I’ve got one of these L25 tables. The arm mechanism needs cleaning and relube, spindle bearing cleaned and relubed. After that, a flawless table! These have the “real” arm that allows for adjusting the VTF for new needles. Better than the close-and-play models.
Those turntables are great. Records that would skip on any other turntable normally don't skip on those. I wish they had a digital conversion version :)
I got one of these weeks ago and I’m really liking it. The only problem I faced was the tonearm getting stuck at the beginning of a new record, but I fixed it by applying some lube. Now it works as new
I just paid 100.00 for a really nice used one of these turntables yesterday at an electronics repair store that i get my equipment serviced at here in oregon. Seams like you’ll always spend more on this type of equipment than its really worth,but i try to save them anyway.
You're lucky! The transport still works. I bought a new Sony PS-FL7 (?) drawer style turntable which got to where the arm wouldn't advance from lack of use. Halloween season. I used to spin the 'ride out' groove to Slayer's Raining Blood for when trick or treaters would swing by. The drawer open would allow that.
Oh yeah and Tue 45 adapter tyat sinks down and why the mat has a larger hole. I’ve seen some used SL -6 used on eBay with the regular mat without the hole and was wondering if they made 2 models with the same model number, but I think they lost the 45 spindle and just put on a regular mat and covered up the hole But that feature with the sunken 45 adapter is cool. Especially around in the 80’s when thing were going hi tech and compact.
Next steps are to see what a working one sells for, and compare it against the repair cost. That's the answer as to whether or not you should or shouldn't fix it. Even NOT working, another hobbyist would likely take it cheap.
I would bet my last breath that that stylus (it's called a *P-mount* cartridge, BTW) got bent when the turntable was transported with the rubber mat on the platter, it got tipped a little bit and the rubber mat came off the platter and hit the stylus. NEVER transport a turntable with the mat on the platter, and if there is any chance that the platter can come off when the car hits a bump, take the platter off too before transporting. By the way, a high-quality turntable with a really heavy platter can suffer damage 2 the spindle or platter bearing when you hit a bump because the weight of the platter tries to jack hammer down into the bearing. it does bear mentioning of that while most linear track turntables are incapable by design of having the stylus contact the plinth or platter during transport because the tone arm is usually fixed and semi locked in an up position, a standard pivoting tonearm can come loose from the armrest and bounce all over the place, breaking the stylus and possibly damaging the arm. Secure the pivoting tonearm into the armrest with a garbage bag twist tie so that it cannot come loose during transport.
The Technics linear track are great. But you should try to locate an SL6 which is programmable. You can play the tracks in any order or allow you to skip songs you don't like.. These of course play warped records and the cartridges maintain tangent across the record. It doesn't look worth fixing. But I wouldn't trade an SL6 for any high end turntable.
The 1980s was when turntable technology was at it's zenith. I'd rather have an SL-L25 in good condition than anything new that's sold today. This Technics turntable is a fully automatic piece of audiophile equipment. "Manual" doesn't mean "audiophile'. It means manual, that's all.
That is worth fixing as it plays records the way they were cut on a record cutting lathe, the tiny rubber drive belt that drives the needle across the record will need replacing also there might be a drive belt if so then you might be able to get what you want out of a bag of VCR drive belts, T4P connector style, what about a needle for a MARANTZ TT143 turntable.
Brad, I have an overload of turntable drive belts I bought years ago from MCM electronics, I'll keep one for my Technics, but Ill mail you the rest...as soon as I find them....I have some random styluses (styli?)--for P-mount cartridges and maybe others...I'll look this afternoon.
Most Technics belt- drive turntables (semi-automatics are preferable) with *tangential* (pivoting) tonearms, ie the SL-B2, and its variants, SL-B22 or 220 and so on, can be made operational pretty easily and cheaply as long as the motor is okay and the motor bearings arent scored or worn. A couple drops of oil, clean the old melted gooey belt off of the motor pulley and platter (yuck!), install a suitably sized replacement belt*, adjust the speed**, install a new stylus or cartridge if needed, some Novus Polish #2 for the dustcover, and you're good to go. I prefer the turntables with an s shaped arm and removable headshell, they're better than the ones with P-mount catridges. Most consumer-grade linear-tracking turntables are junk, however. *Technics doesn't have original belts any more, and many of the belts sold online and purported to be "original" or "exact replacement" are nowhere near the corect diameter, width and thickness, and these specs do matter. you might have to try several belts from different suppliers. **The internal speed controls, and/or external pitch control, may be oxidized and intermittent and cause speed problems. The 33/45 rpm switches can also be oxidized and in need of cleaning. Fully automatic turntables are far more likely to have gummy, frozen mechanisms. The less mechanical complexity, the better.
It's nice if it works. My rents had it in the back of their closet and I replaced the belt and cartridge. I'm honestly just curious if I'd be able to replace the slip mat
Chris Bishop, the power supplies for the SP-10 and its Mk-whatever variants will need a recapping for sure. Been there, done that, we fixed some for the local college radio stations.
There is also a spring beneath that 45 adapter that always seem to be gone on these linear trackers. Either that or one or more of the 3 "teeth" on the adapter itself is broken off.. I have the elusive spring but the adapter is broken on mine. So i just used some thin double sided tape and taped the rubber mat down to the platter.
The belt goes around the entire underside of the platter. You slip the belt around the platter while it's out of the unit and put the platter on. Then you just reach through one of the holes in the platter and pull the belt over the motor spindle. You'll figure it out. It's easy.
Hey Brad..... have your ever reconed a speaker ? Like an old jbl or jensen. Maybe a old celestion ? Whatever really. I cant remember you ever doing a video on it. It would be cool if you did.
I've seen some rally good video's of this. Myself years ago I had a pair of Lowther P6M's with foam rot, purchased the kit - in the end I cut my losses and did a unit exchange, thankfully they refunded what I spent on the kit as they were in part able to reuse
I've done one once. It was less than satisfactory. May try again sometime. But that's something I generally just replace because most modern speakers can be had so cheap and are often better anyway. Not always.
If that lid is in good shape, I’d hate to see your idea of tatty... that has not had a great life, at least not in recent years. Wise move not to restore that turntable, even if you couldn’t find a clean one for $25, you’d throw money at it and still only have a very mediocre turntable. Those linear tracking arms are really just a gimmick, it’ll cause a lot more problems than it’d solve, properly engineered linear arms cost thousands and even in the context of high end arms, they’re a very niche product... the ones in these midi system decks are just gash. They’re supposed to combat tracking distortion but that thing wobbles all over the place.
Well it was probably you that broke the needle when you flipped her over moving it around to show the power cord and the rubber mat slid down and across the needle
They aren't hard to find, it's just when they're missing, that's another cost. Most of the cables for this type of equipment tend to have a squared off side and a rounded side, so they're polarized, and they don't have the channel between the terminals. You can take one of the polarized ones in a pinch and use a belt knife to cut it out.
8:05 That is the biggest mistake that people make with these turntables. The original Technics cartridge would be a better spec than that Audio Technica cartridge. The best thing you can do. Which I did with mine is to upgrade the stylus on the Technics cartridge to an elliptical stylus. This is what I did with mine. This is my one. ua-cam.com/video/EKc5XJmOfpI/v-deo.html
Hi Brad. Even in good condition, the turntable is effectively junk. If you ever come across a Pioneer PL12D for a good price (under 100 dollars) working or fixer upper - snap it up as they’re a terrific deck from the late 70’s. A real hidden gem (until I wrote this on the internet!). Tom.
Just to expand a little for anyone interested, the rule of thumb when buying a cheap second hand deck is : if it’s made of plastic, and was made in the late 80’s/early 90’s - take it to your local recycling facility. If it’s made of wood/metal/heavy plastic & metal or wood combination and was made in the mid to late 70’s - then it’s probably worth a punt. There are some great, cheap decks from this period by Pioneer, Sansui, Sony, Panasonic and many others. A new belt, maybe re-solder some new interconnects, new stylus and bam - vinyl heaven!
Guitologist Channel 2 I wasn’t disrespecting plastic decks I promise ;) I Have had a couple of plastic Technics decks myself, which have been pretty good and cheap. I hope my comment didn’t come across as me being a clever dick - I was a little worried it might as soon as I posted it!
Technics wasnt good at all. And im saying not only about tt but CD players and amplifiers too. They had bad reviews in the 90s . Maybe Technics amps with vu metres are nice looking but its horrible in therm sound
Technics JUNK!!! Man, move up; I picked up a SystemDek II for under £50 and a IIX for £100. I paid £40 for an MC cartridge and am about to convert mic transformers into step ups then make a valve LCR RIAA stage. It will sound stunning and cost next to nothing
I’ve got one of these L25 tables. The arm mechanism needs cleaning and relube, spindle bearing cleaned and relubed. After that, a flawless table! These have the “real” arm that allows for adjusting the VTF for new needles. Better than the close-and-play models.
Those turntables are great. Records that would skip on any other turntable normally don't skip on those. I wish they had a digital conversion version :)
If restored it should play records nicely. Needs everything though...clean, lube, etc.
I got one of these weeks ago and I’m really liking it. The only problem I faced was the tonearm getting stuck at the beginning of a new record, but I fixed it by applying some lube. Now it works as new
I just paid 100.00 for a really nice used one of these turntables yesterday at an electronics repair store that i get my equipment serviced at here in oregon.
Seams like you’ll always spend more on this type of equipment than its really worth,but i try to save them anyway.
You're lucky! The transport still works. I bought a new Sony PS-FL7 (?) drawer style turntable which got to where the arm wouldn't advance from lack of use. Halloween season. I used to spin the 'ride out' groove to Slayer's Raining Blood for when trick or treaters would swing by. The drawer open would allow that.
I have.and love the earlier Technics SL- 5 and this looks more from the late 80’s when audio equipment went to all black vs silver before.
Oh yeah and Tue 45 adapter tyat sinks down and why the mat has a larger hole. I’ve seen some used SL -6 used on eBay with the regular mat without the hole and was wondering if they made 2 models with the same model number, but I think they lost the 45 spindle and just put on a regular mat and covered up the hole
But that feature with the sunken 45 adapter is cool. Especially around in the 80’s when thing were going hi tech and compact.
Next steps are to see what a working one sells for, and compare it against the repair cost. That's the answer as to whether or not you should or shouldn't fix it. Even NOT working, another hobbyist would likely take it cheap.
I would bet my last breath that that stylus (it's called a *P-mount* cartridge, BTW) got bent when the turntable was transported with the rubber mat on the platter, it got tipped a little bit and the rubber mat came off the platter and hit the stylus. NEVER transport a turntable with the mat on the platter, and if there is any chance that the platter can come off when the car hits a bump, take the platter off too before transporting. By the way, a high-quality turntable with a really heavy platter can suffer damage 2 the spindle or platter bearing when you hit a bump because the weight of the platter tries to jack hammer down into the bearing. it does bear mentioning of that while most linear track turntables are incapable by design of having the stylus contact the plinth or platter during transport because the tone arm is usually fixed and semi locked in an up position, a standard pivoting tonearm can come loose from the armrest and bounce all over the place, breaking the stylus and possibly damaging the arm. Secure the pivoting tonearm into the armrest with a garbage bag twist tie so that it cannot come loose during transport.
I have an SL J1 and I love it. Works great and sounds amazing. Sort this one out, please.
Sorry guitar man but you got to fix it save it. No matter the cost. It would make a good video for your Channel.
a64tbird - its cheap plastic junk mate
Yes please fix and restore I would love to see a rags to riches story!
The Technics linear track are great. But you should try to locate an SL6 which is programmable. You can play the tracks in any order or allow you to skip songs you don't like.. These of course play warped records and the cartridges maintain tangent across the record. It doesn't look worth fixing. But I wouldn't trade an SL6 for any high end turntable.
i know its cliche, but ive never actually BEEN the first one before lol
It shows how much one
cares about stereo systems.
The 1980s was when turntable technology was at it's zenith. I'd rather have an SL-L25 in good condition than anything new that's sold today. This Technics turntable is a fully automatic piece of audiophile equipment. "Manual" doesn't mean "audiophile'. It means manual, that's all.
That is worth fixing as it plays records the way they were cut on a record cutting lathe, the tiny rubber drive belt that drives the needle across the record will need replacing also there might be a drive belt if so then you might be able to get what you want out of a bag of VCR drive belts, T4P connector style, what about a needle for a MARANTZ TT143 turntable.
Brad, I have an overload of turntable drive belts I bought years ago from MCM electronics, I'll keep one for my Technics, but Ill mail you the rest...as soon as I find them....I have some random styluses (styli?)--for P-mount cartridges and maybe others...I'll look this afternoon.
Cool man. I'll gladly accept. I'm sure they'll get used eventually. bradlinzy at gmail
email sent--parts found--ready to go
I got an SL-BD27 and I love it. Can't say anything about this one.
Most Technics belt- drive turntables (semi-automatics are preferable) with *tangential* (pivoting) tonearms, ie the SL-B2, and its variants, SL-B22 or 220 and so on, can be made operational pretty easily and cheaply as long as the motor is okay and the motor bearings arent scored or worn. A couple drops of oil, clean the old melted gooey belt off of the motor pulley and platter (yuck!), install a suitably sized replacement belt*, adjust the speed**, install a new stylus or cartridge if needed, some Novus Polish #2 for the dustcover, and you're good to go. I prefer the turntables with an s shaped arm and removable headshell, they're better than the ones with P-mount catridges. Most consumer-grade linear-tracking turntables are junk, however.
*Technics doesn't have original belts any more, and many of the belts sold online and purported to be "original" or "exact replacement" are nowhere near the corect diameter, width and thickness, and these specs do matter. you might have to try several belts from different suppliers. **The internal speed controls, and/or external pitch control, may be oxidized and intermittent and cause speed problems. The 33/45 rpm switches can also be oxidized and in need of cleaning. Fully automatic turntables are far more likely to have gummy, frozen mechanisms. The less mechanical complexity, the better.
It's nice if it works. My rents had it in the back of their closet and I replaced the belt and cartridge. I'm honestly just curious if I'd be able to replace the slip mat
Get a second hand SP10 - bullet proof 👍😁
Chris Bishop, the power supplies for the SP-10 and its Mk-whatever variants
will need a recapping for sure. Been there, done that, we fixed some for the local college radio stations.
Shame but a sensible decision, think the complete turntable @ 12:48 was also missing 45 adaptor
It was.
There is also a spring beneath that 45 adapter that always seem to be gone on these linear trackers. Either that or one or more of the 3 "teeth" on the adapter itself is broken off.. I have the elusive spring but the adapter is broken on mine. So i just used some thin double sided tape and taped the rubber mat down to the platter.
What's the use of this video if you don't do anything?
How is this turntable cause I can buy a new one for 50 dollars just want to know if its worth it or not
It'll be a decent player, but save a bit more money and find a used direct drive Technics instead.
@@Fixologist1 ok thanks for the advice much appreciated
I have this turntable and all I'm missing is just a bill so curious how does the belt go on does it come with a diagram love your video man thank you
The belt goes around the entire underside of the platter. You slip the belt around the platter while it's out of the unit and put the platter on. Then you just reach through one of the holes in the platter and pull the belt over the motor spindle. You'll figure it out. It's easy.
1980s, correct?
of course technics is NO trash. just ridiculous.
Could turn it into a cd player. Than you would have a cd player that fits in with your other audio gear on the shelf. Could be kinda cool.
Something tells me buying a CD player would be less expensive and time consuming.
An interesting video all the same bro. Just a pity it needs so much spent on it though. ATB
Technics SL- 25
linear tracking.
Hey Brad..... have your ever reconed a speaker ? Like an old jbl or jensen. Maybe a old celestion ? Whatever really. I cant remember you ever doing a video on it. It would be cool if you did.
Wow glue and Brad are not a good combination lol
@@freepress8451 .... ya, i seem to remember a vid of brad trying to use some glue.
I've seen some rally good video's of this. Myself years ago I had a pair of Lowther P6M's with foam rot, purchased the kit - in the end I cut my losses and did a unit exchange, thankfully they refunded what I spent on the kit as they were in part able to reuse
I've done one once. It was less than satisfactory. May try again sometime. But that's something I generally just replace because most modern speakers can be had so cheap and are often better anyway. Not always.
Sensible decision, stronger magnets - no corrosion of voice coil
Keep it for spare parts, or if the platter spins freely, repurpose it into a lazy Susan for the workbench
If that lid is in good shape, I’d hate to see your idea of tatty... that has not had a great life, at least not in recent years.
Wise move not to restore that turntable, even if you couldn’t find a clean one for $25, you’d throw money at it and still only have a very mediocre turntable. Those linear tracking arms are really just a gimmick, it’ll cause a lot more problems than it’d solve, properly engineered linear arms cost thousands and even in the context of high end arms, they’re a very niche product... the ones in these midi system decks are just gash. They’re supposed to combat tracking distortion but that thing wobbles all over the place.
Snakes?!!! 😱
Yes! And I got a whole bunch of stuff from this building. Who knows...could get interesting over here on Channel 2...
Well it was probably you that broke the needle when you flipped her over moving it around to show the power cord and the rubber mat slid down and across the needle
Looks like a pretty standard 2 pole mains cable.
They aren't hard to find, it's just when they're missing, that's another cost. Most of the cables for this type of equipment tend to have a squared off side and a rounded side, so they're polarized, and they don't have the channel between the terminals. You can take one of the polarized ones in a pinch and use a belt knife to cut it out.
Man, why didn't you hose that think like the miracle guy
The snakes watching over that electronics hoard, would those be "guarder" snakes, or "copper-fed" ? With a toxic "Copper-lead" bite? 😁
you can buy those plugs from amazon for a buck
I buy them at the thrift store. Pretty common.
Uh oh. Did you just inherit someone else's cast-off repairs (aka junk box)?
Looks that way. Will be fun going through this stuff though.
Snakes? Did it belong to Indiana Jones
Or the Pharaoh Amenhotep.
Rang your bell again, you could at least give a reach around.... ;)
Sir...this is a family channel! HOW DARE YOU suggest such a thing without including the rest of your family! :)
As they say, “If ya can’t keep it in your pants, keep it in the family” lol
Nina, Pinta Santa Maria
8:05 That is the biggest mistake that people make with these turntables. The original Technics cartridge would be a better spec than that Audio Technica cartridge. The best thing you can do. Which I did with mine is to upgrade the stylus on the Technics cartridge to an elliptical stylus. This is what I did with mine.
This is my one.
ua-cam.com/video/EKc5XJmOfpI/v-deo.html
And what is going on with those long finger nails !!
Junk.
Hi Brad. Even in good condition, the turntable is effectively junk. If you ever come across a Pioneer PL12D for a good price (under 100 dollars) working or fixer upper - snap it up as they’re a terrific deck from the late 70’s. A real hidden gem (until I wrote this on the internet!). Tom.
Just to expand a little for anyone interested, the rule of thumb when buying a cheap second hand deck is : if it’s made of plastic, and was made in the late 80’s/early 90’s - take it to your local recycling facility. If it’s made of wood/metal/heavy plastic & metal or wood combination and was made in the mid to late 70’s - then it’s probably worth a punt. There are some great, cheap decks from this period by Pioneer, Sansui, Sony, Panasonic and many others. A new belt, maybe re-solder some new interconnects, new stylus and bam - vinyl heaven!
I have two plastic Technics which do a nice job though.
Guitologist Channel 2 I wasn’t disrespecting plastic decks I promise ;) I Have had a couple of plastic Technics decks myself, which have been pretty good and cheap. I hope my comment didn’t come across as me being a clever dick - I was a little worried it might as soon as I posted it!
Not at all. Some of that late 70s stuff was monstrously engineered. You're right on that.
you say hello twice
Salutations!
bonjour, hola, Hallo
How`s the ole hammer hangin`?
high end tech or low end thief, it could go either way. lol
That a "Close-N-Play" ?? HA!!
This model doesn't appear to be. My other one is.
HA!
Technics wasnt good at all. And im saying not only about tt but CD players and amplifiers too. They had bad reviews in the 90s . Maybe Technics amps with vu metres are nice looking but its horrible in therm sound
Technics JUNK!!! Man, move up; I picked up a SystemDek II for under £50 and a IIX for £100. I paid £40 for an MC cartridge and am about to convert mic transformers into step ups then make a valve LCR RIAA stage. It will sound stunning and cost next to nothing
Hmm.. My Technics sl-3 works fine for me.
By the way, a 'SystemDek II' goes for around 400$ in denmark