Thanks for the comments. The Rabco tonearm is a very cool piece of 60 vintage tech. I eventually bought the Thorens turntable from my friend primarily for the tonearm.
Very nice video. I have a Harmon Kardon ST8 turntable that has a Rabco arm. HK bought the rights from Rabco, but the arm is much different in principle than the one shown here. It is purely mechanical. A roller which moves the tone arm carriage is driven by a revolving shaft driven by the platter motor. The roller is beveled so it compensates if it gets out of tangency. A single screw adjusts the center point. Although some people say the arm is difficult to adjust, I find it is easy to adjust and use and works very well. The arm detaches from the carriage. I have two arms so I can have two different cartridges to use. I love the turntable which I bought new in the early 80s.
Wow, that sounds like an interesting design. I'd love to get one to work on some day.. I did wind up purchasing the Thorens/Rabco turntable from the owner who was no longer playing vinyl. Still working great, I'm listening to an old Jackson Browne album on it right now. I also have a Harmon Kardon T60 turntable with a standard tonearm in my garage system in Arizona. Here is a link to that video if you haven't seen it yet. ua-cam.com/video/xh2qqcWptUU/v-deo.html
I have a TD 125 and the Rabco SL-8E arm and Shure V15 Type III cartridge. However, mine does not have the 16 rpm selection. The pair is 50 years old and still works fine. I was able to find a replacement belt a few years ago and I bought a few extras. I had trouble with the arm advancing and there is a hair like switch contact in the arm assembly and was able to jus exercise the arm movement to "clean" the contacts and it has worked ever since.
Thanks for commenting. One thing that I didn't mention in the video is that I eventually purchased the Thorens from the original owner. So it's now part of my growing turntable collection. I use it just about every day and It's still working great. That's interesting that your does not have the 16 rpm setting. Mine may be an early unit and the 16 rpm feature was eliminated in later models.
@@mguess Correction: Mine actually does have the 16 rpm selection, I just never used it. I have not had any problems with the "chain grip" pad, so perhaps the model you have spent some time stored in a facility without humidity control. I was fascinated by the way you were able to restore yours.
I started out with the Rabco SL-8e on a TD-125 back in 1974, but didn't like the springiness of the deck and replaced it with a Technics SL-110 which accommodated the SL-8e with the dust cover closed. I also wired a cue button on the deck so I wouldn't have to reach over the arm to cue it.
What sort of lubricant did you use for the spindle? Do you have any suggestions for cleaning the stainless steel on the rabco arm and the thorens? Love your channel!
I used 3in1 oil which is a 20W non-detergent oil. I think this is pretty close to the commercial steam turbine oil that Thorens recommends. For the stainless steel brightwork I just used Brasso metal polish. I'll sometimes use a little 0000 steel wool on the really tough stains and corrosion. Be careful with the steel wool, it will remove paint. I'm glad you are enjoying the channel. I have a lot of fun making the videos.
I’ve got the same rig here. I’ve got no use for 16 RPM records, but there were some old 78’s that were interesting. It looked like swapping out two capacitors could turn the 16 setting into 78. I think I still have the original manuals.
I haven't tried that modification. I have a Dual 1019 that plays all 4 speeds so that's where I play my 78s. Don't forget that you need a different stylus for 78s.
@@Anonymous-mf8ii You can still get them. I recently purchased an Ortofon 2M-78 which is designed to play the old 78s. I just purchased an extra headshell for my Dual 1019, mounted the 2m-78, and swap it out when I play 78s. I believe Audio Technica also makes a 78 cartridge
Correct. After finishing the video and reading the owners manual I realized that the motor was a frequency controlled AC motor and not a DC motor. I have since purchased the Thorens form the owner who was no longer playing records. Love it!
Thank You for posting this. I just got one of these with the original TD 150. Your video is very helpful
Thanks for the comments. The Rabco tonearm is a very cool piece of 60 vintage tech. I eventually bought the Thorens turntable from my friend primarily for the tonearm.
Very nice video. I have a Harmon Kardon ST8 turntable that has a Rabco arm. HK bought the rights from Rabco, but the arm is much different in principle than the one shown here. It is purely mechanical. A roller which moves the tone arm carriage is driven by a revolving shaft driven by the platter motor. The roller is beveled so it compensates if it gets out of tangency. A single screw adjusts the center point. Although some people say the arm is difficult to adjust, I find it is easy to adjust and use and works very well. The arm detaches from the carriage. I have two arms so I can have two different cartridges to use. I love the turntable which I bought new in the early 80s.
Wow, that sounds like an interesting design. I'd love to get one to work on some day.. I did wind up purchasing the Thorens/Rabco turntable from the owner who was no longer playing vinyl. Still working great, I'm listening to an old Jackson Browne album on it right now. I also have a Harmon Kardon T60 turntable with a standard tonearm in my garage system in Arizona. Here is a link to that video if you haven't seen it yet. ua-cam.com/video/xh2qqcWptUU/v-deo.html
I have a TD 125 and the Rabco SL-8E arm and Shure V15 Type III cartridge. However, mine does not have the 16 rpm selection. The pair is 50 years old and still works fine.
I was able to find a replacement belt a few years ago and I bought a few extras. I had trouble with the arm advancing and there is a hair like switch contact in the arm assembly and was able to jus exercise the arm movement to "clean" the contacts and it has worked ever since.
Thanks for commenting. One thing that I didn't mention in the video is that I eventually purchased the Thorens from the original owner. So it's now part of my growing turntable collection. I use it just about every day and It's still working great. That's interesting that your does not have the 16 rpm setting. Mine may be an early unit and the 16 rpm feature was eliminated in later models.
@@mguess
Correction: Mine actually does have the 16 rpm selection, I just never used it. I have not had any problems with the "chain grip" pad, so perhaps the model you have spent some time stored in a facility without humidity control. I was fascinated by the way you were able to restore yours.
I started out with the Rabco SL-8e on a TD-125 back in 1974, but didn't like the springiness of the deck and replaced it with a Technics SL-110 which accommodated the SL-8e with the dust cover closed. I also wired a cue button on the deck so I wouldn't have to reach over the arm to cue it.
Very cool. Do you still have the turntable and Rabco unit.
Yes I do. One thing to make sure to do is to remove the battery when not using it to prevent the possibility of leakage.@@mguess
Good tip. Mine is in regular use but I do try to replace the battery every year or two to prevent leakage.
What sort of lubricant did you use for the spindle? Do you have any suggestions for cleaning the stainless steel on the rabco arm and the thorens? Love your channel!
I used 3in1 oil which is a 20W non-detergent oil. I think this is pretty close to the commercial steam turbine oil that Thorens recommends. For the stainless steel brightwork I just used Brasso metal polish. I'll sometimes use a little 0000 steel wool on the really tough stains and corrosion. Be careful with the steel wool, it will remove paint. I'm glad you are enjoying the channel. I have a lot of fun making the videos.
I’ve got the same rig here. I’ve got no use for 16 RPM records, but there were some old 78’s that were interesting. It looked like swapping out two capacitors could turn the 16 setting into 78.
I think I still have the original manuals.
I haven't tried that modification. I have a Dual 1019 that plays all 4 speeds so that's where I play my 78s. Don't forget that you need a different stylus for 78s.
@@mguess I know, but the 78’s are long gone, along with the Victrola. We used to have a Dual turntable that would play them.
@@Anonymous-mf8ii You can still get them. I recently purchased an Ortofon 2M-78 which is designed to play the old 78s. I just purchased an extra headshell for my Dual 1019, mounted the 2m-78, and swap it out when I play 78s. I believe Audio Technica also makes a 78 cartridge
Synchronous motor. With Wein Bridge Oscillator
Correct. After finishing the video and reading the owners manual I realized that the motor was a frequency controlled AC motor and not a DC motor. I have since purchased the Thorens form the owner who was no longer playing records. Love it!