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PL-530 gets a new suit and unintentional rebuild

willyrover

willyrover

Super Member
A couple of years ago I picked up a Pioneer PL-530 in pieces at a garage sale. At the time, I painted it black and got it working.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=120710

The paint did not hold up too well so this weekend I got around to putting on some veneer. The veneer is oak with a wipe on poly finish. :thmbsp:

Unfortunately, in removing the tone arm, I buggered up the tone arm wires so I had to replace them. Then, while replacing the wires, I buggered up the adapter between the tonearm and the headshell. So I eliminated it and ran the wires directly to the cartridge clips. Makes swapping headshells tricky but it eliminates 2 connection points in the signal path that could go bad. The new wires are thicker but don't seem to be binding anywhere.

After finally getting the mechanism put back and working properly, and fixing a ground problem, it's working perfectly and sounds great! :D
 

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Superb job.:thmbsp: I've got a parts 530 that I always wanted to do veneer on. You've inspired me!
 
Beautiful Work! Looks AWESOME! I like the color you picked.:thmbsp:

Enjoy your NEW TT..

Thanks,
John.:music:
 
Nice job - the oak looks super and thanks for posting the stage pics...always interesting to see! I have a PL-530 in the original walnut finish, but with a cracked lid. On EBay someone wants over $80 for a new acrylic lid...you can buy a complete deck for that if you have enough patience!
 
Fantabulous! 'Wish Pioneer would've sent 'em out like this from the factory!

Great work, willyrover! :thmbsp:
 
Urchinn said:
Did you ever consider using solid oak? Or do folks usually use veneer?
Click to expand...

Using solid oak would be a matter of making a new plinth from scratch. That's a great deal more work and has the inherent problem of leaving you open to eventual warpage.

Using veneer, on the other hand, is a simpler process in that you're applying sheets of veneer to an existing form. In some cases you might have to remove the original vinyl cladding or some other finish material but the overall results will be more satisfactory.

Why? Because you can do things like matching the grain patterns of the veneer to optimize the appearance and, probably most importantly, the original plinth, made out of particle board, is far more stable than solid wood so warpage isn't going to be a problem down the road.

John
 
Thanks boreas, that makes tons of sense. One thing, though, I live in New England and there is alot of beautiful antique wood available (from barns, old houses, etc.). Does aged wood (say over 100 years old) have any problem with warpage...or is it as warped as it will get?
 
Urchinn said:
Does aged wood (say over 100 years old) have any problem with warpage...or is it as warped as it will get?
Click to expand...

More stable than green wood by far and more stable than kiln-dried wood but as long as wood has a grain and as long as it's susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity it can warp. Because of this you'll sometimes see solid wood plinths made out of a "butcher's block" type of material.

Doing this will allow you to orient the individual laminae (strips of wood) so that the growth rings alternate. In this way each lamina will want to warp in the direction opposite to its neighbors. That means each lamina will resists its neighbors' tendency to warp.

Butcher's block plinths can look pretty cool.

John
 
Thanks for all the comments!

The walnut vinyl was peeling when I got the table so I scraped it off. Or at least the very top layer of it.

My dustcover is in pretty sorry shape. I have seen the acrylic dustcovers on eBay and they look amazing! But $80 makes me think twice. I'm looking into some kind of soft cover to put on top when not in use.

Here are a few more in progress pics for anyone who enjoys them.
 

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Urchinn said:
Does aged wood (say over 100 years old) have any problem with warpage...or is it as warped as it will get?
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that once wood is well dried and acclimatized to its location warpage won't be as much of a problem. Once you start introducing swings in temperature or humidity, the wood is going to respond to it and might warp.

Even with a chunky plinth made out of solid wood, I would consider making it by laminating several thinner pieces together and reversing the grain patterns. (Butcher block style)
 
That really turned out well! It appears from the pictures that you didn't use a veneer press. How were you able to get the veneer down tight to the plinth, smooth, flat and bulge-free?
 
boreas said:
That really turned out well! It appears from the pictures that you didn't use a veneer press. How were you able to get the veneer down tight to the plinth, smooth, flat and bulge-free?
Click to expand...

I used contact cement.

Rolled thin on both surfaces and allowed to dry, the glue won't stick to anything other than itself. The paint stirrers keep the surfaces from touching because when they do, the bond is instant. I removed the paint sticks bit by bit and press the veneer down by hand. You could also use a roller but I didn't have one.
 
willyrover said:
A couple of years ago I picked up a Pioneer PL-530 in pieces at a garage sale. At the time, I painted it black and got it working.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=120710

The paint did not hold up too well so this weekend I got around to putting on some veneer. The veneer is oak with a wipe on poly finish. :thmbsp:

Unfortunately, in removing the tone arm, I buggered up the tone arm wires so I had to replace them. Then, while replacing the wires, I buggered up the adapter between the tonearm and the headshell. So I eliminated it and ran the wires directly to the cartridge clips. Makes swapping headshells tricky but it eliminates 2 connection points in the signal path that could go bad. The new wires are thicker but don't seem to be binding anywhere.

After finally getting the mechanism put back and working properly, and fixing a ground problem, it's working perfectly and sounds great! :D
Click to expand...
KARMA alert:
We just received a PL530 parts unit today!! If at some point you want a stock arm, contact me.
 
Nice job on the veneer -- I second that they should have been made that way originally from the factory!

So how did you remember how to put everything back together? Did you take notes, and take photographs?

I had one of these tables and contemplated doing the same thing, but the tear-down and reassembly time seemed very daunting to me.
 
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