Man!!!! Even with one hand he made it look like a piece of cake...u don't realize how hard and complicated those mecanismes are until u start working on one..HE is a PRO and a really good one to make look so easy
Thanks! I just acquired a BSR player that was spinning fast. I followed your cleaning with the wheel and removed the grease and put new on grease. It's like magic. I truly appreciate your video and more amazed you did this with one hand.
Oh, and as an aside---I'm impressed that you work in an electronics repair shop. In today's throw-away society, repair shops are starting to become a thing of the past---I think it's great that guys like you are still out there, because you're needed
You are the best Jordan!!! I was looking everywhere for a guide for my Sony HP-161 and came across your video. My records have never sounded so good and smooth. All the features now work on my old girl and she is singing again. You're providing a very valuable service. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the video. As a young married couple we purchased a PYE 3in1 in 1977 and has been laying unused in our garage for over 30years. It has the same turnrtable as this except it has the 2 pole motor. Your excellent video has helped me greatly in getting it going.
Really appreciate this video. I was restoring one of these and the part of the video showing the parts on the bottom of this record changer. That pertained to proper operation of the tone arm helped me fix an issue in which the tone arm would stick in an area on the record and not advance. Straight forward no nonsense instruction on here. Thank you.
I'm working on a BSR in a Panasonic FM/AM Stereo Music Center SD-203. Each step-by-step direction is very clear to follow. I have two more BSR's in other systems that I will work on in the future. These are units from my high school and college years in the 70"s. They have sat around for 40+ years and now I'm refurbishing one for my youngest daughter! As a former teacher, I will say thank you for the precise and clear directions.
I don't comment on a lot of videos, but I had to on this. I bought a console with a BSR in it and it played awful. With this video, I was able to take it apart, get and cleaned and greased up with no worries at all. Now it plays great! Thank you for making this!
I haven't even finished this vid and I am in awe. I have been passionate about recorder changers since I was a kid. You have changed my life. I want to start restoring record changers. I hope I can have contact with you.
Hey bud.. I have now got 2 fully functioning bsr tables because of your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your information. I followed step by step and nailed it!
I found this video while trying to repair my old BSR turntable that's been in the basement since the stone age. I'm pretty handy with these things, and couldn't imagine why the turntable wouldn't come off after removing the cir-clip. Figured I was doing something wrong. The soldering iron trick worked like magic! Who would have thought that grease could harden to the point you have to chip it off? Great video, thanks for the tips.
Fantastic video! I have had my BSR for over twenty years. I moved 6 years ago and finally got around to unboxing it only to find that it was slow. I will apply everything you show here and it should be good to go.
I consider this video (and your VM series videos) to be an invaluable resource. There are many thousands of BSR's still out there, and I'm sure this video will help many. Great job! Oh, and very interesting about the 1000-grit sandpaper on the idler wheel---I never thought about that, and I've got a VM that would benefit from that. It's not completely hard, it's just starting to get a little stiff and "greasy" if you will
Hehe, I fixed these in the 70's when they were new, because they occasionally would freeze even that early in their lives. I kept a small bowl filled with a degreasing solvent to dump the center bearing parts into for an hour or so, to dissolve the lube. I used either hard plastic or wooden tools to scrape off old grease, along with q-tips soaked in the solvent, to avoid scratching the surfaces of the various parts (pins, levers,etc). Cotton rags and spray solvents were used to finish-off all cleaned points, and then when the entire mechanism was degreased and clean, good old GC Phonolube was used to re-lube every point, except the parts in the end-of-record trip sensor and its associated rod. Those were always left dry and clean. I never used acetone because it and its vapors are carcenogenic. I usually used isopropyl alcohol 99%, but there were a couple of flouro-based solvents available back then, which were also dangerous, but they worked very well for the final degreasing of an operating point. Usually sprayed those outside and very sparingly. Great use of the soldering gun and heat gun there. I never had to go that far back then. I used 4 hardwood blocks to support the inverted turntable on the bench, to avoid putting any pressure on the tone-arm. That's about all the tips I can remember - it's been since the 80s since I stopped doing commercial repairs. Thanks for the video!
Acetone is definitely not carcinogenic. Its produced in our bodies as a part of normal metabolism and is in fact so safe that it is exempt from VOC status. Halogenated solvents, which used to be very commonly used to clean electronics, are carcinogenic and have been phased out because of health concerns. That said it’s probably a good idea to avoid using acetone on older audio equipment because it can often dissolve or damage plastics. Isopropyl alcohol is usually the best first choice for this kind of work.
Thanks for the tips. I got my nearly identical BSR turntable unseized and running again. I didn't find your video first and used another, which was helpful in getting the platter free and the top stuff unstuck. But it didn't cover any of the underside maintenance like yours did, and mine certainly needed help there too.
Jordan, Excellent servicing information. Thanks for showing all the little details. You're absolutely right about oiling the idler wheel. For my first record player servicing, I did an old Voice of Music record player and found that, after servicing it, there was a tiny squeak that wouldn't go away. Removing the idler wheel and putting a very tiny drop of Zoom Spout Oil on the axle shaft solved my squeaking problem. I was extra careful not to get any oil on the rubber idler wheel. Regards, Tom
I just repaired a BSR turntable from a Superscope MS-30 using this video…your right, the best I could track was 3.5 grams. Thanks for all the helpful information…she works great!
A relative was done with her BSR Panisonic 3in1. The BSR was stiff, so stiff, in every way being kept near the cold salty front door. Now its back doing what its maker intended, thanks to this video.
You are amazing. Thanks so much for this video! I just bought a readers digest media cabinet complete with cassette deck, 8 track, record player and even am/fm + alarm clock. The bsr unit was completely seized up… you saved my $6 goodwill investment
Thank you. Still and probably always relevant and useful. Gives me confidence to tackle my own. Impressive simultaneous one handed camera and bench work too!
Thank you for the clear and detailed video. I followed your guidance to repair a completely seized Fisher 225-XA (BSR C123R2.A.6). It sounds fantastic and works like new now.
Jordan, thank you for these videos. As a novice who is teaching himself to service old stereos, these videos on cheaper tables are perfect. Also, the tracking for comment made me laugh hard.
Great video as always JP. One note, after cleaning and oiling the star wheel it wouldn’t always move the tone arm over at the start so I cleaned it again an reinstalled it without oil and it works fine now.
Great video as always. I’ve picked up a couple of these on eBay and I noticed that they play quite fast ( a common problem with these ), so I sanded the shaft slightly for the 33 and 45 positions and it worked great. Time consuming because you have to keep checking it with a strobe disc as you go, but well worth it.
I have the same problem, 33 too fast...45s perfect. As a complete novice..what shaft are you referring to. Do you mean the central metal shaft or some other shaft nearer the speed shift mechanism?
@@patrickmcgivern9686 Yes it is the shaft that spins the idler wheel. It is a tedious job, as you have to keep replacing the platter to check the speed with a strobe disc and a UV light. The 33 spot on the shaft is the very top one, with the smallest circumference. Check it often, because if you take too much off, it will rotate too slowly. You can use a file or Emory cloth/tape. Good luck!
@@gns423 A "UV" light to check speed with a strobe disc??? Does that even work??? You need any old light source that works off the mains (120VAC/60Hz in North America) which has a low thermal inertia (heats up & cools down real quick). The lower the thermal inertia, the more noticeable they'll flicker in sync with the 60c/s mains frequency. If you're old enough to remember how annoying fluorescent lamps are for flickering, they'll put a big smile on your face in this application! Anything with a neon bulb bright enough (or turn your room lighting down) also works a treat. Even LED bulbs work, but I find them the hardest to see with of these 3 types. If you're a 70's Head like I am, you do have UV light sources for your trippy poster collection. We referred to them as "Black Lights" because the very dark & kind of heavy emissive coating doesn't let alot of visible light through. Most of 'em were incandescent A19 style screw-in bulbs, & incandescent bulbs are useless with strobe discs, UV Blacklights or not! I DO have a couple of 18" flourescent fixtures with Blacklight tubes for them, but I think they'd still be less than ideal since their visible spectrum light output is so feeble. But if you weren't confusing flourescent tubes by calling them UV ones, then I suppose I ought to see how they work if only for 💩s & giggles, & perhaps report back to y'all...🧐
Thank you for this video! Was able to fix one up my lady just bought. Easy to follow and fun to complain along with you when customers try getting in before the open hour ;)
this is the best BSR video out there. thank you for sharing your knowledge and being so detailed. i was able to restore an old morse/electrophonic console stereo back to working condition! thank you again!
Great video. I just got a nice stereo cabinet for free. The main problem was the on switch was locked. Used your tip and got it working in just a few min. Thanks. I am saving this video so I can do the rest of the repairs once I have the phonogreese
Thank you!!! Picked up a Realistic Lab 52 which is just a BSR C-182. The while dang thing was seized. I was able to get most of it unlocked, but couldn't figure out the start switch. But this video saved the day. Cheers!!!
I was fixing these bsr changers at about 10 years old lol, i would suggest putting the rubber drive wheel on a lathe to even it out apply gentle pressure with 1500grit paper, it might look level but it wont be they never were from new. anyway im glad your channels back mate, good stuff.
Thanks for this video. I had one that was seized up, but once I got the turn table moving, the center metal piece wanted to move no matter how much heat I put to it. I used quarters around it and increased the stack of them a little art a time, and when I got to 8 stacks off 5 quarters each, when I applied heat, the turn table finally came off. All of the other steps in your video helped me get it running again. Thanks.
Under the cam, the metal part that pushes the cam spring'd starter (looks like it's pointing at the center spindle), is missing a ball bearing under the novel cut out! It's the same ones that are on the center spindle/record plate in center. Good video!!
Working on a Zenith JR596W turntable currently. I've looked at a bunch of these repair videos last night and today. Tried the soldering iron trick, tried tapping the center spindle with a heavy screwdriver a couple times, tried 3-in-1 oil yesterday, let it sit overnight, tried it again today. Held the soldering iron in the center hole for nearly 10 minutes. Even after all that, the turntable will just simply not come off at all (though it's doing full 360 rotations, whereas before the turntable itself was literally stuck in place). My fingers are all chapped now from continuously pulling up on the edge of that metal platter, lol. I feel kinda discouraged, like this thing is never going to get fixed. One interesting thing to note about these turntables is, if you spin it manually with your hand and flick the auto switch, you can actually see the tonearm mechanism go through its motions and place itself on the record, return to its holder, etc.
+1 subscriber. I had a BSR record changer with basically identical mechanics on the underside, and between taking apart and wondering what needs to move better this is going to help fix the unit after not being ran for 20-30yrs. Only difference is that I had a Zenith SI-4140. My particular one had that bearing piece you were heating up around 9:30, and instead of being metal mine was a hard plastic. so had to use penetrating out to loosen it vs heat gun :)
Thanks for this. I am going to resurrect my BSR 310 AXE that I had set up for playing and digitizing 78s. The turntable is frozen up now after storage. I've already rebuilt a BIC 1000. This looks similar. Thanks again for the excellent video!
Thanks for this excellent demonstration. Am going to try to apply at my new acquired bsr built in the 60's which is totally dead, in the mechanical aspect only. But in the electronics, to try to scout for old school technicians.
Thanks! I have a Garrard SL55B top mounted into a Marantz receiver, The Model 28...the guts of the Garrard are very similar to this BSR and your video helped a lot in getting it run.
100% perfect!! Thank you so much! Mine was not seized up but it turned very hard. It is now up and running perfectly thanks to your video!! You da man!!!
Upon further evaluation my BSR is running .7 faster than 33 & 1/3rd speed. I hear most of these older tables tend to be a little fast. Better slightly fast than to slow. I can live with it.
Raise the ride height of the idler wheel by turning the flathead screw. I can’t remember if it was clockwise or counter.. make it so the motor steps only contact a smaller portion of the wheel’s width
some of your comments remind me of when still at college i upgraded my BSR UA12 TT to stereo with a SX5 ceramic pick up the 1 valve amp in the Dansette & a exturnal valve amp in a old tape recorder the only purchased part was the pick up for £5:00
awesome!!! I've got an old BSR turntable that I installed for my folks in a console stereo over 40 years ago. The platter spins OK and probably needs this service, the speed and power switches are frozen so, based upon your vid I'm going to pull it out and see if I can get it going. Thanks!! Fantastic vids
When I was in vo-tech school in the 70s we had some fixtures that would hold the turntable while you worked on it. I can’t remember who manufactured them, they made servicing them easier.
Awesome video! Learned alot about the mechanical parts and I thank you for that. I watched the whole video, and when you got to the end to check for cycling of the cam, it worked! However, you didn't shed any light on what to do if it doesn't cycle correctly. I bought a Hitachi Stereo for $3 and went through it completely, but everything was freed up. I did clean all switches. The problem I have is that when an album is loaded and I switch to start, the record drops, but the tonearm stops short of the landing groove and returns to the pedestal. This seems like a "size" issue, but it is set on 12". So then I changed size to 7" and 10" and the tonearm goes to the appropriate spot on the record, but immediately returns to the pedestal. The turntable is a SP-916 based on the manual I purchased online. When I manually place the tonearm on the platter, the album plays fine to the end, returns to pedestal and shuts down like it should. The tonearm goes to the appropriate location, no matter the size set, but won't drop down on the record and play. Hope this is clear enough. Love the attitude fixin this stuff and a customer at the door to early. lol. Help!
So I bought the ferguson p128 as mentionen and basicallt followed every point in your video, and voila, it seems to work perfectly :) Now the tonearm seems to not align perfectly in height etc so I need to check how to tune everything. Thanks alot for this video
I just serviced my Radio Shack Clarinette 105 following these instructions as far as I could. On this type of cabinet, I was not able to take the whole platform off due to it being inaccessible means to get to those two screws to release the platform from the cabinet. But I was able to pry the platform up enough on one side of the platform to be able to spray some WD40 on the mechanisms and gave it time to work itself in and then I worked the control knob gently till it broke free. I did have to use a cheap soldering iron to heat up the spindle shaft till the platter was able to break free. It did not take as long as in this video to heat up. After removing it I did take the cam gear off. I did not use any machine oil or lube but olive oil to lube and oil up the areas mentioned in this video. When done I assembled everything back and it does work now except I, as he did in the video, put the spindle in wrong and I have to try and figure out how to put it in the correct orientation so the auto drop will work. But I gently pat the record down and the needle arm comes over and drops down and plays to the end and stops. Some people don't like these types of stereo but not everyone can afford to spend $2,000 on a stereo system built of different components.
On the clarinette, you either remove the rear panel, flip one up to release the back part then pull back to slide the other out of position to remove the turntable. ...or there are large screws on the underside at the left and right that release the whole top
Thanks, this was a great help to get my TT running again. My rpm on phone ap says it is a tiny bit fast but I think it sounds great. Has an old Pickering cart.
I used to have a small ultasonic cleaner filled with ispropyl that I would throw the parts in while I cleaned the mechanism. Same with 16mm projectors, slide projectors, r to rs etc. Saved a lot of time.
This BSR record changer has the worst grease ever. It should all be removed. Use 30-40 Q tips. Got one in 1974 and went bad by 2000. Haven't used it since. But now I know how to fit it thanks to Jordan!
i use a 1875 watt hardryer on a 1973 Magnavox changer to get the grey cycle gear wheel off too i also used lighter fluid to soften the hardened grease after it sat for half an hour
I'm kicking myself wishing I would have found your video before disassembling my record player. I love to tinker and when my mom handed down her broken record player, I was excited to fix it. I could not find anything specific in terms of direction for my situation so I jumped in. Then, well.... let's just say I hit a snag. This one is very similar to mine. Luckily I have been able to reassemble many portions by what you have shown in this video. Unfortunately at 7:37 you touch on a portion that I'm struggling to attach correctly. Any suggestions or possibly another video of yours where you go in depth on that section? Shoot, even if you cant respond, you have been a tremendous help and I'm addicted to your channel. Fascinating content. Love it.
Thanks for this video. I have the exact same turntable, and it was all seized up. Now the only problem I have is that the record size mechanism seems to be stuck on 10 inches, so I'll have to work on that. Also, I have a question about the little knob that reads 2 4 6. What is that for?
So, I was able to loosen the stop/start/auto function! But now I suspect there is an electrical issue w/ the motor beneath the wheel. The wheel moves freely (not frozen up) Plugged in, lights on, but wheel doesn’t move when switched to “start”. Any possible solutions?
Pivot bearing is sticky. Unscrew the shaft on the idler arm enough to get the idler arm out,clean and oil, screw back in, then move the selector to on and adjust the screw so that the idler touches about mid point on whatever speed tier is selected.
Thanks! Looking at buying a Ferguson p128 but in the thrift store it hardly rotated and have a scratchy metallic noise. Perhaps just lubing it up might work
Perfec tutorial. Without it I would ruin my Sony HP-319 with it’s BSR R141. Bought it as not working second hand. I could move none of its parts. Spinning now, speed selector works, start/stop also. I do not have any spindle to test (both missing). On an old record I can hear some strange noises. Hard to center the record. Not sure if cartridge is ok. I hope you continue what you are doing. Thanks for the video!
Update: BSR A27 turntable. I discovered my platter is a steel 7" platter and not and 8" Very happy about that! The rubber mat will carefully separate from the steel platter towards the middle of the platter and carefully not bending the BSR aluminum center badge. Once I did this there was in fact an E-clip holding the platter in place. The rest is history. I was starting to get some wow in speed. Most noticeable on slower piano music. Anyway's, I serviced all under the platter as in this vid and now she sounds excellent! Glad I figured out how to get the platter off. Again mine was not stuck at all. P.S. I "did not remove" the original adhesive between the rubber mat and the steel platter. I simple pressed it it back on evenly and all is great! Again this was the 1970 Panasonic RD-7673,,,,,BSR A27 compact turntable. I very much hope this helped someone also. Love music!
Jordan, a tripod will allow you to place the cam/phone somewhere and work with 2 hands. Just sayin'. There are small desktop smartphone tripods available too.
Hey JP, I am in a jam. I've spent the better parts of two full days trying to pix my BSR(s). I'm hoping you can help. /firstly, I watched this video and executed a complete service (or at least the abbrev. one you provided here). I faithfully did everything and I think I must have done something wrong. My frustration is that both of them worked fine before I started except for static in the pots. But because I am gifting one to my brother, I decided to give him something he won't have a problem with in a year or two. With a goal of performing thorough maintenance, I've done something wrong and am dead in the water with both. I'm trying to turn my 62 year old brother back on the vinyl. I know he would dig it. I have one BSR Fisher (Philharmonic) and another in a Pioneer (Centrex). SYMPTOMS: After reassembling them when the tone are starts to lift, the turntable slows and stops. Not enough torque to cycle through. And then even after I encourage the wheel, the platter drags and only goes about 3/4 speed. I have a new pulley because I own four of Fisher 60s and LOVE them. so I know it's not the pulleys. Please help if you can. I'm so burnt out.
@@JordanPier Hi JP. Thank you so much for your quick response. I will do that in about 15 minutes when I return home. So, if it is an idler well traction problem is that an easy fix? And would that also effect the speed of RPM during regular play?
@@jaredcicon resurfacing the rim of the idler with 600-1000 grit sandpaper and cleaning the motor pulley and platter rim usually takes care of it. Regular playback usually isn't effected except in extreme cases because of the momentum of the rotating mass of the platter.
Hey JP. So I rotated the cam and it moved freely, sort of like a barstool that goes left and right and springs back to it's position with the cutaway pacing the post. Do you think there's two different problems or do you think the same problem could be the culprit for both problems (Stall on cycle & Slow RPM).
Out of interest what year was this BSR released? I noticed it has phone sockets on and as far as I know these did not come out till the 80s. Were they used for internal wiring back then? I thought all audio cables were 5 pin din type back then. I also like the computer PC type mains sockets.
Hi Jordan, what a fantastic video, thank you so very much for making it. I’ve followed it to a ‘t’ to service by BSR UA15. It has taken me a few goes. I am stuck - my jockey arm pivot is very wobbly and the platter makes a grinding/gritty noise. I’m sure it’s the jockey arm pivot which I can’t seem to keep from wobbling. And yes 😮 the little clip is in place even though it was quite tricky to put back on. I’d love your advice as I’m almost there and am busting to spin some vinyl (I have a spare 16 deck for spares) thanks again Dawn (in Australia)!
Might be the swage holding the platter spindle and bearing is worn or broken. Not much can be done about that short of welding it on the bottom after complete disassemble of what's in front of it. Not sure how to tackle the arm without looking at what's failed.
@@skidstar72 yes, the swage is how the platter bearing shaft is secured to the chassis. If you can wiggle the platter spindle the swage is bad. If not, it's fine and you've got other issues causing the grumbling/grinding noise.
Jordan, any chance of you doing a video addressing the automatic functions and adjustments on these BSR's? I have a stack that all have the same problem, even after a complete clean and lube.
@@JordanPier Regardless of the size selector position, the tonearm wants to setdown at about the 7" position. At the end of the record, it always goes to repeat, regardless of overarm position or manual/auto spindle.
Aaaaannd I just figured it out. At the end of this video, you mention one more 'section' that may or may not need cleaning...there was old sticky grease in there. I cleaned it and lined with lithium grease. Problem solved, unit works as expected!
Man!!!! Even with one hand he made it look like a piece of cake...u don't realize how hard and complicated those mecanismes are until u start working on one..HE is a PRO and a really good one to make look so easy
Thanks! I just acquired a BSR player that was spinning fast. I followed your cleaning with the wheel and removed the grease and put new on grease. It's like magic. I truly appreciate your video and more amazed you did this with one hand.
Oh, and as an aside---I'm impressed that you work in an electronics repair shop. In today's throw-away society, repair shops are starting to become a thing of the past---I think it's great that guys like you are still out there, because you're needed
You are the best Jordan!!! I was looking everywhere for a guide for my Sony HP-161 and came across your video. My records have never sounded so good and smooth. All the features now work on my old girl and she is singing again. You're providing a very valuable service. Thanks again!
This video is gold. Turns out it’s not that easy to find good videos on that topic on UA-cam ..
Thank you so much for the video. As a young married couple we purchased a PYE 3in1 in 1977 and has been laying unused in our garage for over 30years. It has the same turnrtable as this except it has the 2 pole motor. Your excellent video has helped me greatly in getting it going.
Really appreciate this video. I was restoring one of these and the part of the video showing the parts on the bottom of this record changer. That pertained to proper operation of the tone arm helped me fix an issue in which the tone arm would stick in an area on the record and not advance. Straight forward no nonsense instruction on here. Thank you.
Following this video, I just got my parent's old player running again! Even after it's sat in a storage unit for the past 13 years! Thank you so much!
I'm working on a BSR in a Panasonic FM/AM Stereo Music Center SD-203. Each step-by-step direction is very clear to follow. I have two more BSR's in other systems that I will work on in the future. These are units from my high school and college years in the 70"s. They have sat around for 40+ years and now I'm refurbishing one for my youngest daughter! As a former teacher, I will say thank you for the precise and clear directions.
I don't comment on a lot of videos, but I had to on this. I bought a console with a BSR in it and it played awful. With this video, I was able to take it apart, get and cleaned and greased up with no worries at all. Now it plays great! Thank you for making this!
I just bought a bsr turntable probably one of the last 4 speed models and did what you're doing and it now works great
Me too got one from my grandparents and sounds great. Surprised I thought it would sound awful
I used your info here to rehab a Zenith C587 unit with a BSR turntable. It had not been used in a couple of decades. It now works great! Thanks!!!
I haven't even finished this vid and I am in awe. I have been passionate about recorder changers since I was a kid. You have changed my life. I want to start restoring record changers. I hope I can have contact with you.
Hey bud.. I have now got 2 fully functioning bsr tables because of your videos.
Thank you so much for sharing your information.
I followed step by step and nailed it!
This video saved my record cabinet and I am so thankful that you took the time to walk us through the whole cleaning process. Thanks you so very much!
I found this video while trying to repair my old BSR turntable that's been in the basement since the stone age. I'm pretty handy with these things, and couldn't imagine why the turntable wouldn't come off after removing the cir-clip. Figured I was doing something wrong. The soldering iron trick worked like magic! Who would have thought that grease could harden to the point you have to chip it off? Great video, thanks for the tips.
Fantastic video! I have had my BSR for over twenty years. I moved 6 years ago and finally got around to unboxing it only to find that it was slow. I will apply everything you show here and it should be good to go.
I consider this video (and your VM series videos) to be an invaluable resource. There are many thousands of BSR's still out there, and I'm sure this video will help many. Great job! Oh, and very interesting about the 1000-grit sandpaper on the idler wheel---I never thought about that, and I've got a VM that would benefit from that. It's not completely hard, it's just starting to get a little stiff and "greasy" if you will
Hehe, I fixed these in the 70's when they were new, because they occasionally would freeze even that early in their lives. I kept a small bowl filled with a degreasing solvent to dump the center bearing parts into for an hour or so, to dissolve the lube. I used either hard plastic or wooden tools to scrape off old grease, along with q-tips soaked in the solvent, to avoid scratching the surfaces of the various parts (pins, levers,etc).
Cotton rags and spray solvents were used to finish-off all cleaned points, and then when the entire mechanism was degreased and clean, good old GC Phonolube was used to re-lube every point, except the parts in the end-of-record trip sensor and its associated rod. Those were always left dry and clean.
I never used acetone because it and its vapors are carcenogenic. I usually used isopropyl alcohol 99%, but there were a couple of flouro-based solvents available back then, which were also dangerous, but they worked very well for the final degreasing of an operating point. Usually sprayed those outside and very sparingly.
Great use of the soldering gun and heat gun there. I never had to go that far back then.
I used 4 hardwood blocks to support the inverted turntable on the bench, to avoid putting any pressure on the tone-arm.
That's about all the tips I can remember - it's been since the 80s since I stopped doing commercial repairs. Thanks for the video!
Hey can you get a hold of me i have a record changer i cant identify
Any tips for a BSR Monarch from the 50's? The 45 rpm and 78rpm speed works but the 33rpm doesn't.
Acetone is definitely not carcinogenic. Its produced in our bodies as a part of normal metabolism and is in fact so safe that it is exempt from VOC status. Halogenated solvents, which used to be very commonly used to clean electronics, are carcinogenic and have been phased out because of health concerns.
That said it’s probably a good idea to avoid using acetone on older audio equipment because it can often dissolve or damage plastics. Isopropyl alcohol is usually the best first choice for this kind of work.
Thanks for the tips. I got my nearly identical BSR turntable unseized and running again. I didn't find your video first and used another, which was helpful in getting the platter free and the top stuff unstuck. But it didn't cover any of the underside maintenance like yours did, and mine certainly needed help there too.
Thanks so much for the vid. Could not have got it running again without this.
Jordan,
Excellent servicing information. Thanks for showing all the little details. You're absolutely right about oiling the idler wheel. For my first record player servicing, I did an old Voice of Music record player and found that, after servicing it, there was a tiny squeak that wouldn't go away. Removing the idler wheel and putting a very tiny drop of Zoom Spout Oil on the axle shaft solved my squeaking problem. I was extra careful not to get any oil on the rubber idler wheel.
Regards, Tom
Thank you. Got my almost 50 year old seized turntable working perfectly!
That was fantastic, thanks for taking the time to show that process, much appreciated.
I just repaired a BSR turntable from a Superscope MS-30 using this video…your right, the best I could track was 3.5 grams. Thanks for all the helpful information…she works great!
Thank you so much. I have a BSR 220S that froze up and I was able to get it running with your help.
This video has restored my grandfather's old record player. Thank you!
A relative was done with her BSR Panisonic 3in1. The BSR was stiff, so stiff, in every way being kept near the cold salty front door. Now its back doing what its maker intended, thanks to this video.
Glad I found your video, very in depth where you needed to be and it’s appreciated. Now my grandpa’s records play again😁
You are amazing. Thanks so much for this video! I just bought a readers digest media cabinet complete with cassette deck, 8 track, record player and even am/fm + alarm clock. The bsr unit was completely seized up… you saved my $6 goodwill investment
Thank you. Still and probably always relevant and useful. Gives me confidence to tackle my own.
Impressive simultaneous one handed camera and bench work too!
Such a great walkthrough, after cleaning and regrease and oil I got rid of the woofy hum, thanks very much!
Thank you for the clear and detailed video. I followed your guidance to repair a completely seized Fisher 225-XA (BSR C123R2.A.6). It sounds fantastic and works like new now.
Jordan, thank you for these videos. As a novice who is teaching himself to service old stereos, these videos on cheaper tables are perfect. Also, the tracking for comment made me laugh hard.
Thank you my friend, you help to restore music in my house, and a little confidence in my ability to follow instructions, well done, and cheers
Great video as always JP. One note, after cleaning and oiling the star wheel it wouldn’t always move the tone arm over at the start so I cleaned it again an reinstalled it without oil and it works fine now.
Holy snort thanks man I was able to fix my dad’s turn table with your video! The speed selector messed up and all I had to do was reseat it properly 🎉
Great video as always. I’ve picked up a couple of these on eBay and I noticed that they play quite fast ( a common problem with these ), so I sanded the shaft slightly for the 33 and 45 positions and it worked great. Time consuming because you have to keep checking it with a strobe disc as you go, but well worth it.
I have the same problem, 33 too fast...45s perfect. As a complete novice..what shaft are you referring to. Do you mean the central metal shaft or some other shaft nearer the speed shift mechanism?
@@patrickmcgivern9686 Yes it is the shaft that spins the idler wheel. It is a tedious job, as you have to keep replacing the platter to check the speed with a strobe disc and a UV light. The 33 spot on the shaft is the very top one, with the smallest circumference. Check it often, because if you take too much off, it will rotate too slowly. You can use a file or Emory cloth/tape. Good luck!
@@gns423 A "UV" light to check speed with a strobe disc??? Does that even work???
You need any old light source that works off the mains (120VAC/60Hz in North America) which has a low thermal inertia (heats up & cools down real quick). The lower the thermal inertia, the more noticeable they'll flicker in sync with the 60c/s mains frequency. If you're old enough to remember how annoying fluorescent lamps are for flickering, they'll put a big smile on your face in this application! Anything with a neon bulb bright enough (or turn your room lighting down) also works a treat. Even LED bulbs work, but I find them the hardest to see with of these 3 types. If you're a 70's Head like I am, you do have UV light sources for your trippy poster collection. We referred to them as "Black Lights" because the very dark & kind of heavy emissive coating doesn't let alot of visible light through. Most of 'em were incandescent A19 style screw-in bulbs, & incandescent bulbs are useless with strobe discs, UV Blacklights or not! I DO have a couple of 18" flourescent fixtures with Blacklight tubes for them, but I think they'd still be less than ideal since their visible spectrum light output is so feeble. But if you weren't confusing flourescent tubes by calling them UV ones, then I suppose I ought to see how they work if only for 💩s & giggles, & perhaps report back to y'all...🧐
Thank you for this video! Was able to fix one up my lady just bought. Easy to follow and fun to complain along with you when customers try getting in before the open hour ;)
this is the best BSR video out there. thank you for sharing your knowledge and being so detailed. i was able to restore an old morse/electrophonic console stereo back to working condition! thank you again!
Great video. I just got a nice stereo cabinet for free. The main problem was the on switch was locked. Used your tip and got it working in just a few min. Thanks. I am saving this video so I can do the rest of the repairs once I have the phonogreese
Thank you!!! Picked up a Realistic Lab 52 which is just a BSR C-182. The while dang thing was seized. I was able to get most of it unlocked, but couldn't figure out the start switch. But this video saved the day. Cheers!!!
I was fixing these bsr changers at about 10 years old lol, i would suggest putting the rubber drive wheel on a lathe to even it out apply gentle pressure with 1500grit paper, it might look level but it wont be they never were from new. anyway im glad your channels back mate, good stuff.
Thanks for this video. I had one that was seized up, but once I got the turn table moving, the center metal piece wanted to move no matter how much heat I put to it. I used quarters around it and increased the stack of them a little art a time, and when I got to 8 stacks off 5 quarters each, when I applied heat, the turn table finally came off. All of the other steps in your video helped me get it running again. Thanks.
Under the cam, the metal part that pushes the cam spring'd starter (looks like it's pointing at the center spindle), is missing a ball bearing under the novel cut out! It's the same ones that are on the center spindle/record plate in center. Good video!!
You got it. A real knowledgeable pro!!
Working on a Zenith JR596W turntable currently. I've looked at a bunch of these repair videos last night and today. Tried the soldering iron trick, tried tapping the center spindle with a heavy screwdriver a couple times, tried 3-in-1 oil yesterday, let it sit overnight, tried it again today. Held the soldering iron in the center hole for nearly 10 minutes. Even after all that, the turntable will just simply not come off at all (though it's doing full 360 rotations, whereas before the turntable itself was literally stuck in place). My fingers are all chapped now from continuously pulling up on the edge of that metal platter, lol. I feel kinda discouraged, like this thing is never going to get fixed.
One interesting thing to note about these turntables is, if you spin it manually with your hand and flick the auto switch, you can actually see the tonearm mechanism go through its motions and place itself on the record, return to its holder, etc.
+1 subscriber. I had a BSR record changer with basically identical mechanics on the underside, and between taking apart and wondering what needs to move better this is going to help fix the unit after not being ran for 20-30yrs.
Only difference is that I had a Zenith SI-4140. My particular one had that bearing piece you were heating up around 9:30, and instead of being metal mine was a hard plastic. so had to use penetrating out to loosen it vs heat gun :)
Thanks for this. I am going to resurrect my BSR 310 AXE that I had set up for playing and digitizing 78s. The turntable is frozen up now after storage. I've already rebuilt a BIC 1000. This looks similar. Thanks again for the excellent video!
Very good explanation of lubricating the turntable, a great video, thank you for the great explanation.
Wonderful video. Helped get my zenith back in running shape
Amazing! Thanks so much for taking the time to explain everything step by step, I'm happy I brought back to life this turntable. Gracias!
Thanks for this excellent demonstration. Am going to try to apply at my new acquired bsr built in the 60's which is totally dead, in the mechanical aspect only. But in the electronics, to try to scout for old school technicians.
Good work, JP. Once serviced, these units may perform well. I am nearly ready to try my hand with a Dual 1225. Thank you.
Thank you JP walked me through the service. Very much appreciated, works now!
Thanks! I have a Garrard SL55B top mounted into a Marantz receiver, The Model 28...the guts of the Garrard are very similar to this BSR and your video helped a lot in getting it run.
I have one of those on the bench right now. This video will help a lot since this thing is pretty much a solid block of non moving parts.
Thank you so much!! This video helped greatly! We are complete novices to Record players.
... everytime I watch this vid I pick-up something I missed the time before; kudos on it.
Nice work sir got my mom's record player working again.
Own a BSR ...still play mine 👌🏼
... enjoy this video very much indeed.
Very informative and educational.
Thank you for taking taking the time to make this video.
I have just begun to clean my player up thank for the excellent video and tutorial.
THANKS Jordan for all your help.
100% perfect!! Thank you so much! Mine was not seized up but it turned very hard. It is now up and running perfectly thanks to your video!! You da man!!!
Upon further evaluation my BSR is running .7 faster than 33 & 1/3rd speed. I hear most of these older tables tend to be a little fast. Better slightly fast than to slow. I can live with it.
Raise the ride height of the idler wheel by turning the flathead screw. I can’t remember if it was clockwise or counter.. make it so the motor steps only contact a smaller portion of the wheel’s width
some of your comments remind me of when still at college i upgraded my BSR UA12 TT to stereo with a SX5 ceramic pick up the 1 valve amp in the Dansette & a exturnal valve amp in a old tape recorder the only purchased part was the pick up for £5:00
Thank you very much. This was instrumental in repairing my turntable.
awesome!!! I've got an old BSR turntable that I installed for my folks in a console stereo over 40 years ago. The platter spins OK and probably needs this service, the speed and power switches are frozen so, based upon your vid I'm going to pull it out and see if I can get it going. Thanks!! Fantastic vids
I have one of these in a Lloyds console, and this video got it working again.
eres un verdadero crack. He conseguido recuperar el viejo tocadiscos de mi padre de más de 50 años gracias a tus indicaciones. God bless you!!
When I was in vo-tech school in the 70s we had some fixtures that would hold the turntable while you worked on it. I can’t remember who manufactured them, they made servicing them easier.
I have one, but it really only seems to be good when troubleshooting cycling problems where you have to see the system in action underneath
REALLY thank you very much!!! Saved me a lot of troubles!
This was so well done and helpful. Many, many thanks.
Awesome video! Learned alot about the mechanical parts and I thank you for that. I watched the whole video, and when you got to the end to check for cycling of the cam, it worked! However, you didn't shed any light on what to do if it doesn't cycle correctly. I bought a Hitachi Stereo for $3 and went through it completely, but everything was freed up. I did clean all switches. The problem I have is that when an album is loaded and I switch to start, the record drops, but the tonearm stops short of the landing groove and returns to the pedestal. This seems like a "size" issue, but it is set on 12". So then I changed size to 7" and 10" and the tonearm goes to the appropriate spot on the record, but immediately returns to the pedestal. The turntable is a SP-916 based on the manual I purchased online. When I manually place the tonearm on the platter, the album plays fine to the end, returns to pedestal and shuts down like it should. The tonearm goes to the appropriate location, no matter the size set, but won't drop down on the record and play. Hope this is clear enough. Love the attitude fixin this stuff and a customer at the door to early. lol. Help!
So I bought the ferguson p128 as mentionen and basicallt followed every point in your video, and voila, it seems to work perfectly :) Now the tonearm seems to not align perfectly in height etc so I need to check how to tune everything. Thanks alot for this video
Thank you very much! I repaired my phone with your help!🎉
I just serviced my Radio Shack Clarinette 105 following these instructions as far as I could. On this type of cabinet, I was not able to take the whole platform off due to it being inaccessible means to get to those two screws to release the platform from the cabinet. But I was able to pry the platform up enough on one side of the platform to be able to spray some WD40 on the mechanisms and gave it time to work itself in and then I worked the control knob gently till it broke free. I did have to use a cheap soldering iron to heat up the spindle shaft till the platter was able to break free. It did not take as long as in this video to heat up. After removing it I did take the cam gear off. I did not use any machine oil or lube but olive oil to lube and oil up the areas mentioned in this video. When done I assembled everything back and it does work now except I, as he did in the video, put the spindle in wrong and I have to try and figure out how to put it in the correct orientation so the auto drop will work. But I gently pat the record down and the needle arm comes over and drops down and plays to the end and stops. Some people don't like these types of stereo but not everyone can afford to spend $2,000 on a stereo system built of different components.
On the clarinette, you either remove the rear panel, flip one up to release the back part then pull back to slide the other out of position to remove the turntable.
...or there are large screws on the underside at the left and right that release the whole top
Thanks, this was a great help to get my TT running again. My rpm on phone ap says it is a tiny bit fast but I think it sounds great. Has an old Pickering cart.
Fascinating and informative and all done one handed. Thank you.
Thanks for the video. Helped me out tremendously
I used to have a small ultasonic cleaner filled with ispropyl that I would throw the parts in while I cleaned the mechanism. Same with 16mm projectors, slide projectors, r to rs etc. Saved a lot of time.
This BSR record changer has the worst grease ever. It should all be removed. Use 30-40 Q tips. Got one in 1974 and went bad by 2000. Haven't used it since.
But now I know how to fit it thanks to Jordan!
i use a 1875 watt hardryer on a 1973 Magnavox changer to get the grey cycle gear wheel off too i also used lighter fluid to soften the hardened grease after it sat for half an hour
I'm kicking myself wishing I would have found your video before disassembling my record player. I love to tinker and when my mom handed down her broken record player, I was excited to fix it. I could not find anything specific in terms of direction for my situation so I jumped in. Then, well.... let's just say I hit a snag. This one is very similar to mine. Luckily I have been able to reassemble many portions by what you have shown in this video. Unfortunately at 7:37 you touch on a portion that I'm struggling to attach correctly.
Any suggestions or possibly another video of yours where you go in depth on that section?
Shoot, even if you cant respond, you have been a tremendous help and I'm addicted to your channel.
Fascinating content. Love it.
Thanks, it worked, of course. Saved me a big headache.
Thanks for this video. I have the exact same turntable, and it was all seized up. Now the only problem I have is that the record size mechanism seems to be stuck on 10 inches, so I'll have to work on that.
Also, I have a question about the little knob that reads 2 4 6. What is that for?
Followed these instructions and got mine working again. What guide of grease turns into glue?
So, I was able to loosen the stop/start/auto function! But now I suspect there is an electrical issue w/ the motor beneath the wheel. The wheel moves freely (not frozen up) Plugged in, lights on, but wheel doesn’t move when switched to “start”. Any possible solutions?
Pivot bearing is sticky. Unscrew the shaft on the idler arm enough to get the idler arm out,clean and oil, screw back in, then move the selector to on and adjust the screw so that the idler touches about mid point on whatever speed tier is selected.
Thanks! Looking at buying a Ferguson p128 but in the thrift store it hardly rotated and have a scratchy metallic noise. Perhaps just lubing it up might work
Perfec tutorial. Without it I would ruin my Sony HP-319 with it’s BSR R141. Bought it as not working second hand. I could move none of its parts. Spinning now, speed selector works, start/stop also. I do not have any spindle to test (both missing). On an old record I can hear some strange noises. Hard to center the record. Not sure if cartridge is ok. I hope you continue what you are doing. Thanks for the video!
Update: BSR A27 turntable. I discovered my platter is a steel 7" platter and not and 8" Very happy about that! The rubber mat will carefully separate from the steel platter towards the middle of the platter and carefully not bending the BSR aluminum center badge. Once I did this there was in fact an E-clip holding the platter in place. The rest is history. I was starting to get some wow in speed. Most noticeable on slower piano music. Anyway's, I serviced all under the platter as in this vid and now she sounds excellent! Glad I figured out how to get the platter off. Again mine was not stuck at all. P.S. I "did not remove" the original adhesive between the rubber mat and the steel platter. I simple pressed it it back on evenly and all is great! Again this was the 1970 Panasonic RD-7673,,,,,BSR A27 compact turntable. I very much hope this helped someone also. Love music!
Jordan, a tripod will allow you to place the cam/phone somewhere and work with 2 hands. Just sayin'. There are small desktop smartphone tripods available too.
But he only has 1 hand
Awesome awesome video.
You're a wealth of information
Hey JP, I am in a jam. I've spent the better parts of two full days trying to pix my BSR(s). I'm hoping you can help. /firstly, I watched this video and executed a complete service (or at least the abbrev. one you provided here). I faithfully did everything and I think I must have done something wrong. My frustration is that both of them worked fine before I started except for static in the pots. But because I am gifting one to my brother, I decided to give him something he won't have a problem with in a year or two. With a goal of performing thorough maintenance, I've done something wrong and am dead in the water with both. I'm trying to turn my 62 year old brother back on the vinyl. I know he would dig it. I have one BSR Fisher (Philharmonic) and another in a Pioneer (Centrex). SYMPTOMS: After reassembling them when the tone are starts to lift, the turntable slows and stops. Not enough torque to cycle through. And then even after I encourage the wheel, the platter drags and only goes about 3/4 speed. I have a new pulley because I own four of Fisher 60s and LOVE them. so I know it's not the pulleys. Please help if you can. I'm so burnt out.
Take the platter off and rotate the cam by hand. If it turns relatively freely it's an idler wheel traction problem. If it is hard or jams look there.
@@JordanPier
@@JordanPier Hi JP. Thank you so much for your quick response. I will do that in about 15 minutes when I return home. So, if it is an idler well traction problem is that an easy fix? And would that also effect the speed of RPM during regular play?
@@jaredcicon resurfacing the rim of the idler with 600-1000 grit sandpaper and cleaning the motor pulley and platter rim usually takes care of it. Regular playback usually isn't effected except in extreme cases because of the momentum of the rotating mass of the platter.
Hey JP. So I rotated the cam and it moved freely, sort of like a barstool that goes left and right and springs back to it's position with the cutaway pacing the post. Do you think there's two different problems or do you think the same problem could be the culprit for both problems (Stall on cycle & Slow RPM).
Thanks so much for this vid. I followed it one by one and fixed mine the way you did!
Out of interest what year was this BSR released? I noticed it has phone sockets on and as far as I know these did not come out till the 80s. Were they used for internal wiring back then? I thought all audio cables were 5 pin din type back then. I also like the computer PC type mains sockets.
Hi Jordan, what a fantastic video, thank you so very much for making it. I’ve followed it to a ‘t’ to service by BSR UA15. It has taken me a few goes. I am stuck - my jockey arm pivot is very wobbly and the platter makes a grinding/gritty noise. I’m sure it’s the jockey arm pivot which I can’t seem to keep from wobbling. And yes 😮 the little clip is in place even though it was quite tricky to put back on. I’d love your advice as I’m almost there and am busting to spin some vinyl (I have a spare 16 deck for spares) thanks again Dawn (in Australia)!
Might be the swage holding the platter spindle and bearing is worn or broken. Not much can be done about that short of welding it on the bottom after complete disassemble of what's in front of it.
Not sure how to tackle the arm without looking at what's failed.
@@JordanPier thanks Jordan, it sounds complicated! In regards to the wobbly jockey arm, maybe The e-clip isn’t holding?
@@JordanPier hi Jordan is the platter spindle bearing the one on the spindle that is not sealed? I’m not sure what the swage is
@@skidstar72 yes, the swage is how the platter bearing shaft is secured to the chassis. If you can wiggle the platter spindle the swage is bad. If not, it's fine and you've got other issues causing the grumbling/grinding noise.
@@JordanPier hi Jordan, thanks again for responding - the platter spindle seems fine - the speed jockey arm I think is troubled
Jordan, any chance of you doing a video addressing the automatic functions and adjustments on these BSR's? I have a stack that all have the same problem, even after a complete clean and lube.
What's the problem?
@@JordanPier Regardless of the size selector position, the tonearm wants to setdown at about the 7" position. At the end of the record, it always goes to repeat, regardless of overarm position or manual/auto spindle.
Aaaaannd I just figured it out. At the end of this video, you mention one more 'section' that may or may not need cleaning...there was old sticky grease in there. I cleaned it and lined with lithium grease. Problem solved, unit works as expected!
Is there any fix if the center shaft spins while the turntable is on
How long is the pulley?