AMI Model C - What are your thoughts on replacing ballasted fluorescents with, say, LED's?
When my father passed, I inherited a 1949 AMI Model C that AMI had retrofitted to play 45's (with the blue adapter rings etc.). My father had, apparently, purchased it while antiquing with his wife, covered it with a blanket in the cellar, and never looked at it again. I never had any interest in jukeboxes but am very mechanically inclined, having restored cars, bikes, houses, guitar tube amps, etc., and am a science teacher who many nickname "McGyver..." I'm now hooked into restoring this thing, the mechanics, all the solenoids, point-to-point wiring and the tube amp are great: I found the reason it wouldn't play (and blew fuses) was a completely frozen what I'd call an idler sprocket. It now operates, though much of the AC wiring is as brittle as uncooked pasta; the DC cloth covered wiring aged better. The interior cabinet had been messed with cosmetically, I'm doing what I can with modern materials.
As for LED's etc., is that sacrilege? Or would it be better when I re-wire it, to just replace all the ballasts with modern ones and leave the fluorescents? (Do "purists" care?) I'm unsure if I will keep or re-sell - my inclination is to leave as "original" as possible while making it NOT a fire hazard, i.e., replace the AC wiring and ballasts. Oh, it has the intact barberpole-type lighting in the base and the motors work, would not dream of replacing, though a previous owner did some odd modifications including blocking up the vent holes on one side...