The 1963 Seeburg Encore Background Music System, Model SEP1

[@ercando11]

I've watched this several times over the years. So glad this player found its rightful owner. Thank you DRH! Very much enjoyed vicariously.

[@EzeeLinux]

A living piece of history. Amazing that it found you. :)

[@vic20greg]

All I can say is WOW! That's immaculate. I can't imagine anyone else having one in that condition, much less finding the one you did. Thank you for sharing with us. It's so nice to see others cherish and baby these items!

[@MarkShannonroad_videos]

Beautiful machine, beautiful sound! Excellent find!

[@LMacNeill]

What you have there is a time machine... Ready to transport you back to 1963... Truly spectacular! And that HUGE stack of records! Wow! I'm just blown away -- what an AMAZING find!

[@jimmyday9536]

Truly a rare and awesome piece! I myself have a Seeburg BMS "microwave" with the internal amp and speaker, I have hooked it up to some good AR speakers and yes, it is truly hi-fi, even at 16 rpm. I am glad you have this Encore unit, we know you will care for it and enjoy playing it!

[@jimtongas821]

Dude, you amaze me with the vintage items you pick up and at those awesome prices. Cool, cool stuff.

[@garylucas637]

I watched this awhile back and just had to watch it again. I truly love this beautiful music system. I wish I had one myself but I do understand they are very rare, few in existence and also very expensive. Fortunately I have my mom and dad's stereo that can play these records and use the stereo primarily for that purpose. They sound great even though it is only mono. I even attached RCA cables on the back of the stereo in order to connect additional amplifiers that can drive more speakers. My MPA-95 Realistic Amplifier would be the ideal amp to use because I would connect that to the stereo, then use speakers with 70v transformers to have limitless quanity for whole house sound. Actually have two MPA-95 amps so one would be for the left channel and one would be for the right channel then run two lines of speaker wire from each amp to have stereo sound on 70v line output. It is a lot of work but it would be fun creating the first 70V stereo system.

[@bobzwol]

Thank you for putting this together! I grew up in Chicago and have been an been an audiophile my entire life. I love vintage audio equipment. You did a spectacular job restoring this great work of audio art!

[@chatrkat]

beautiful machine. it's nice to see it will remain in pristine condition too. very nice video showing the operation and maintenance.

[@bones007able]

That is hands down the coolest piece of music making equipment I ever saw... mind was blown when I saw the rotation is backwards from normal

[@thrillscience]

Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this with your KZbin fans! It looks like it's in perfect shape.

[@alphabeets]

What a beautiful piece of vintage gear! Love it!

[@MrLewjohnson59]

It's too bad those aren't made anymore for us who appreciate the "body" of a vinyl analog recording. I could listen to that all day. Thank you. You foung a gem my friend. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

[@tommee10533]

She's truly in amazing shape. Thanks for sharing.

[@tommybewick]

I think these things have a way finding the right home. I know you will be a great custodian of this amazing peice of American electronic history. Thanks so much for sharing it. Tom

[@zachtownsend1]

A great find and to think how long that unit was in service to still look so good. Thanks for sharing.

[@craignehring]

Splendid What a great piece. My Grandfather lived in Chicago, a good friend of his worked at Seeburg, I bet he knew all about these.

[@AntiqueRadioandTV]

It's been so long since we've heard from you. Again you have presented to us this time a Seeburg Encore player that is probably the best example anywhere on this planet. Amazing! That is one of the coolest advantages of being in the Chicago area to get this type of vintage electronics. Lucky dog! What... Whoa! It plays the top half of the record in mid-spindle as well? Well, this feature really totally blew me away I must say! Again, you have the classiest example of a 1960's era home that I have ever seen.! Thanks so much for presenting this wonderful Seeburg player to all of us! Tom

[@Trance88]

Wow. How is it that you always seem to find the best in vintage electronics?! That thing looks and sounds like a million bucks! Fantastic find.

[@BobMellor1954]

What an amazing find, such a beautiful machine and in excellent condition. Never seen a record played from underneath before. Thanks for sharing.

[@retroandrailways6373]

The tune that starts at 12:35 also appears on record that belonged in Lifestyle(Basic) library as well and is pert of my Seeburg collection. It appears as 8th track on record L-127 side B. When I first time heard tune I knew that some record from my collecton has it as well. I also have few Encore records in my collection as well and they all sound verry nice.

[@Jallge]

I'm absolutely fascinated with the way that it plays the underside of a record, by playing it upside down.

[@musicgroovin]

What a find. As you were beginning to show this off I kept imagining this thing playing a Nelson Riddle/Billy May/Sinatra-style instrumental. Low and behold, my request was fulfilled. This unit could have served up the background music at some mid-century-era corporate office parties.

[@AMStationEngineer]

Watching this forces me to realize just how much we've lost as a nation. I'm seeing notes of design (the control drawer) common to Zenith and Motorola - there must have been a "Chicago School of Design". Many thanks for sharing!!

[@mercedes560sel]

Tour so correct. We have fallen so short in so many areas. I was born in 1963 and am truly saddened at where our once great country has fallen too.

[@AMStationEngineer]

I have three years on you, and often say that I am privileged to have seen America at it's greatest, but horrified to see the hard work, careful planning, blood, and treasure earned/expended by so very many of us with great intentions and expectations, being wasted and mismanaged and used to our country's detriment.

[@mercedes560sel]

***** Very well said. Its been a sad slow decay indeed. I really feel for the younger kids now who have no connection as to how this country used to be. We held the world standard on so many levels. I would love to be my age now back in about '62. I'm glad there are folks like Doug who also see the value in what we once had. We could have been so much more. I feel we sold out to short term thinking and sheer greed. But like you say I least we were able to live in a time when we were at our finest. The quality and commitment to producing only the best was really a wonderful era. This Chicago built sound system was very much a testament to that endeavor.

[@abueloraton]

Mind blowing!! What a incredibly nostalgic jewel!! With 16rpm vinyls!

[@mercedes560sel]

I only wish I could go back to these years at my age now. What a dream. Your posts help keep that dream alive . . Thank You!

[@westy40]

Always look forward to your videos! So great!

[@TheTarrMan]

Wow I'm speechless. Leave it to a old timer to actually take care of his possessions rather that today's throwaway society. Beautiful piece of masterful engineering. Thankfully their's you to preserve that historical piece too. We are all green with envoy, nice find. (The same shade of green, lol.)

[@DanOConnorTech]

Great machine and best "vintage" video I've seen on KZbin in a while. Thanks.

[@letseeitplease]

thanks for showing us this beautiful seeburg encore system, thats a great find,

[@chickbaxter]

One of the few YT videos that I've watched the entire way through.

[@Vinyl4ever-Switzerland]

This is a beautiful Seeburg Encore System. For such a model I would travel from Switzerland to the USA just to buy it. Best regards

[@tarstarkusz]

It is remarkable that you found this in the wild in such good condition. That had to have been stored in a box or some other very secure way. The records are remarkably quiet given how many times they were likely played and how slow they go.

[@ArthurHollingsworth]

That thing in amazing and sounds wonderful. Thanks for showing it to us!

[@luisreyes1963]

To think such devices were playing music in the upmarket shops in downtown Chicago decades ago. Thanks for sharing. 🎼

[@DarthVader-ib7tl]

A beauty, she is! A rare worthy gem, excellent find!

[@cny02253]

Awesome Doug. To find something that unique, rare, perfect and relatively compact is quite a coup, jeez this is like winning the lottery.

[@kyleelewis9515]

Come fly with me....down to Montgomery Wards to do some shopping ;)

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

So that's where the music came from!! Your living room looks straight out of an RCA Ad in any period magazine!!!! Awe - - Some ! ! !

[@nancydarling4918]

Great video. I find all of your videos interesting and entertaining. They bring back memories of my childhood. I was born in 1957. Your videos are also educational. Thanks for uploading them.

[@OldRadioAl]

Now that was cool. Mr. Rossi must have been proud of this, he sure took great care of it. Really well designed, looks and maintenance in mind. Cool how they they hid the controls, behind that front panel, it just looks like a logo. Can you explain the rotation direction, playing top, then bottom of each record? Fly Me to the Moon, good choice. Good to see another video from you.

[@stumpybear60]

It doesn't reverse the spin direction from playing the top to the bottom of the record! Wow! Fantastic find! Thanks for sharing.

[@tough213]

it would be interesting to know if Seeburg ever made stand alone hi-fi electronics components . if they ever made turntables I am sure they would still be around today . thank you for posting this great piece of history

[@ThejasonJaw5442]

Very Nice Doug rare Find... Enjoyed This Video

[@luisantoniomarrega1120]

Este aparelho é uma raridade eu nunca tinha visto um toca disco deste tipo. Parabéns pelo vídeo. Abraço! Rio de Janeiro Brazil

[@louisdegonzague1161]

Wow, what a find as it looks like it's new!!!

[@SeeburgMusic]

That's a really nice SEP1. This model was extremely popular and they survive by the hundreds, not sure who told you that there are only "a few" around! True that they are harder to find in that good of condition, although not impossible. The one thing you have that's usually always missing is the amp cover, so that's nice. In oiling the idler spindles, you don't need to remove the E-clips or washers-- just put 2 drops of oil in the notch of each clip, it will penetrate through just fine. This has always been the underdog of the Seeburg BMS machines, but is my favorite of all the different models. They are still quite plentiful and I know of many of them just here locally. They come up for sale occasionally as well online. Anyone who wishes to add an example to their collection should have little trouble doing so.

[@michaelhudecek2778]

Hello! Just came across your channel the day and I subscribed! I have never heard of seeburg music or a record player and I was happy to learn about them from you! Thank you!! I amazed how it plays the record upside down and then right side up!!!! Michael

[@Edwin48100]

I think that song playing on the machine is called "Come Fly With Me".

[@Nokorola]

That is a beautiful piece of equipment.

[@sammee6602]

Doug, you are a remarkable person. I enjoy all of your posts!

[@musicman0150]

This is outstanding. I always love seeing these vintage music systems in operation and how they work. I was wondering how you would use the terminals on the right to connect different speakers or sources to the unit. Music like that would really sound nice at medium low volume with lots of speakers added; bringing back the memories of how that music would play in large department stores and supermarkets and even restaurants. Superior video. Gary

[@MichaelBeeny]

Love the wow and flutter so common with piped music systems of the day.

[@progressivemetalfan]

Showroom condition! Love it

[@teacfan1080]

You've got a real treasure there! Goes to show you take care of equipment, it'll last! You can load up a stack of records and spend a lazy evening at home!

[@DavidLJarvis]

An absolutely beautiful piece of ART!!! Thanks for sharing. :-)

[@jim8230]

All of Seeburg's machines sounded great. Especially the jukeboxes from the 1970's.

[@dave4708]

Beautiful music,very classy from days gone bye.

[@jeffreybarna6543]

I'm in LOVE!

[@ladypodtron]

What a score!

[@rickabney2318]

sweet find very cool

[@Vintage_USA_Tech]

Wow that is a beauty!

[@ahah1785]

Amazing...todays electronics wont even leave a pile of dust in 50 years=)

[@renegade44040]

Nothing is made as good these days.

[@RadioTubesSound]

Nice. Thanks for sharing. Thumbs up Regards, Charlie

[@SO_DIGITAL]

Swanky parties and Martinis.

[@fromthesidelines]

"Will Mr. Evans please report to Mr. Matthews' office? Thank you!"

[@michaelhudecek2778]

I love it!!!!

[@tjtreinen7381]

the reloading mechanism on these is really cool..

[@hebneh]

It goes without saying that this narration should have been accompanied in its entirety by cheerful, upbeat music of the style that would've been used in a '60s promotional or educational film - the very music, in fact, that this machine plays!

[@jaykay18]

$795 for that? Well worth it. I'd be DELIGHTED to spend that kind of money on something I know will last 50 years. Unfortunately, in this day and age, it'll never happen. That thing speaks volumes of quality!

[@michaelsutton5374]

I have one of these SEP1 as well as the Seeburg model 1000 without speakers. We used it to service remote background music accounts around town via phone service in the mid 1960s. When ASCAP and Bell started kickin up fees we had to cancel the service, Would like to find a good home for the SEP1 and the model 1000.

[@michaelmosko7169]

Too cool for words....

[@ThejasonJaw5442]

Doug Please Post More Videos...

[@TheWorldOfBudgetVinylRecords]

Music starts at 12:37, just in case you are here for the Encore library tracks.

[@OysterPir8]

That's wonderful.

[@TheWorldOfBudgetVinylRecords]

I hope you post these Encore records onto KZbin sometime.

[@daviddisandro821]

you found it! what they used in the restaurant where i was a busboy in 1972!

[@mykd2999]

I congratulate you on this spectacular find. I follow your postings because I love old musical equipment and cars. It is quite entertaining, and educational, to follow your adventures as you troubleshoot and repair an old TV or radio. I'm not even jealous, because this Seeburg machine could not have gone to a better home than yours, where it will be well-maintained, loved and actually USED. I can't stand seeing old console stereos (or anything else, for that matter) being held prisoner by greedy people on Ebay who don't even care if the poor thing works - all they care about is whether it's "vintage mid-century retro danish-modern", and would gut the electronics and sell it for the cabinet rather than breathe new life into a poor old soldier that was made with a lot of care by craftsmen who took pride in their work, and that was born to play music, not to sit in some "collector's" garage in a Ziplok bag. I have two Magnavox console stereos (a 65 Astro-Sonic with transistors, and a TUBE unit from 1961, whose record changer I am currently restoring). If I ever meet you at random somehow, I will galdly buy you a nice gin and tonic with a twist of lime - the perfect cocktail to drink while listening to fine music from the 50s and 60s. Your love of fine craftsmanship has inspired me and, I'm sure, many others. Thanks for keeping the spirit alive. The world is a better place with people like you. Best regards.

[@danmurphy7713]

Wow totally awsome !

[@dusterdude238]

what did the Two Slide switches on the bottom of the control panel do? they seem to have a lockout system on them,so if one is moved the other moves with it or is locked out to keep from being moved when the first switch is in a certain position.

[@robfriedrich2822]

With the records you are lucky, that they aren't scratchy.

[@jhonwask]

Seeburg had the coolest background music, and players. That is really nice. Were the Encore records recorded in stereo, or mono, like the basic players? Hope you get lots of enjoyment out of that unit.

[@TwinMillMC]

You always find mint stuff. Wow! It sounds beautiful - so much bass! I've never seen this model before. May I ask what you paid for it? And I'm thrilled to see my videos on the sidebar feed. Thank for posting!

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

Amazing! That was a big investment for a small business at that time I'm sure, and the owner must have been very proud of having it. It's condition shows it either wasn't used much or that it was well cared for. Now since it had the same mechanism as the 1000 were the records for that format also useable, or were these records dedicated to this machine? And an electrostatic tweeter, pretty high end for what's basically a low fi 16 RPM system, they must have used it for a louder sound maybe? From videos of the 1000 system, the needles don't last forever, and finding a new cartridge for that machine is probably not easy. Very nice score you have there!

[@garylucas637]

I meant to ask in my last comment about the external speaker hookup on the Encore music system. When the lid is closed, I didn't see a hole where the wire would come out of the music system to connect external speakers so how would the wire be routed and connected? Also wondered what C.V. Speakers Only means. Is that for 70v hookup? The other termianals show 1/4 1/2 1 2 and 4 watt so not sure if that's also 70V line output as well. I wonder what type of speakers are inside the unit? You said its a 9", which is probably a 10" and a 5" but wondered if they are Anico Permanent Magnets or field coil speakers? It be neat to see the inside of the amp section and how that works with both types of speakers used.

[@AiMR]

That's just a fantastic find! Look forward to hearing some of these discs in later videos. Did you recap it yet?

[@Olizimm]

Bellissimo!!

[@JeffShilling]

Needles - Have you been able to find a replacement or a suitable replacement needed for these units? I am in search of them!

[@musicman257]

very cool

[@davidjames666]

Seeing this again makes me want to go out and buy a light blue leisure suit wth the biggest bell bottoms I can find. If I can only find the keys to my Mercury comet.

[@Ode2Pops]

What a find! And, a nice group of tunes recorded by Frank Sinatra. Come Fly With Me, a brief excerpt of All The Way and Nancy With The Laughing Face.

[@jhonwask]

I wish I had one of those. I have two 1000's. They play, but need a little work.

[@bobfisher2334]

I have one and am wanting to sell it if you are interested. I found mine at a flea market about 15 years ago

[@donedmondson8163]

did he say $750.00 in 1963 wow today that will be $6;339.82 today

[@jim02026]

Who produced the musical production? Was it "Musak"? Are the records 7" and play at 45 RPM? Can they be played on a home record player or are they unique to this Seeburg system?

[@fromthesidelines]

Seeburg itself produced and provided the discs to "subscribers" on a regular basis. They were recorded at 16rpm; unless you have a turntable that can play that speed, you wouldn't be able to play it on a "modern" one.

[@fromthesidelines]

Unless you make your own "homemade" adapter.

[@xaenon]

@@fromthesidelines ... or you can buy one of mine! I've designed a 3D printed custom adapter for Seeburg records so they can be played on regular equipment. They'll work with regular 'single play' turntables as well as most older changers. Of course, the odd size of the record means you still have to cue the record manually.

[@Turkeydoodlers]

Doug Inside where the amp is there's a green wire coming off the amp? On the 1000 model it connects to a metal tab on the case inside, I assume ground? Where's it connect to on the encore? I can't see where it goes to on mine? Thanks :)

[@ermyvids]

HI You are lucky to have saved this from the dump Doug, WOW

[@MerleOberon]

Music to take Miltown by....ah, the 60s

[@rareblues78daddy]

Let's all do the Soma samba!

[@stphinkle]

Is the Amp in that one tube or transistor?

[@kirkwatstien6979]

its by this era solid state in fact the seeburg 1k was surprisingly solid state as well (sadly)

[@shango066]

Are records rotating in reverse? I cant beleive people are so hell bent on caps they would actually ask if you recapped it.

[@OlegKostoglatov]

If my friend's AMI Diplomat Jukebox is anything to go by it's very likely that the electrolytic caps are the only components you would have to keep an eye on, the non polarized caps are all disk and film types.

[@bobfisher2334]

I have one of these and am considering selling it. Who would be in the market for this item?

[@TheStuffOfLegend]

Someone like myself, who loves Seeburg products:)