The Cockeyed Dirtybird (Dual 1009SK)

William907

Active Member
I purchased a used Dual 1009 on an auction site recently.
It was only $17.53 but cost an additional $48.75 for shipping to Alaska.
It was listed as “Non Functional-Parts and Repair” but I had great faith that it was in pretty good shape.
It was quite dirty on top, covered in dust and grime, drops of who-knows-what on it. Hence the name Dirtybird.
But there was something else wrong with it. The headshell looked crooked, the tonearm even looked like it might be bent. Hence the Cockeyed part of the name.
I sent the seller two different messages about how to package the turntable. I specifically mentioned that a piece of the veneer on the plinth was peeling off and I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t lost, because I wanted to glue it back on.
The seller reassured me twice that they shipped lots of these and that they knew what they were doing.
I received the turntable today. It wasn’t pretty. They didn’t extend the shipping screws, now the screws are bent. The tonearm was off of its stand with the headshell looking like it was smashed. And worst of all, that little piece of the veneer was gone.
Mechanically, this turntable seems to be in really good shape. It seems to be fully functional! Cool beans! The idler wheel is missing it’s tire. But that’s an easy fix. The headshell looks like it only needs to be glued in place. The cartridge is now bent and has no needle, but the tonearm is straight.
The spindle seems to have been modified. It looks like there used to be a pin protruding from it that has been ground down. I think it’s supposed to be there so that it can lock the spindle in place.
It changes speeds perfectly. The record size selector seems to work fine. The manual-start-stop selector seems to work also.
We will see if I end up keeping it or if the seller will get it back.
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Cartridge alone is worth several times what you paid for the table. Hopefully it can be bent back to the correct position. These tables are worth some effort, hopefully you get it all sorted.
 
Is that the stacker spindle you have in your hand in the last pic? There's definitely a pin missing, it's supposed to lock the stacker in place. There's a piston inside the main spindle that pushes up on the bottom of the stacker to make it work, which is why it has to be locked in place.
I wouldn't give up on the deck. If you search the archives here, another AK'er recently got either a 1219 or 1229 that was smashed to hell and back during shipping but he rebuilt it.
Here's a good resource for parts:
https://organdonorparts.com/main.sc
You have to check back fairly often because they have different parts available from week to week.
If you need a single-play spindle, the one that fits the1200-series Duals also works on the 1000-series. They're cheap and easy to find.
 
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Yes, that idler is all there. And that cartridge is easy to fix. The mounting tabs are easy to bend; just be careful.
 
The tire doesn't seem to be missing. It's there! As far as I know, the whole wheel is covered with rubber.
What's there is just solid, hard, plastic. There's got to be something missing. That something might be my understanding. This is the first Dual I've ever looked at.
 
There are two possibilities:

1. This particular idler wheel was made from polyurethane which was a common thing back then. Other manufacturers who used such idler wheels or other parts made of polyurethane were Lenco and Bang & Olufsen. Worked great back in the day but the material hardened and stiffened within few years. If it is so, you need to find a new rubber idler wheel.

2. The rubber hardened a lot. You may be still able to save it.

Either way, what you have is a complete idler wheel.
 
Is that the stacker spindle you have in your hand in the last pic? There's definitely a pin missing, it's supposed to lock the stacker in place. There's a piston inside the main spindle that pushes up on the bottom of the stacker to make it work, which is why it has to be locked in place.
I wouldn't give up on the deck. If you search the archives here, another AK'er recently got either a 1219 or 1229 that was smashed to hell and back during shipping but he rebuilt it.
Here's a good resource for parts:
https://organdonorparts.com/main.sc
You have to check back fairly often because they have different parts available from week to week.
If you need a single-play spindle, the one that fits the1200-series Duals also works on the 1000-series. They're cheap and easy to find.
This spindle is odd to me. It's not a full length stacker spindle, but it does have a moving rod inside it. Maybe someone cut down a broken one.
 
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The RCA cables cleaned up nicely.
They are both about 34” long.
They have a resistance of only 0.1 ohms in each core, and each shield.
The ends have “Switchcraft” written on them.
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Cartridge alone is worth several times what you paid for the table. Hopefully it can be bent back to the correct position. These tables are worth some effort, hopefully you get it all sorted.
I put some effort into the cartridge.
I think it is as close to perfect as it needs to be.
I may have just saved myself a bunch of money.
I still need a stylus for it. Any suggestions?
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The tire doesn't seem to be missing. It's there! As far as I know, the whole wheel is covered with rubber.
Yep! It’s all there. A soak in some hot water softened it up a bit but it’s ruined.
It has flat spots and cracks.
I’ll try to find a replacement at a decent price.
 
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Looks great! That spindle...gotta wonder if someone tried to make a single play spindle out of a stacker.
You might know this already but just in case...in order to use the deck in Manual mode, you have to move the arm over to the LP in groove, then move the start/stop lever to "Manual." The 1000-series decks won't automatically start when you move the arm towards the record.
I would have liked this function on the 1200-series decks, too. Gotta unplug the 1219 in order to check the VTF.
 
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