anybody know how to adjust the speed on a Pioneer PL-7 DD table? lp's sound about right, but 45's sound way too slow. thanks!

Sounds like a dirty switch to me.

you mean the 45/33 switch i assume? can i clean it with de-oxit or something?

I would start there, yes. Although it might be something else. Being that it's direct drive, I don't know what else it might be, unless there is circuitry that steps up the speed to 45 and something in that circuitry is failing.

I had the opposite problem with a much older PL-55DX for a while, it wouldn't play well at 33, but worked fine at 45. I found that, by default, it operated at 45 rpm and a circuit, when closed with a switch, brought it down to 33. That switch was failing, causing speed variations.

thanks Louie, i'll try the switch first! :thmbsp:

Some of the direct drive TT where DC motors (expensive) and you could have built up some resistance in the switch do to carbon from arc sparks when switched. Depending on age, resistors do change value due to electromechanical forces and heat. There may be a trim pot somewhere to tweak the speed (pick up a strobe and speed check disk or a costly tachometer to check speed). It is also nice to pick up a "Voltage Conditioner" for your equipment to remove any voltage or current fluctuations that the electric company, neighbors and area factories might cause. There is another little trick, and that is to wire across your line cord wires (that's correct across them) what GE called in the 60's a X-14 or X-17, you can correct me, or, I believe, a thyristor. The electronic symbol for it where two opposing arrows with a line between them. The internal resistance presented by this double diode was great enough not to cause a short, but it allowed electrical spikes to cascade (sold rated according to cascade voltage and current handling capabilities) across them. This sent the spike away from your equipment. One of the causes of inductive spikes results from the making and breaking of electrical contacts which causes instantaneous spikes of around 100,000 volts at millions of joules. This causes the spark you see when you flip a switch. The spark is actually metal being pulled away from the contacts and oxidizing, thus causing pitting and carbon build up on contacts, and of course audio interference and data loss. They are hard to find now because a lot of industries did not like what they could do, such as make light bulbs and wall switches last for ever. Most light bulbs are blown due to EMF, you can imagine what it does to to your equipment. A side note on light bulbs; light bulb bases and sockets where always made of tinned brass (a war time commodity for making bullets). Brass does not arc and tin does not corrode. Today's light bulb bases and sockets are made of aluminum, a very inexpensive metal with a high propensity for arcing, corrodingand and welding the base to the socket. Aluminum is also a bad actor when it comes in contact with other metals. And people wonder why many of us say vintage equipment is better than what is made today.

Wow, cool info, louisiii. :D