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The Wurlitzer. Sunrise, FL

1941 Wurlitzer Jukebox Model 750

 

 

This is a classic of the "Golden Age" of jukeboxes. The most compact of the full-size Wurlitzers, it features multicolored illuminated plastics and two curved bubble tubes in the center grill to give it 'animation,' adding to the eye-appeal. Made in 1941, it was the first Wurlitzer to feature the domed cathedral top that was to be the standard for the rest of the decade. A choice of 24 selections was offered, with the 78rpm records stacked in trays on the left side of the record compartment. The selected record swings out while the turntable rises up from below to bring it up to the level of the tonearm.

 

Two versions of the Wurlitzer 750 were made. The style pictured here used a mechanical selector. A patron would select the records he wanted to hear, then insert enough coins to play the selections. The problem was that any subsequent person could simply lift up the selection key to cancel it, and choose a different record, for which the first patron had already paid. This "selection theft" resulted in many confrontations. A total of 6,411 of these mechanical selector 750s were produced.

 

Wurlitzer then came up with a more modern version, called the 750E (for electric). This had an electric selector mechanism which required that the patron first insert a coin, then make their selections. These could not be overridden by others, so it eliminated a pesky problem that had gone on for years. All new Wurlitzers thereafter used the electric selector. Almost twice as many electric selector 750s were made versus the mechanical version (about 12,000).

 

There was another benefit to the electric selector, at least for the operator: with the mechanical selector mechanism, a patron could see if his choice was already selected. With the electric selector, there was no way to know if a choice had already been made (and paid for), so it was common for two or more patrons to pay for the same song. Each was happy to hear it play, without knowing that it had already been paid for possibly many times over.

 

Year Of Shipment: 1941

Cabinet Type: Full Size

Number Produced: 6,411

Number Of Selections: 24

 

78 - RPM

24 records

24 selections

 

308 lbs

32 - inches wide

26 - inches deep

55 3/4 - inches high

 

To pay for the selections, you could add 4 quarters or 10 dimes or 20 nickels.

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Uploaded on December 27, 2025
Taken on February 17, 2024