Yamaha P-20 runs slow...

Hi all,

Picked up this turntable recently for cheap. It's a quartz lock servo DD with no pitch control.... but it's running a little slow. Very consistently a little slow...it doesn't waver at all. Any ideas on what to look for? (besides a different turntable)

Doubt this is it... but worth checking. When I found my Technics SL-QX300 TT at GW, it was in a heap with the $29.99 sticker crossed out, and an AS-IS $6.99 sticker on it. When I plugged it in, it wouldn't lock, and ran slow. I was about to put it back in the pile, when I looked at the underside. I found the voltage switch was set to 240V! I switched it to 120V, and it has ran perfect ever since!

How did you check it, with a normal strobe disc under house lights? If so, maybe the mains/line frequency in your area is actually a little high. Try counting and timing 100 revs of the platter.

Mystery solved!!!

First off, this unit does have a mirror/window/strobe light/markings on the underside of the platter arrangement to view the speed.

Further investigation, involving flipping the unit upside down, revealed....a pitch control thumbwheel somewhat hidden under the front fascia of the plinth!

Works like a charm now.

Looks like the stock Yamaha cart is an AT of some sort. No cantilever/stylus, so I'll be mounting one tonight.

Well, kids...happy to report that I mounted the Empire 2000EIII cart that I've been sitting on for several years since purchasing it from another AK'er up to this beast. It's obviously not Yamy's finest offering, but...as I have found with ALL of Yamaha's products, it performs wonderfully. If it were prettier, it might go in my main system. It sure sounds nice in my office system. I have tried the Empire on a few other tables and was never all that satisfied, but it seems to like this arm and table...which seems odd to me...the Empire is a heavy beast, designed for big mass tonearms, whereas this Yamy is a straight armed, 1982-era low mass thing. Another manufacturer's similar table might be a hunk of plastic junk, but this thing really sounds good. It's very neutral, it's dampened well, there's no howling or feedback or audible footfalls or anything...just dead quiet, nice performance.

I've owned Yamaha snowmobiles, outboards, guitars, PA gear and audio gear. In each case, quality has been outstanding. It may not be the sexiest stuff, but it sure performs well.

Sansui Louie said:

Further investigation, involving flipping the unit upside down, revealed....a pitch control thumbwheel somewhat hidden under the front fascia of the plinth!

Click to expand...

That's one of Micro Seiki's neat tricks on their OEM turntables - some of the earlier Luxman DD's they made (e.g. PD-277) had similar arrangements.