Fixing Technics 1200 mkII tonearms

V

vinylViking

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I've been offered to buy two busted turntables; one 1200 which is missing the top lock-screw on the tonearm (which is jigglin all over the place), and one 1210 who's tonearm is broken in half after a crate fell on it. Both are mkII's and otherwise in good condition.

Should I bother?

As for the 1210 I suppose there's only one thing to do - buy a whole new tonearm assembly for it.

I'm more uncertain about the 1200 though. Is it within the scope of a mere mortal to calibrate a tonearm? I figured I might cannibalise the 1210 for a lock-screw, but then, I half-remember someone saying they wouldn't touch a damaged tonearm (was that you Jeff?)

I would really appreciate some advice on this. I think I'll buy them anyway, but the sum I'm willing to offer depends much on whether the tonearm can be repaired, or I have to buy new assemblies for the both..
 
I've been offered both for 400 USD. It's worth mentioning that in Norway a new 1210mkII costs 990 USD with the current exchange rate - New tonearm assemblies will cost me around 280 apiece..
 
dont bother with these tables. seems that theyve been neglected and even if you fix the tone arms some other problems might come up later. trust me. save a bit more and be patient. youll come across better deals.
 
both easy fixes if you are even slightly mechanically inclined. new tonearm is like $60 US and that clip is $3 US. i fix decks like this all the time, so if $500 total investment for 2 working 12's sounds like a good deal to you - go for it. i'm happy to give you detailed info on how to install the new arm and how to install the clip and calibrate the other arm. if you are happy with the motor and platter operation and are willing to fix them yourself - do it. on the other hand - if you want to spend more money - wait for something else. i'd be pretty unhappy if everyone out there fixed their own decks ;). jeff h
 
Thanks Jeff!

I think I'll give it a go then. I used to be a locksmiths asisstant som time ago so I'm not easily intimidated by small springs and things. The decks seem fine apart from the arms and one double-0 pitchcontrol. The latter shouldn't be a problem since I've dealt with that a couple of times now..

I'm tempted to order a tonearm or two from the states though. Man. Even with p&p across the pond I think I'd save a significant amount, but what exactly do you get for 60 bucks? Is it complete with suspension etc. or just a plain arm?
 
here is what the replacment consists of:
technics-tonearm-slv.jpg

suspension is included which makes installation very easy. the 1200 shop manual covers the tonearm replacment specifically. i order most of my parts directly from Panasonic as most of the time they are the least expensive. maybe you have a divison of Panasonic where you are at? if not, shoot me a PM i may have something for you. - jeff h
 
And don't throw away the old arms if you buy new ones! I need some parts after rewiring an arm (first time)...

I'll get in touch.
 
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vinylViking said:
Is it within the scope of a mere mortal to calibrate a tonearm? I figured I might cannibalise the 1210 for a lock-screw
Click to expand...

It's definately worth a try. Inside the arm (where the pivot and the lock-screw goes) there's 5 small bearings mounted inside.
If they look OK, clean them with an spray for electronics (it shouldn't leave any residues), put a drop of e.g. sewing machine oil in, and carefully mount the pivot and lock-screw.
Some info can be found here: http://www.djforums.com/tutorials/turntable_maintenance.php

If the arm moves smooth and freely, it's probably fine. $60 plus saved.

But tell the seller that you'll have to change both arms when haggling ;)
 
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careful tho, if the tonearms are broken then most likely the tables have been mistreated for a while.check to make sure everything else is in order before you do the deed.make sure the pitch is smooth and flows,watch the strobe to make sure the platter spins without jitter.make sure the platter is level, if they dropped something on it then they may have bent the spindle,threw a bearing,or unseated the entire spindle assembly as well.other than that the replacement of the tonearm will make them useable again.
 
exaqctly what i was saying. if somebody dropped a crate on the deck, there can be more things broken which arent visible at first. another common wear on older tables is spindle. grab the platter at 9 and 3 o clock position and rock it to see if it has any play. if it does, you need to replace the spindle.

lofi said:
careful tho, if the tonearms are broken then most likely the tables have been mistreated for a while.check to make sure everything else is in order before you do the deed.make sure the pitch is smooth and flows,watch the strobe to make sure the platter spins without jitter.make sure the platter is level, if they dropped something on it then they may have bent the spindle,threw a bearing,or unseated the entire spindle assembly as well.other than that the replacement of the tonearm will make them useable again.
Click to expand...
 
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