Dustcover Improv

boreas

boreas

"If it sounds good, it IS good." E.K.E.
I recently picked up a Pioneer PL-560 minus dustcover and have been playing with the idea of making one. My thinking was to make one out of deeply smoked acrylic just 'cuz I thought it would look cool.

Well, just a couple of days ago I came across a really cheap Fisher turntable at a GW "last chance" store (stuff gets binned if it's not gone within an hour or so). Even though it was a plastic fantastic nightmare with a plastic spindle and molded nylon spindle bushing which was broken it had a really good dustcover that looked as if it might be the same size as the original Pioneer.

I bought the table for $5.00, removed the dustcover and hinges, the cartridge and belt and re-donated the turntable. Probably end up as ewaste.

When I got it home I discovered that it was exactly the width and depth of the original and, though a little less tall, high enough to clear everything underneath. Best of all, the hinges fit perfectly into the sockets on the Pioneer. The hinges missed the sockets by about 1/4" per side but I repositioned the sockets and the dustcover fit like a glove.

After a polish it was ready to go..... except for that Fisher logo on the escutcheon on top. Well, I had a Pioneer emblem salvaged from an old BPC component of some kind and after cutting off the tuning fork part it was just a bit wider than the escutcheon, maybe 1/16" per side but it actually looked okay so I glued it on over the Fisher logo.

Anyway, I think it turned out okay.

Here are some pics.

John
 

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That's some excellent luck! A perfect fit, and the smoked acrylic does look great. Is it still tall enough for the auto functions to lift and move the arm with the cover closed?
 
shardina said:
That's some excellent luck! A perfect fit, and the smoked acrylic does look great. Is it still tall enough for the auto functions to lift and move the arm with the cover closed?
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Yup! Clears everything, including arm operation. Lucky as H&!!, I admit! And actually, I think the slightly lower profile, as well as the color, are an improvement on the original.

John
 
See good clean living pays off sometimes! The Karma strikes again. You figure what are the odds of it being such a good fit.
 
Nice John! You must have calibrated eyeballs. So nice of all your neighbors to donate their good stuff when you are on the prowl.

It really is more visually appealing now.

I am envious - - -
 
ghazzer said:
Nice John! You must have calibrated eyeballs. So nice of all your neighbors to donate their good stuff when you are on the prowl.

It really is more visually appealing now.

I am envious - - -
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ETLS said:
:thmbsp:

Nice looking job!!
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Thanks, guys! Just a lucky grab but it did good things for the table. Now If I can figure out a good repair for the lower right corner. I've had the idea to do a "skin graft" from somewhere on the back, maybe under the hinges, but I'm resisting that impulse for the moment.

John
 
Very nice salvage job and remarkable fit :yes:

How badly scratched was the cover? What polish did you use and what application method?:scratch2:
 
gregj said:
Very nice salvage job and remarkable fit :yes:
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Thank you.

How badly scratched was the cover? What polish did you use and what application method?:scratch2:
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It wasn't that bad, really. I used what I had on hand which was some Novus #2, barely enough to get it looking respectable. I'm going to revisit it later, maybe with some Flitz metal polish which might be a worthy successor to Brasso. Someone here (sorry, I can't remember who) recommended it. Then I'll finish it off with "DR. ETLS's All Purpose Magic Powder", the nature of which I'm not at liberty to divulge.

John
 
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I guess that you are referring to the corner of the base for the skin graft. It really isn't very noticable. I know you're supposed to listen to it, not stare at it, but futzing is so much more fun.

Me thinks that the peel & veneer deal that MaxZ28 used might work - with a little practice. I'd go with the pre-pasted stuff so you don't have to butt tape adjoining smaller pieces.

How difficult would it be to remove control panels, meters, tonearms, etc, to get down to the base?
 
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ghazzer said:
I guess that you are referring to the corner of the base for the skin graft. It really isn't very noticable. I know you're supposed to listen to it, not stare at it, but futzing is so much more fun.
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Yes, that's it. I know it's not very noticeable but it's the only "issue" remaining from the ones the table arrived with. It bugs me a little that it isn't addressed. ;)

Me thinks that the peel & veneer deal that MaxZ28 used might work - with a little practice. I'd go with the pre-pasted stuff so you don't have to butt tape adjoining smaller pieces.
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ACK!! You want me to do this one too??? I still haven't worked up enough resolve to do the PL-530! :D Actually, whereas the appearance of a silver PL-560 with clear dustcover always sort of bored me, I quite like the way the silver looks with the dark cover.

I'm still considering an entirely new base for it though. The one Jess (Pioneervato) did for his looks really great. I figure I'll rip him off. ;)

How difficult would it be to remove control panels, meters, tonearms, etc, to get down to the base?
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Dead easy, I think. I haven't done it but I have opened it up to do the pitch pot, etc. and replace the little foam piece for the arm return.

The control panel/arm assembly is held on with 5 screws. It looks like you can remove all those screws, the screws holding the round cover under the platter (5) and the ones holding the MDF to the chassis (6) and then raise, tilt and rotate the control panel into the center of the one large opening. Then, if I'm right, you can remove the MDF all in one go. The only thing you have to disconnect is the tonearm wires, just so you can lift and rotate the control panel enough, and it just plugs in.

Jess, if you read this, have I missed anything?

John
 
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