Found an old turntable. Any DIY tips?

[manbridge 74]

What stylus do I get for this relic? The Shure cartridge is rare and big bucks for something that is going in a 60x30 metal barn.

Tried some audio forums but quickly felt like I was wading through chewed glass.

Any maintenance tips on these?

[tdw28210]

belt or direct drive? Guessing belt, check it out before firing it up. Also, several cartridges and styluses on Flea bay under $15.00.

[manbridge 74]

Belt drive. Has a transparent plastic bottom.

I spun it up already and it seems quiet and smooth. Needs a thorough cleaning but with what?

Good to know the stylus can be bought separate. A LOT cheaper. One can see I know nothing about these. Never owned one before.

[flatbutt]

You may need to adjust the tracking and balance of the arm using the weights at the point of attachment. I suggest checking youtube for a model specific procedure.

[herr_oberst]

BIC 1000 Manual - Multiple Play Manual Turntable - Vinyl Engine

[Superman]

Put record on it, turn it on, put the needle on the record, repeat. I have never done 'maintenance' on a turntable.

[manbridge 74]

Maybe it doesn't need maintenance but there sure are a lot of adjustments looking at the manual.

Herr Oberest, thanks for the link!

[afterburn 549]

Some of them were pretty Hi-tech, But low on maint.
They came with timing lights for adj turntable speed etc.
Perhaps yours has that as I see some kind of notches in the turntable and a speed lever?
If going the correct speed the table appears to stop with the strobe light.
Run as little weight as possible on the needle.
In the day, direct drive was taunted as the best..I could not ever tell the difference.
I still believe tubes make for the best sound..........off subject I know.
Looks like a nice unit.
I do not think you can go wrong there.
Congrats !

[DanielDudley]

See if you can get a Dennon cartridge. They work well, and can add clarity.

[afterburn 549]

Hey Superman ! Nice to read ya !

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

You may need to adjust the tracking and balance of the arm using the weights at the point of attachment. I suggest checking youtube for a model specific procedure.

This is it. It might need a belt replacement. The important thing is the cartridge and tracking.

I have an old Thorens BD turntable that I had just tuned up. I found a local shop who replaced the cartridge and balanced it. There is such a huge difference listening to vinyl.

[herr_oberst]

I agree about the belt. They get old and hard and new ones are cheeeeep.

I like Grado cartridges, I think they're still made by hand in the US, not huge money, but maybe more than you want to spend for a freebie TT. The Red1 is about 200 bucks.

You can get a serviceable Shure or something like that for around 35 or so. Depends on how into it you're gonna be.

I found this info on BIC cartridge setup that might be handy:

"Great information above Howard as you are correct. It should NOT be daunting. In spite of some audiophiles insisting that they can hear a HUGE difference just by moving some setting 1/10mm, I believe they are full of it.

On your BIC 1000 headshell, turn it over and sight toward the top of the shell. See the rear edge of the slide that has an "A" and "M" on it? Install your cartridge so that the tip of the diamond is right at this rear edge and centered from side to side in the shell. Of course, you want to be sure the cartridge body is straight in the shell too.

That's all there is to it. You don't need to use a protractor as this gets the diamond tip right where it needs to be. I have checked mine with a protractor after mounting it this way (actually, BICs of this vintage came with a gauge but that gauge puts the tip where I described it) and it lines up perfectly.

You don't have to worry about the height of the cartridge in the headshell because you just adjust the headshell after it's mounted by turning the screw near the locknut (with the locknut slightly loose) to get the top of the headshell level.

Then balance the arm, set the tracking force and anti-skate with the levers, and your all set!

So, all you really need for this is a small screwdriver!"

[9dreizig]

If you have a modern tuner, you may need a pre-amp as they don't have phono inputs on many but the high end ones these days

[Rot 911]

BIC is a low end turntable, but they do have a following. Some good info on this thread on the Vinyl Engine forum: BIC turntables? - Vinyl Engine

[manbridge 74]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a good table for shop rockin. Not to cheap or to pricey. Odd that it has no rubber feet. I'm It has pitch feature where you make dashes stop. Some cueing thing. Like an old 911, some fettling required. Good thing I like fettling. Gotta read up.

Looking for a stylus/cartridge that is good for playing less than pristine records. $100 or less.

I'll update when I get it functioning.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

...a good table for shop rockin. Not to cheap or to pricey. Odd that it has no rubber feet.

Find some 1/2" to 1" thick foam, cut four 3" X 3" squares, put one under each corner and rock away.

[Nostril Cheese]

Please stop convincing me to buy that Beogram my friend has... I can't start collecting vinyl again.