Category: Repaired Turntables

This is another of three turntables that my brother rescued from the trash for me. I finished this one next, because it is a Technics. This one had some issues, and as it turns out the spindle gear is prone to splitting on this model. I 3D modeled and printed a new gear (I was super stoked about that) installed it and it worked! I also had to clean it up real good, and replace the stylus. The cartridge that came with it is an Empire 2000 E/III, with OEM stylus replacement. I’ve tested it for months now and it sounds and performs great. The only thing wrong with it is there are some scratches on the dust cover. I am likely to keep this one.

I finally had the opportunity to pull the Technics SL-1500 from daily use for a cleaning and to take pictures. I found this turntable at a thrift store for $35 years ago, and that was the most money I had paid for a broken record player at the time. Totally worth the money, this thing is a beast. I have used it as my main for years. It would not hold a constant speed, and under the platter it held a lot of what I will call… water. So I cleaned it up and started with cleaning both pitch knobs. When that did not help, I dismantled the speed/power control and cleaned all of the miniscule and tiny parts and that did the trick. It also had a distinct smell to it, that took a while to work out. I have come to find out that is a typical old Technics smell. I have a stereo amp that smells similar. I am currently using the Goldring E3 MM cartridge and it sounds fantastic. It originally came with the Pickering Quad cartridge that is now on the Dual.

I also just realized this is the TEN year anniversary of this blog! I rule.

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It has been a while since I have repaired anything, but this is the most aggressive repair / restoration project I have attempted to date. The serial number indicates it was made in early 1912. I have repaired and restored most mechanical functions, and am now working on the wood. I have over 24 total hours of work invested so far. I will update again once completed.

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Wow, it has been 3 years since I last posted but I have been busy. This is the first record player I have refurbished in a long time. I found this one at a thrift store for a good price. It was in pretty good shape, and worked fine. It is heavier than it looks. It needed cleaning and a new cartridge. I also replaced the dust cover hinges with ones I luckily found at auction. One was missing and the other was broken. There is a spot on the front where something had stuck and melted to it. I cleaned it up as best I could. EDITED: This turntable is currently in use at the house for sale. (New pictures added)

We picked this one up at a thrift store recently at a great price. This is a beautiful turntable, but it is the perfect example of form over function. It is heavy, but in all the wrong places. It is on par with the AT-LP60. My review of the LP60 was favorable for what it is, but for the showroom cost of this table, I would expect more. It is clean on the inside, not a drop of grease anywhere! I am not quite sure how they pulled that off, but it helps 30 years later. The tone arm is very attractive, but the cartridge replacement is very expensive, due to it being proprietary and not many make replacements. This table will be part of the permanent collection, until the needle is worn out, and then we will see. I do not think I can ever justify spending that kind of money on a cartridge replacement.

This one is similar to the 4800 I had and sold. Actually, I can not see a functional difference between the two. This one has sentimental value, it was in the family. I had to put some work into this one. All actions were gummed up, so I had to disassemble everything, clean, and re-lube. Surprisingly, it works like a champ now.