Original 1962 AMI II Continental 200 Vinyl Jukebox

The AMI II Continental was launched at an exciting time in American history – humanity was discovering space travel, a frontier previously untouched by human civilisation. The Continental celebrated this by exploring an entirely revolutionary design, produced by the Automatic Musical Instrument Company.

The pioneering ‘Sputnik’ design comprises a wrap-around title strip holder hovering serenely above the record changer, which is contained in a parabolic, space-age bubble on the machine’s body. The gentle illumination subtly enhances its golden trim and soft cabinet colours. Its unique construction gives the jukebox a distinctive silhouette, and was intended by AMI to set a ‘new standard of style’.

The Continental features AMI’s wonderful analogue sound system, which produces a genuine vinyl to valve sound, giving it a clear authentic tone. The mechanism introduced as standard on jukeboxes of the time allows 200 selections; both sides of 100 45rpm vinyl records.

The AMI II Continental 200 vinyl jukebox is a charming snapshot of the American ideals of the time – beautifully capturing the hope, anticipation and pride that the space-race era brought for the common man.

Allow us to explain how and why we go to such extreme lengths when repairing and restoring vintage games.

The Games Room Company is one of the oldest jukebox dealers in the country. Our founder, Reginald Waldersmith, first learned about jukeboxes in the early 1950s when we were servicing jukeboxes on American Air Force bases. We’ve been selling jukeboxes since 1962, so know a thing or two about our products! Our showroom will gladly assist you with any questions you may have before or after you purchase any Games Room Company equipment.

Over the years we are fortunate enough to have gathered together a select few individuals whose enthusiasm for jukeboxes, pinball machines and vintage arcade games ensures that they are never less than 100% committed to the task in hand. They quite simply love breathing new life into old circuitry and want to see as many of these classic pieces preserved for future generations as possible.

Not for them the perfunctory checklists and proverbial ‘tyre kicking’ which pass for an inspection at other dealers but instead an unflinching determination to get to grips with the detail. This usually begins with a thorough strip down of the machine and a forensic examination of the internal workings. They’ll be aware of the particular quirks and foibles of any given piece and instead of just replacing failed parts they’ll always go the extra mile, swapping out components which are likely to fail in the near future.

An obvious comparison would be between a classic car which remains on show in a garage and one that you can actually enjoy driving.

Rare though many of these machines are, rarer still are the examples which have been properly restored or can truthfully be said to be in full working order. It goes without saying that when unrestored machines come up for sale online or at auction, they’ll often be priced rather lower than the machines sold by The Games Room Company, and the point we wish to get across above all others is that there’s a reason for this.

In this business The Games Room Company’s reputation is second to none, and as it’s been hard won over the years it’s something we never take for granted. Every machine that goes off to a customer, be they corporate or private, is a potential advertisement for the business and if we didn’t do our job properly then we wouldn’t have the high number of loyal, returning customers that we do.

We’re justly proud of our One Year Parts and Labour Warranty, which extends to on-site visits so if your machine does require some attention, you won’t necessarily have to endure the pain of separation.

We’ve always recognised that with specialised products such as these the after-sales service is just as important as the initial sale. It takes a long time to build a reputation and over the years our commitment has won us not just the loyalty of our clients but also the trust of the last remaining American Jukebox manufacturer, Rockola, who in 2014 appointed us as their Exclusive British dealer.

Music itself is an important part of our business, as reflected by our treasured vinyl library, so we are able to help you source and create the perfect playlist. We also make all of the title cards in original typewriter font – so if you’re a bit stuck for choice, we are only too happy to help!

Music and Title Cards Pricing

The charge for vintage records is £15 + VAT per record, this covers most records however some are highly collectable for which we have to pay a premium and are charged at a higher price. The title card service is £120 + VAT for a handmade set regardless of the selection quantity.

It is quite an involved process supply records as we buy them in from dealers or collectors, they will only guarantee the “A” side, so often many records do not pass with us because we always supply records with playable “B” sides as well as the “A”.

The centres are then cut (big hole centres) which also leads to some breakage as some of the records split due to their age. Finally they are hand washed and then played both “A” and “B” side on a gramophone for sound quality, only then are they fit to go on the Jukebox. The final check is again playing “A” and “B” side as you would hear it on your Jukebox.

It’s all about delivering good quality sound for our clients and if you are investing in a vinyl jukebox the standard of the records have to demonstrate the high standard of our restorations.

Please contact us if you are interested in this service.