Eric Lloyd
Well-Known Member
I just want to share how excited I am to have just completed my first tonearm rewire. I've done quite a few assorted turntable repairs before, but this is the first time I had to go this far.
This is a Technics SL-23 that sat in a shed in Phoenix for a couple of decades. The owners son is going to college and asked if he could have it. They are relatives, and I agreed to look it over. There was zero dollars offered for this project (sigh). After basic cleaning, Deoxiting and lubrication, replacing the belt and cartridge (sadly, the Pickering XV-15 on it was toast after baking so many years - I put on an AT-95E) it cranked right up and held speed very well.
However, there was no sound from the left channel. I traced this with a meter to internally corroded interconnect cables, which I replaced with a new set of Radio Shack cables I had laying around. Now I had both channels - and a loud bass hum! ACK!
I quickly realized the hum changed when I touched the collar on the tonearm. So, I hit it with an ohmmeter and readings were here, there and everywhere. Coincidentally, a friend had given me an SL-B101 with a bad motor and no cover, so I decided to use it as a donor to the SL-23.
This is when I found out that I had to completely disassemble the tonearm. Intimidating! But, it won't work otherwise so what have I got to lose? Fortunately, the wires from the B101 arm were longer than the originals so I had plenty to work with. Rather than transplant the wires only, I swapped over the collar assembly altogether. This was a slight mistake because the replacement collar is a little lighter than the one from the SL-23. Now the counterweight is almost up against the pivot and I'm ordering a weight for the headshell to compensate. Still, the tonearm rewire fixed the hum problem. YAY! Also, it took three tries to readjust the anti-skate and auto return assemblies properly. That was a little frustrating, but not unexpected.
All in all, I'm very happy with the results. I have it playing Dire Straits in the office right now, and in two weeks it will go to college with its new owner.
This is a Technics SL-23 that sat in a shed in Phoenix for a couple of decades. The owners son is going to college and asked if he could have it. They are relatives, and I agreed to look it over. There was zero dollars offered for this project (sigh). After basic cleaning, Deoxiting and lubrication, replacing the belt and cartridge (sadly, the Pickering XV-15 on it was toast after baking so many years - I put on an AT-95E) it cranked right up and held speed very well.
However, there was no sound from the left channel. I traced this with a meter to internally corroded interconnect cables, which I replaced with a new set of Radio Shack cables I had laying around. Now I had both channels - and a loud bass hum! ACK!
I quickly realized the hum changed when I touched the collar on the tonearm. So, I hit it with an ohmmeter and readings were here, there and everywhere. Coincidentally, a friend had given me an SL-B101 with a bad motor and no cover, so I decided to use it as a donor to the SL-23.
This is when I found out that I had to completely disassemble the tonearm. Intimidating! But, it won't work otherwise so what have I got to lose? Fortunately, the wires from the B101 arm were longer than the originals so I had plenty to work with. Rather than transplant the wires only, I swapped over the collar assembly altogether. This was a slight mistake because the replacement collar is a little lighter than the one from the SL-23. Now the counterweight is almost up against the pivot and I'm ordering a weight for the headshell to compensate. Still, the tonearm rewire fixed the hum problem. YAY! Also, it took three tries to readjust the anti-skate and auto return assemblies properly. That was a little frustrating, but not unexpected.
All in all, I'm very happy with the results. I have it playing Dire Straits in the office right now, and in two weeks it will go to college with its new owner.
