to show you its process of operation. It's the earliest known disc jukebox, and one of the rare surviving working models. Individual steel needles are automatically loaded into the phonograph arm from a pre-loaded birdcage-like structure when starting up. The old needle (used only once) is discarded at start-up in the same process. A sharp needle will not damage the record. When a needle develops a soft spot, or slight indentation, that is what damages the record. This machine solved that problem by changing the needle with every play.
Buffalo nickels are used exclusively by us due to the sensitivity of the drop mechanism. (Newer nickels have a slight raised ridge which can jam in the machine.) The horn was exposed on the original machines, and the beautiful wooden shroud was added later.
Due to the tight quarters of this machine, the video is a little jumpy at times. Extreme care was taken in reaching my iPhone camera inside while many gears were turning, and trying to show you the various gears in operation before the short song ended.
We hope you enjoy these demonstrations of the Sanfilippo Collection. We appreciate your support of the Sanfilippo Foundation thru your donations so that we can continue to bring you these videos and the in-person tours, all which help us with our charity fund raising operations. Visit www.SanfilippoFoundation.org for more information about the Foundation and its tours and events, and to donate. Thank you for watching.