Emo-Fan
10-12-2008, 01:28 PM
It's not really an issue any more since I just bought a new old Dual from this web site, but here goes:
I have a Technics SL 235 fully automatic 'table (the record-changing tree for which I, of course, never use--I installed a manual spindle). The cueing went out and the tone arm would hit the record like a stone. (Fortunately, the malady was gradual and I noticed the problem before anything was damaged.) If I waited a few hours or over night, the cueing came back, but never to the 3-second or so descent that it was supposed to have. After several trials, the cueing would be completely gone again (or almost completely). A quick trip to the local techie (who informed me that he was 6 weeks backlogged) told me that it was an easy fix. When he finally looked at it and refilled the cylinder with oil (I hope he used the correct oil), the cueing improved somewhat, but still not right. He cheerfully refunded all my money, saying that he thought that the cylinder that holds the damping fluid was probably shot which, in the absence of a replacement cylinder (I believe the word is unobtanium), rendered the 'table unrepairable. No guarantees either, if he perchance found a replacement cylinder from an older trashed SL 235 or similar model. Kinda like a bad master cylinder in your car...
Any ideas out there? Again, now that I have a new turntable on the way, it's no big deal, but, for laughs, I'd like to fix it.
More to the point:
Is this a common problem? I had a Yamaha YP-D4 (or something like that--a DD table from about 1978) with a similar issue. I had it re-damped and it worked for a while, then it too went to turntable heaven. Or am I just rough on cueing devices? How long are they supposed to last?
I have a Technics SL 235 fully automatic 'table (the record-changing tree for which I, of course, never use--I installed a manual spindle). The cueing went out and the tone arm would hit the record like a stone. (Fortunately, the malady was gradual and I noticed the problem before anything was damaged.) If I waited a few hours or over night, the cueing came back, but never to the 3-second or so descent that it was supposed to have. After several trials, the cueing would be completely gone again (or almost completely). A quick trip to the local techie (who informed me that he was 6 weeks backlogged) told me that it was an easy fix. When he finally looked at it and refilled the cylinder with oil (I hope he used the correct oil), the cueing improved somewhat, but still not right. He cheerfully refunded all my money, saying that he thought that the cylinder that holds the damping fluid was probably shot which, in the absence of a replacement cylinder (I believe the word is unobtanium), rendered the 'table unrepairable. No guarantees either, if he perchance found a replacement cylinder from an older trashed SL 235 or similar model. Kinda like a bad master cylinder in your car...
Any ideas out there? Again, now that I have a new turntable on the way, it's no big deal, but, for laughs, I'd like to fix it.
More to the point:
Is this a common problem? I had a Yamaha YP-D4 (or something like that--a DD table from about 1978) with a similar issue. I had it re-damped and it worked for a while, then it too went to turntable heaven. Or am I just rough on cueing devices? How long are they supposed to last?