Technics SL-B300

Rover15

New Member
Hey all:

I am sure that many people just register on here to make a post that I am about to, but what the heck...

I have a chance to pick up a used Technics SL-B300 record player for $20. It was used by the record store that I frequent, and recently, they decided to sell it. It would need a new needle and a new belt. I currently don't own a record player and I had one as a kid. I never did any maintenance, and I am guessing that this is because my dad got a good one as he didn't mess with it either.

Anyway, I have a small collection of records, and I was wondering if Technics SL-B300 would be the type of a player that wouldn't ruin my records, which is my main concern.

What type of a belt and needle would your recommend? Anything else that I would need to be aware of. How much would it cost to do all this, roughly?

Of course, for $20, I can pick just it up, but I want to have some idea for additional costs before I do that.

Thanks, everyone!
 
Hakaplan, thanks so much for your recommendations! Beatcomber, you know, I am really not sure what cartridge it comes with, but it does not seem to be a fancy one, so I may just order one of the ones from Amazon. Thanks!
 
I have really enjoyed playing this record player for a couple of weeks. I have played a lot of classic rock, and it has been working great for me. However, when I tried playing some heavier music, I began encountering one issue, and that was hearing that crackling / buzzing sound as if my speaker was little busted. I am using Audio-technica AT 92ECD cartridge.

This sound appeared only in portions of songs with many layers, with really high pitch and distorted guitars in the mix (sometimes, there are three guitars + one bass guitar). It would happen at the same place, and this buzzing / crackling can be heard from whichever speaker that accentuates the high pitch solo guitar (sometimes it's L and sometimes it's R). These records are brand new, never been played when purchased.

I changed the speakers and used a nice set of headphones, and the problem was still there. It is not a grounding issue either. It's almost as if the turntable is having a tough time decoding these high pitch sounds, if that makes sense.

I was wondering if anyone else has encountered this type of an issue with this or any other player.

Thanks!
 
From your description, it sounds as if the cartridge is mistracking on heavily-modulated grooves. Since the SL-B300 has a P-Mount arm, there shouldn't be any problems with cartridge alignment, tracking force or anti-skate. You should make sure that your turntable is level, since an out-of-level condition can cause tracking problems, and you should be sure that your stylus (needle) is clean. Do a search in the AK Turntables forum for "Magic Eraser" and follow the directions in the threads you find. The Magic Eraser is the cheapest stylus-cleaning tool I know of and one of the most effective.
 
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