Finished the refurb of the RC-88 that I'd picked up recently to service my 78's. Many thanks to the Audiokarma community for all the information tucked away in here that pointed me towards this great period TT. I do a fair amount of restoration of various sorts professionally, but seldom get to do a little something for myself.
The mechanical restoration was pretty straight forward. New power cord and RCA cable. Slight modification to the motor mount bushings to accommodate generic mounts from Gary at VoM. Some finicky disassembly in order to access two shafts for removal of coagulated grease and new lubrication. Also changed a few springs that seemed too stiff for smooth operation of the changer. New mat from VoM as well. Turned a single play spindle for manual operation.
For a plinth I wanted a period feel and a pleasant color compliment to the dark chocolate of the changer. This is reclaimed chestnut (only slightly wormy) with a burnished linseed oil finish. I eliminated the spring suspension and went to medium density rubber blocks.
Spinning Dinah Washington for a test drive in my shop office. Came with a GE RPX triple-play cartridge in the headshell. I have it set up with a 2.5 mil diamond and a 3 mil sapphire. Sounds great.
The mechanical restoration was pretty straight forward. New power cord and RCA cable. Slight modification to the motor mount bushings to accommodate generic mounts from Gary at VoM. Some finicky disassembly in order to access two shafts for removal of coagulated grease and new lubrication. Also changed a few springs that seemed too stiff for smooth operation of the changer. New mat from VoM as well. Turned a single play spindle for manual operation.
For a plinth I wanted a period feel and a pleasant color compliment to the dark chocolate of the changer. This is reclaimed chestnut (only slightly wormy) with a burnished linseed oil finish. I eliminated the spring suspension and went to medium density rubber blocks.
Spinning Dinah Washington for a test drive in my shop office. Came with a GE RPX triple-play cartridge in the headshell. I have it set up with a 2.5 mil diamond and a 3 mil sapphire. Sounds great.