Just resting!
Screw the turntable, I want that workshop.Just got this repaired, and testing on the bench, a Yamaha YP-D6 auto-return turntable from my friend in Texas. This will be going to my niece, who is a musician in Ohio who has LPs that she would like to be able to play.
The auto-return mechanism was gummy and needed a thorough cleaning, plus everything needed to be set up properly again. And, of course, the nylon spindle gear was cracked, but I superglued it together and they seem to work happily even when not repaired. The speed adjustment pots needed a DeOxit bath, too.
CEC made this turntable, and it's actually not bad. It's direct-drive with a very heavy platter, and the auto-return system is utterly disengaged during actual play. The tonearm has a little play in the vertical shaft but the horizontal shaft is tight. Damping on the cueing lift is a bit grabby, but I don't have any damping oil and it will serve. Cartridge is a Signet--AT's fancy-rug line in the day. The vintage is 1977, the same year I bought my Technics SL20.
My niece's AVR does not have a phono input, so I've bought (on ebay) an Audio-Technica AT-PEQ3 phono stage.
Nothing clutters a bench like working on a turntable--mix of mechanical and electrical activities means pulling out every tool known to man.
Rick "pretty good-sounding turntable, as it happens" Denney
A million times this. All my projects are either done outdoors -- which is fine until we get a hurricane -- or on the dining table, which means they are time limited by family member appetites.
Classic CEC construction.
We built the shop in 2021, as a Covid project. I cashed in about two-thirds of a retirement package from an old employer to pay for the construction. The pitch of the roof was steep enough for the room upstairs. The Redhead painted the T&G subfloor panels and I drywalled just the bottom 4 feet to keep from dropping things.
Did you paint the plinth on this one? By chance, I just picked up a $36 SL-Q2 in perfect mechanical condition and just painted the plinth a dark grey metallic, then agonised whether or not to disassemble the entire tone arm assembly to paint the silver housing/support for it... I've been fighting with painting it for a couple of days now and just tripped over this comment showing me I probably should have left it alone... Looks good, but is it factory?
Yes i did paint the plinth with a spray can.
The gloss strip comes off? FFS! I was paranoid it would separate and get destroyed. Did you use heat to peel it off? I just finished painting and reassembling my Q2. I ended up painting the tone arm base, which I have mixed feelings about but it came out well. The aluminum support for the pivots I left silver, but I'm not sure I like it.
"The gloss strip comes off?"
