9. Posted 04-01-19

Since restoring my Ditchburn MK2R, i decided that if another early Ditchburn Jukebox came along at the right price i would look at buying and restoring a second machine… it wasn’t going to be a Jack Hylton MK1 as we know there is only one of those known to be in existence, that is unless a miracle was to happen and another was to surface… so i was set looking for a MK2 machine, and then just before Christmas a MK2 machine appeared on Ebay… although it had a few visible issues … in all it was still all original and seemed mechanically and electrically complete.. although the Ebay price was rather high for its condition the seller was open to offers, so i did some rough calculations of costs based on my previous restoration and also what other items would be needed to restore this to a working machine, also as the machine was currently in Devon and i was in Lytham… i would have to factor in the cost of transportation as well … after working everything out, i contacted the seller and made an offer… eventually we agreed on a price that was acceptable for both of us, The seller was a nice chap who was very helpful and that over the years had bought and sold a few Ditchburn’s so he was quite familiar with them. So i set out on my road trip and drove down to Devon to bring another baby back home to Lytham, When i arrived the seller had powered the Mech up to show me that it was all working and turning over. we loaded the Cabinet into the Hatchback first and then loaded the Mech in last. this would be the safest way to transport the machine back to the place it was made.

So i started my journey of over 300 miles back home, with a Ditchburn Mk2 as company. as i mentioned the machine had a few known issues.. but these are fixable, and they are as follows…. 1, The back door is missing, i should be able to make an identical replacement from ply wood using photos i have. 2, The front has a crack in the bottom perspex directly behind the Music Maker letters , I could get a complete new perspex section made but this would be very expensive, the alternative will be to cut the bottom cracked section off and replace with new square perspex bottom perhaps using a strip of chrome trim to cover the gap between old and new sections 3, The selector pushbutton bezel is missing. the chances of finding a replacement is very slim, but i should be able to get a reproduction one made and engraved in trafforlite. 4, The machine has been converted to 7” 45rpm ( as were most of the MK2 machines in existence ) one of the 78 to 45 rpm adapter trays is missing, so I’m on the lookout for a replacement. 5, The Acos crystal cartridge was in a bad state and non functional ( i have a working similar type of acos cartridge that i can modify and fit if required ) but i would rather fit the original HGP39-1 LP if i can source a working unit at the right price. there are a few other areas that need a strip down and light lubrication and some paint touch up, but in all the Jukebox is in excellent condition for a 1948 machine. on a plus side I have tested the Amplifier by putting it into in my other MK2R Jukebox and it works fine and sounds great, but i will get it serviced by Geoff Young ( the Jukeboxman in Lincoln ) as the capacitors are looking a bit swollen and leaky so better be safe and get it recapped. but the KT66s U52 and B65 valves all look good and more importantly sound great. I will add the restoration of this machine to the website ( that reminds me i must upload the rest of my MK2R restoration first ) here are a few more photos of this wonderful machine in its un restored state .