General turntable queries

I have a used Technics 1200 turntable and I've experienced some problems while trying to set it up recently. There is that big round bit to adjust the arm's height and so on, and it is stuck. Won't move an inch. I know there is a lock for it (just behind the anti-skating knob), but I can't even budge the lock. Has anyone experienced a similar situation - possible fixes?

What I'd do is take a scredriver and hammer and, not unlike a chisel (obviously don't actually chisel away at anything), try to loosen up the lock (oh, and you are turning it counter-clockwise, right?)

So how long have they been selling turntables as Costco?

for awhile. you can get the usb one at BJ's too for 70 bucks. kinda pricy actually for a piece of crap.

people who come in the store can't use that old excuse anymore about how they'e been meaning to buy a turntable or fix their old one, blah, blah, etc. i tell them to put up or shut up and go to radio shack and buy one. or walmart or target or wherever. they're everywhere now.

if i had the money i'd buy a bunch myself and sell them, but i would have to buy a ton to get a deal on them.

(we have sold three or four of the ion ones. when we could find decent online sales on them.)

Fuuuuuck me!

So, my father-in-law lives in Georgia, and he's always trying to buy me nice stuff that I don't care anything about. Like, watches and things that mean absolutely nothing to me. "Whaddaya think about me getting you a [brand name that I don't remember] watch?" "Well, I never wear watches, but thanks anyway." And later my wife will tell me that [brand name] is some super hot shit watch. And it sorta makes me feel bad because I know he's trying to be really nice to me and I keep shooting it down because it's always something that I don't care about and I don't want him to waste a lot of money on something that I'm going to throw in a drawer or try to resell.

So when he comes up to meet his granddaughter, I realize that I can give him an assignment that will give him something to do and will get me something I want. He goes to estate sales and yard sales and shit constantly, so I asked him to keep an eye out for a good turntable. I told him what I was looking for which is geared towards high end audio: few if any automated features, solid construction with little plastic, belt drive, etc. I wanted to pay him back for it and I wanted something for less than $75 and there was no rush. If he found something, I would check it out when I went to Savannah next.

He was more than game, and a week later he sent me an email saying that he couldn't find anything and that I should spend $200 of his money on whatever I wanted. I wrote back and thanked him profusely but told him that I wasn't comfortable taking so much money for something as frivolous as stereo equipment, and that I wanted this to be a little thing in the back of his mind to keep an eye out for during his travels, NOT A BIG DEAL.

So my birthday came and went and they didn't get me anything, which is neither her nor there but they feel guilty about it. I'm told that something heavy is coming in the mail. Today I get a letter telling me that a turntable is on the way with a printout of this thing:

Numark TTXUSB
image

That's a $400 turntable. Direct drive DJ thing with a ton of crap that I don't care about.

I don't know if he got me a new one or if it's used.

I don't know what to do. It's like somebody who has always dreamt of owning a vintage mustang is given a hummer. WTF? If it is used, do I try to get it returned to get the money applied to a turntable that I actually want? Do I just keep it because it probably sounds better than what I've got? Sell it on Ebay or Craigslist and lie when he asks how I like it?

This is what I get for engaging with the wife's family. Bizarro wish fulfillment.

let Mixmaster Mike be your guide -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B3EGIzB_oQ

i'm at my friend kate's place, watching the dog.
she's got a gemini XL400 fitted with a stanton 500 cartridge.
I've been having a lot of trouble with things playing properly. No matter how I adjust the weight on the tone arm, the cartridge scrapes along certainly lps! Just trying to play "Still Bill" but with the raised outer rim, the edge of the LP catches the cartridge! also noticed this last night with the Homegas LP, which was audible scraping against the LP during the quiet parts, adjusted the weight and it was fine. Also my Patsy Montana record was skipping like crazy, which I assume is a related problem, and am hoping it will play fine for me at home.

^^i'm having a similar problem to this. it recently started skipping like crazy during the first song or two on a side, but seems to be better near the end of a side. i'm planning on taking it in to get looked at, but that will cost more than i bought it for (it's a gemini that i got for twenty bucks off craigslist). worth it or should i just look for a new turntable?

is your needle new or old? whenever I've had this problem it's either been that the needle is wearing out or that something is wrong with the tonearm weight or anti-skating settings

can you adjust the weight of the tonearm? if so, start there. what you want is to "zero" it, then add weight. adjust it so that it floats just above the record. if it swings out, or in toward the spindle, adjust the anti-skating until it doesn't do that any more. now you're at zero. if there's a weight on the back of the tonearm that has numbers marked on it, change the numbers until it reads "zero" (without actually modifying the weight). depending on the cartridge you'll want to add a few grams of weight by turning that weight on the tonearm so that it moves forward along the tonearm. maybe 3 grams.

for myself, i've got technics with stanton 500s and my headshells are so light i still need to put a penny on them for some records, even with the weight at the max :(

Usually 1.5-2 grams, I think, depending on your cartridge/stylus recommendations. But Jordan, definitely check your stylus (for wear and dust balls) and anti-skate!

thanks guys. i'm sure the needle is super old and worn out.

How long do needles last generally? Sometimes I worry that if I don't pay attention I'll do damage to my vinyl.

I usually replace mine every year. I've heard 100 hours as a general guideline, also seen way higher (300 hours +) and way lower. In the past when I've gone without getting a new stylus more than a year and a few months it's started to obviously degrade in sound quality, so I kind of arbitrarily chose a year.

At what point do you think it'll be dangerous to the vinyl?

When the sound starts to degrade. As long as your arm is properly balanced you probably won't do a lot of damage until the diamond/whatever on the stylus is completely torn up.

so i've been using this Pioneer PL-55DX for the last year, and it's always been super prone to skipping. like, you can't walk near it. also on most records the auto-return kicks in a little too early during the last song on a side.

i guess i'll try adjusting the tracking one more time, but it was an impulse buy and i really wish i would have gotten a more solid dj-style turntable.