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Advice on Pioneer PL-50A turntable

A

ammerker

New Member
Hi everybody,

This is my first time posting. I've been using audiokarma as a resource for the last couple of weeks as my addiction/fascination with vintage hi fi audio gear has raged out of control.

The other day, I found what I thought was an amazing deal on craigslist. A one-owner Pioneer PL-50A turntable, described as "very clean" and "working perfectly". It has the box, the manual, and accessories still in the original packaging. This tt is immaculate!

When I arrived at his house, he unpacked it from the box, switched it on, and we quickly realized that it didn't have a belt. It turned out that the unit belonged to his father, and he hadn't personally looked at it in about a year. I bought it for $150, hoping that with a simple belt purchase, I'd be in business! I'm not interested in repairing or selling equipment. I'm simply trying to put together a great system.

When I got home, I put on a new cartridge and stylus (as the stylus was badly bent). In an effort to make sure the cartridge worked, I fired up the TT, spun the record with my finger and lowered the tonearm. Well, the tone arm skated right off the record. I adjusted the anti skate, and realized there was no resistance or pull when turning the knob. It just feels loose. I stuck a mirror under the knob (as was suggested in another thread), and could see the plastic piece, but it didn't appear to be broken. Unfortunately, I am so new to this, and so technically un-proficient, I'm at a loss as to what to do.

I'm hoping you can help. The seller has told me that he will refund my money if it doesn't work. My question to you all is, should I take him up on that, or is it worth attempting to have this TT repaired? I have very limited resources, and could use that $150 to purchase a working TT.

I'm attaching pics so you can see the unit.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice. This thread has been invaluable as I've taken on this new hobby.
 

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Welcome to AK :) Did you balance the tonearm? What did you set the tonearm for at the counterweight? That's a very nice table and awesome you got all the extras. What is the cartridge?
 
First of all, welcome to the forum. I would suspect that there is nothing wrong with your turntable, other than needing a belt. Centrifugal force will send the cartridge flying off of the record simply by spinning the platter too fast. If you haven't done so already, invest in a digital scale and set the tracking force to the cartridge manufacturer's specifications. Cartridge alignment is also very important. You need to download and print one of the alignment protractors from VinylEngine. My advice is to review the turntable setup stickys and follow those instructions. Looks like a nice turntable. Congrats!

Dave
 
That is a very nice TT, and a good deal at $150 IMHO. As Kermit said, it sounds like you did not balance the tonearm and set the tracking force. When you say it skated off the record, did it skate toward the middle of the record? Anti-skate applies a force that pulls the needle away from the center, not toward it. Also make sure the stylus has a tip on it. Although unlikely since it is new, the diamond tip may be missing from the cantilever.

What type of cartridge are you using? The PL-50A is a medium to high mass tonearm, and certain carts may not work well with it.
 
Hum, I noticed from the pics that your PL50-A is missing the lighted indicator that can be used to set the overhang for the stylus. That is a quick way to get the overhang set, but it is missing on yours. I am not sure if it is in with the parts in the one picture though, but I would think that was installed at the factory.
 
Wow! Thanks for the replies, guys.

I think I balanced the arm correctly. Of course, I'm new to this, so I'm learning as I go, and could very well have done something wrong. It is skating away from the center... quickly! Sorry, should have been specific about that. I found a video about adjusting magnetic anti-skate, and no matter where I set the anti skate, I can't keep the arm from floating back toward the arm rest.

I have a Numark Groove Tool cartridge on there. Is that no good?

Thanks again,
Adam
 
I found these specifications for your cartridge:

0.6 Mil spherical Diamond Tip

Tracking Force 2.5 to 3.5 Grams

Channel Separation 26Db @ 1 Khz

Output 2.4 Mv

What do you have your tracking force set to?
 
Checking the photos the OP has the Pio PL-50A owners manual, my advice is to carefully read the manual before you do anything else. The manual will describe and show how to setup the table from scratch in simple terms. You may have the overhang gauge in the styrafoam box, this item will also be in the manual with instructions on how to use it for cartridge installation. Also for long term survival of the turntable and receiver don't stack them one on top of the other. It might look kool but it's actually quite hot for both components and will lead to the early demise of both. Another possible cause for the tonearm to skate across the record might be that the turntable isn't leveled, that will also be mentioned in the owners manual, get a level at the hardware store if you don't have one already.
 
Ok, after reading your posts concerning the cartridge, I did some fiddling. I had removed the Numark Cartridge from a Stanton headshell that I had purchased for another tt and never used, and put it on the Pioneer headshell. I decided to put the M55E cartridge and bent to hell stylus that came with the tt back on the Pioneer headshell. I found a record I didn't care about, spun it with my finger, and... it worked! I then attached the Stanton headshell with the Numark cartridge, and it too worked.

Figuring I must've had the tonearm balanced wrong, I switched the Numark cartridge BACK to the Pioneer headshell and tried again. When I did, I found I had the same skating problem. It flew right off the record, away from the center.

So... I put the appropriate cartridges back on their respective headshells, and they both worked again! I'm sure this is tt 101, but I would love it if someone could explain to me why this is the case.

Either way, it appears the turntable is, in fact, working. I currently have the Stanton headshell and Numark cartridge on the tonearm until I can get a new stylus for the M55E. The new belt is in the mail. I should have it by the end of the week (hope hope). I'll post an update when I get it.

Side note: Can you recommend a new stylus for the M55E? Should I get a new cartridge and stylus? I'm on a pretty tight budget, but want to attempt to do things the right away.

Unfortunately, it appears that the overhang gauge is lost. Is there another way to appropriately place the cartridge in the headshell?

majick47, I will move the tt off of the receiver. This is a temporary setup, until I can find a piece of furniture to accommodate both side by side.

Thanks again everyone. This has been quite an adventure. It can't be overstated how appreciated your help is.
Adam
 
There are a number of alignment protractors you can use. I found the stevenson works good for my PL-50.

Jico makes a very good replacement stylus for the M55. I have an M55EM with the original stylus on my Pl-50 and it is a very good match for that arm. Sounds quite good.
 
I had this turntable with a Denon 103. One of the best combinations I’ve heard. The cheaper Denon dL-110 was great also. Pioneer made some great/underrated tts. These earlier ones I thought sounded fantastic!!
 
ammerker said:
Hi everybody,

This is my first time posting. I've been using audiokarma as a resource for the last couple of weeks as my addiction/fascination with vintage hi fi audio gear has raged out of control.

The other day, I found what I thought was an amazing deal on craigslist. A one-owner Pioneer PL-50A turntable, described as "very clean" and "working perfectly". It has the box, the manual, and accessories still in the original packaging. This tt is immaculate!

When I arrived at his house, he unpacked it from the box, switched it on, and we quickly realized that it didn't have a belt. It turned out that the unit belonged to his father, and he hadn't personally looked at it in about a year. I bought it for $150, hoping that with a simple belt purchase, I'd be in business! I'm not interested in repairing or selling equipment. I'm simply trying to put together a great system.

When I got home, I put on a new cartridge and stylus (as the stylus was badly bent). In an effort to make sure the cartridge worked, I fired up the TT, spun the record with my finger and lowered the tonearm. Well, the tone arm skated right off the record. I adjusted the anti skate, and realized there was no resistance or pull when turning the knob. It just feels loose. I stuck a mirror under the knob (as was suggested in another thread), and could see the plastic piece, but it didn't appear to be broken. Unfortunately, I am so new to this, and so technically un-proficient, I'm at a loss as to what to do.

I'm hoping you can help. The seller has told me that he will refund my money if it doesn't work. My question to you all is, should I take him up on that, or is it worth attempting to have this TT repaired? I have very limited resources, and could use that $150 to purchase a working TT.

I'm attaching pics so you can see the unit.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice. This thread has been invaluable as I've taken on this new hobby.
Click to expand...

Hi Ammerker,
I can see that you have all the accessories with your PL-50 and I.m desperately seeking for the 50Hz Capstan to use my Pioneer in Europe, I see you have it (look the red circle on the picture) It is absolutely useless in the US. So if you still have it I’m ready to make a deal with you. Please let me know
 

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Hi all,

In the OP's first post he spoke about the anti-skating adjustment and straight away the alarm bells started ringing for me.

Even though he claimed he could see nothing wrong with it, the common fault with this arm is the plastic cam lever that by this point in time, regardless of how well the table is looked after will be broken but not seen from underneath. The plastic becomes brittle with time and not usage. It will only be realised once the arm is removed and closer inspection will reveal the problem.

As the OP stated the knob was all loose without any resistance and that tells me instantly that the cam lever is indeed broken, it breaks where the pins slide through it and the break can't be seen until disassembled. I have the same issue with a PL-61 that uses this exact same arm with the same anti-skating adjustment. I am currently in the process of purchasing a new cam lever so that mine will operate correctly.

Below is the replacement part from a well known eBay seller that has them made up as they are long gone as an original Pioneer part. sadly as I'm located in Australia the postage is the killer here. Also as can be seen the seller has sold 108 of these components and this instantly tells me this is a very common issue for the two tables in question.

Screenshot(52).png
 
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it might have been part way through playing when the belt was removed and turning the platter by hand was finishing an automatic cycle and dragged the arm across .
 
The fact how the OP originally described the feel of the adjuster knob having no resistance and just plain old loose says that this plastic part is cracked and thus the knob no longer can apply any force due to the pivot point of the part no longer being solid and in it's correct position.

This is where the alarm bells started ringing straight away. I'm just now awaiting the arrival of my component and then I'll have my PL-61 back in top shape and working correctly as it should be.
 
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