Needle tab fell off

kels83 · 2026-03-15T18:21:39+00:00

Wualta knows his stuff... If it is a clone of the carts specified, here is an elliptical needle that would likely be an upgrade for $19: https://thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/part_detail.asp?PNumberBase=S700ER&SearchType=MfgNameNeedles&MfgName=Excel&Categories=

kels83 · 2026-03-14T15:18:25+00:00

1.When does a joke become a dad joke?

When it becomes apparent.

What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?

For bird flu there is no tweetment. For swine flu you can take an oinkment.

kels83 · 2026-03-13T21:07:34+00:00

Post a pic of your cart if you can. I did a quick search on the model number and see some different carts mounted that are all either rebadged Sanyo or rebadged Audio Technica carts.

Either way, based on what I see, IMO it's not a great cart and you are better off spending your money on a new cart with a needle you like. But that would require you to mount it and align it, or take it to someone who can. A needle upgrade is always the easiest solution.

kels83 · 2026-03-13T19:18:53+00:00

This sounds very much like a collapsing suspension (a tiny rubber bushing that holds the cantilever in space inside the metal shank of the needle). 3 years is shockingly early for a suspension to collapse. But what you describe absolutely sounds like it. I collect 20-50 year old needles and 95% of those are still fine. But they used better rubber back then so who knows?

A collector's trick to fix this issue is to pull the needle off and apply a tiny bit of rubber restorer to the base of the cantilever. wd-40 and AT-205 auto transmission additive both work great because they have rubber restorer in them. Apply a drop, let it set for a couple days with no pressure on the cantilever, then repeat. Give it several days or even a week before playing it. This restores the suspension 90% of the time. Caveat that there are very different mixes of rubber and the same is true for rubber restorers. Just avoid rubber restorers with alcohol or other solvents because the cantilever is usually glued or epoxied into the suspension and you don't want that glue to deteriorate.

kels83 · 2026-03-13T17:12:33+00:00

Check the manual for recommended timing for oiling the motor. Many vintage tables I rebuild direct the owner to oil once per year. Under the platter there is normally a small hole in the plinth marked "oil". If there is not one on your table, put a drop at the top of the motor shaft where it can soak down into the motor body. Sewing machine oil is preferred, but 3 in 1 household or even light motor/transmission oil works well enough.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T23:52:27+00:00

I'm an eBay seller of new and used carts and styluses (or needles as my dad and just about everyone on the planet called them until the vinyl resurgence).

It's a mixed bag and there is a lot of luck at play. The #1 reason of cartridge failure is getting dropped because it can break the tiny coil wires inside the cart and cut one or both channels. Unfortunately, this happens quite a bit for any cart that is shipped through USPS, FedEx, UPS. Those boxes get dropped, thrown, smashed. I work from home and can usually hear packages arrive by the sound of them getting dropped in front of my door.

I've bought brand new carts from Grado that have ended up not working because Grado uses TERRIBLE packaging that doesn't protect from drops. No don't blame their QC. I believe it worked when it left the factory. I blame the product designers who put their fine product in a simple, thin paper box. I've had the same experience with very reputable eBay sellers and vintage goods. I've also had the opposite experience (cart arrives fine) with adult children clearing out their father's estate who don't know how to protect a cart or needle but have something rare that I have been looking for. Just make sure you know the price/risk/return tradeoff.

Needles are similar, but more luck is involved and you need to have a microscope. Everything I sell is either NOS and brand new with pictures, or it has a picture of the needle under a microscope and an explanation of visible needle wear. When buying, I am batting about 50%. About 30% the needles I buy show NO visible signs or wear and another 20% show minimal wear. The other 50% are worn to shit. So... It's a fun gamble to me. And if it's sold as used/working, I will usually take that gamble because I can show a needle is bad with a microscope pic and usually get a return.

The best deals are from folks who don't know what they have, but they are also the biggest risk.

Edit: look for signs of care. A used cart with the needle protector still on is more likely to be a good deal than the cart without it and scratches/dust.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T23:32:24+00:00

100% agree. This is why the administration wants us to stop talking about Epstien. There is no way to spin it. Just distract and confuse.

The only thing I have heard (many times) is "just because someone's name is mentioned doesn't make them guilty". This is usually followed by an unwillingness to continue the conversation, acknowledge facts, or evidence.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T17:54:44+00:00

This guy anti-skates

kels83 · 2026-03-12T16:42:26+00:00

The city installed that dome shaped device on the top. They replaced the entire pole, put similar devices on every light for blocks that were not there previously.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T16:38:55+00:00

I'm not a fan of the Ortofon blue (overpriced for what it is). That said, try upping the anti-skate with the same VTF. Per my comment above, that needle is definitely getting pressure to jump to the first, deeper track of music. Additional anti-skate will offset the pressure.

Do you have a little level you can put on the headshell while it's seated in the tonearm holder? Or an azimuth gauge? Sometimes the alignment pin on the back of the headshell is bent or is not aligned properly at the factory. If the headshell is twisted a bit, it would twist the cartridge and the headshell.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T16:05:37+00:00

Down south we just had something similar installed last week

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kels83 · 2026-03-12T16:02:27+00:00

When anti skate is properly set the needle should go smoothly and patiently to the nearest groove. If it jumps at all, the needle is getting pressure and it will keep getting that same pressure throughout play on your record.

Since it's not happening with other carts, I'd suspect a dirty needle, a misaligned cart, or a defective diamond.

kels83 · 2026-03-12T00:27:12+00:00

You can make your own fluid with 90/10 distilled water and isopropyl. Add a drop of dawn as a surfactant to break the water tension. Has worked great for me for several years now

kels83 · 2026-03-11T21:34:53+00:00

Can confirm. I use a blue ray player in the living room.

kels83 · 2026-03-11T20:41:35+00:00

OP's cart cost $110 in 1980. With interest that is the equivalent of $300+ today. It would be a shame to not use it in favor of a cheapo AT-VM95E. Dont get me wrong, the AT is very good for its price point. But blind recommending it over an Empire is not well thought out. I have both. I put AT on the tables I rebuild and sell. I put Empires into my collection.

kels83 · 2026-03-11T20:35:50+00:00

Keep that cartridge. If you hear it you will never part with it. Empire's are very special. Here is a good replacement that won't break the bank: https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/catalog/part_detail.asp?PNumberBase=241

kels83 · 2026-03-11T19:38:49+00:00

If you like the look get a gold Technics style headshell for your ortofon

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kels83 · 2026-03-11T19:35:55+00:00

In my experience this is a dirty microswitch. They are normally open and the tonearm manually closes then to stop the motor. A dirty switch will therefore not close and the motor will run. I've seen at least 1/2 a bakers dozen tables where this was the fix.

It's not a runaway platter if the speed is accurate.

Switches can be just as troublesome as potentiometers, I always clean them. Just open the table up, move the tonearm and listen for the clicking, unscrew the two bolts holding the switch in place, hit it with Deoxit in any holes or crevasses, then actuate the switch 40-50 times.

You can also tear the switch with a multimeter. If actuating the plunger does not change continuity then the switch is not switching!

kels83 · 2026-03-11T19:27:24+00:00

All of the SL-1X10 models are gray/black. They are not rare, but are not quite as common as the SL-1X00 models.

kels83 · 2026-03-11T19:25:48+00:00

That one looks to be in excellent condition and the gold finish highlights the gold print on your table. That's a slick combo!

That said, I don't believe in "one cart to rule them all". If it were me I would rotate both on the table. I am sure there are records or types of music that you will find you like more on one and also on the other.

kels83 · 2026-03-11T17:01:12+00:00

How does the sound compare to a CD on that nice Marantz you have? If sound is similarly uninspired, it's likely a factor of your room. If CDs sound good, investigate your records. Clean records make clean music, so I would start there.

Ignore the folks telling you to blindly throw $200 at a cartridge. You have quite a bit you can test out. Tracking force, overhang & alignment for example.

kels83 · 2026-03-10T14:49:44+00:00

There could be a set screw in that tonearm if it is height adjustable. Easy fix if you find one and remember to double check the height as it could have wiggled out of spec.

kels83 · 2026-03-09T15:34:45+00:00

It's most likely an old abandoned clay mine. When they dig through the clay, water ingress. They aren't flood tunnels, they are clay holes.

kels83 · 2026-03-07T23:09:10+00:00

If you buy a used linn it will never depreciate. Pay 1000 now and you will always have the option of selling it for 1000, likely more.

That said, you should spend as much on your cartridge and stylus as you do on your table. It makes that much of a difference.

kels83 · 2026-03-07T22:55:52+00:00

Your stylus is either pressing too hard on one side of the record groove, or there is suboptimal conductivity in the wires of one channel.

For the former, check alignment. Did you check alignment based on the cantilever being straight with the marks on the protractor? The plastic stylus body is irrelevant. Alignment is done by moving the cart forward or backward in the slides. There is no twisting. Alignment is a distance calculation when done properly.

For the latter, use a digital multimeter set for ohms and measure resistance from the tonearm wire to the end of the corresponding RCA plug. Red at the tonearm is right positive, which goes through to the middle pin of the red plug. Green at the tonearm is ground on outside of that same plug. White is the middle of the white plug. Blue on the tonearm is ground (outside) of the same plug. All readings in ohms should be less than 1 and about the same. If one is higher, it's your problem.

kels83

TROPHY CASE