Question about a turntable cartridge

[ahannas]

First, I know very little about turntables, just that I have one that hasn't worked in several years and I've decided to get it going again. It has a Grado F-3+ cartridge but the needle (stylus?) is missing. I can see no way to take this apart. There are two screws that seem to mount the cartridge to a larger assembly that includes four short wires and a round section that fits into the arm. This round part has seven holes but I'm guessing only four of them are attached to the wires inside.

Now the question - If I buy a cartridge (black will suffice since I'm not a serious audiophile) does that include the needle? Do I have to buy the needle seperatly?

Thank you for any assistance anyone can offer.

Alan

[royphil345]

Sounds like you have a standard 1/2" mount cartridge mounted to your removable headshell with the two screws.

A Grado Black would be a fine choice. The Audio Technica AT95E sounds very good as well for the same price at Garage A' Records. http://www.garage-a-records.com/index.php Less likely to have any problems with hum or tracking with the AT. You shouldn't have any problems either way since there was already a Grado on the table... Cartridges do come with a needle... Don't give the manufacturers any ideas!!!... LOL. You simply secure the new one to the headshell using the two screws and carefully connect the four connectors to the proper cartridge pins (directions included with the cartridge).

Aligning the cartridge properly is very important. An alignment tool of some sort would be helpful. There are some on the internet that can be printed out for free. You have to make sure the size comes out exactly right... http://www.enjoythemusic.com/freestuff.htm

[ahannas]

royphil345,

Thank you for your help. I had no idea that precise allignment was such an important factor. I'll be sure to use that protractor you linked me to.

Alan

[royphil345]

No prob...

Good luck!!! Let us know how things turn out...

[hifitommy]

to know which tt you have. then advising you would be SO much easier. and who knows, perhaps just a replacement stylus would be good for you.

[royphil345]

I don't think you can get a replacement stylus for a Grado F-3+ anymore. A Grado Black or the Audio Technica don't cost any more than most styli anyway... and still sound decent too!!!

There's also that black gunk in the Grado cartridges that tends to dry out over time... Probably time for a new cartridge...

[ahannas]

Ok, So I ordered a Grado Black from Garage A Records and about a week later is came. I put it on my turntable (an Onkyo CP1010A), aligned it with the protractor they sent and it seems to be working well. My thanks to those who steered me in the right direction.

Now another question. I have records that have not seen the light of day in 10 years. When I took some out of their covers I noticed some dirt on them. Is there any sort of vinyl cleaner that is safe for cleaning my records?

Thanks

[royphil345]

Glad the Grado is working out nicely for you!!!

There are many different methods people use to clean records. The best would be a vacuum record cleaning machine / record cleaning solution made for the machine. Expensive though. Maybe someone else will post some other options.

My method:

I use a soft nylon brush with rounded bristle ends made for the wet cleaning of records. I've heard you can save some money and just use a soft paint brush which seems logical and possibly even more comfortable when cleaning records without a machine. For solution I use distilled water, a little dish-soap, and some 91% rubbing alcohol. I've been making the solution pretty strong lately and brushing the records throughly, allowing the cleaning solution time to work. I've found that sometimes, if you only get part of a coating of residue off, the record could actually sound noisier. I then rinse with distilled water. (tap water can supposedly leave noisy mineral deposits on the records, but some people use it anyway for convenience) I would dry the records a bit with a lint-free cloth or paper towel if using tap water. Only lightly blot the label if it gets wet. You could use a store-bought, no-rinse cleaning solution. I'd still rinse with distilled water if the solution and grime it loosened up won't be vacuumed out of the grooves.

Of course, use a carbon fiber brush or a velvet cleaner like the Discwasher for a dusting / light cleaning before every play. I'm sure others will have other suggestions /methods too. I know there are a couple household cleaners many record collectors use to safely clean stubborn records. Forget what they are. Haven't had to resort to anything like that yet. Although, I have had to clean some records more than once, going pretty heavy on the alcohol and dish soap. Alcohol is in many store-bought solutions and is supposedly safe for vinyl LPs.

Sears sells a nice water distiller for around $100.00. I go through quite a bit of distilled water cleaning records and keeping my cigars humidified in the winter. Lugging those jugs home from the store can get old. You can buy quite a few jugs for $100.00 though...

Spray bottles are good for applying soap and excellent for a "high pressure" rinse.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Record-Cleaner

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Record-Cleaning-Kits

[jrhymeammo]

Alot of members here have had great success with 91% Iso mix, but from my experience(BTW, not very reliable) the mix just increases background noise.. Never liked it....

I strongly believe in the product made by Record Research Lab. I couldnt be happier with Super Vinyl Wash made by RRL. Not sure how it'll work without a RCMachine. I dont know what type of brush you have, but I enjoy using one made by Mobile Fidelity. It has a nice handle, and I can scrub decades of grime off. I got both from MusicDirect. $30 for a liter of solution may sound like a robbery, but after hearing the result I would pay twice as much. Stay away from LAST products at all cost.

If you are reasonably handy with tools, I think you should try making a DIY R.C.M. If you enjoy listening to old/used records, the best way to improve sound is to vacuum clean your records.
I dont have links handy, but you can find them all over the net. If you wanna buy one, the cheapest one I know is made by KAB for $160, but you gotta provide a vacuum. http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/index.htm

Again, stay away from LAST products at all costs, except for Stylast(I like it).

[royphil345]

You know... I really have feared that the alcohol might somehow "dry" the vinyl a bit and cause some microscopic imperfections. I used to stick with mostly dish soap until I ran into a couple records where it seemed a glaze of dirt was only partially removed, actually causing increased noise until they were cleaned again. Maybe I should try out that Super Vinyl Wash. If you recommend it, it's probably worth it. Gosh, I have a hard time paying $30.00 for a liter of ANYTHING though... LOL

[nobody]

I use the Disc Doctor stuff. And, along with the brushes he sells too, it really does get stuff pretty darn clean. I've cleaned some really filthy records that play just great now. I guess it is more expensive than making your own, but I think I paid maybe $30 for a bottle that has lasted me around 3-4 years...running out now though and may try the RRL stuff as I've heard such good things about it. But, to me, the cost isn't enough to make me wanna take a chance on making something that may not do as good a job.

Still, I think the people scared about putting a little alcohol on their records are paranoid. When I was a kid, I used water and alcohol mixes and sometimes straight alcohol on really dirty stuff and on some records probably pretty regularly. Don't have any damage on any of 'em. Even have a record I cleaned with some window cleaner that left a layer of gunk which I then cleaned off with a ton of alcohol and a wash rag...still no damage. Records are more durable than some seem to think. As long as you don't do something crazy, I can't see that you'd be likely to do any real harm making your own cleaner.

I'd like to try a record cleaning machine some day, but they don't sound like they eliminate all that much of the labor considering how expensive they are. Maybe down the road.

[jrhymeammo]

Still, I think the people scared about putting a little alcohol on their records are paranoid.
Yes I am.




Records are more durable than some seem to think.
I couldnt agree more. I use about 2 full squirt of RRL SVW and scrub the hell out of it with my Mobile Fidelity Brush(the best brush ever). I play alot of used records so cleaning is a must. For that I dont trust Record Cleaning Machine with auto-scrubbish feature.(dont they just have a brush that glides over the surface?) I figured the bottle will last me about 700 sides so not too bad, wouldnt mind trying something different just for the hell of it.

I tried cleaning my records with a piece of Magic Eraser and basically destroyed one of my records....

How much of the DD solution do you use?

RCM would be nice, but I just need it for sucking so my Dirt Devil will do fine. Looks too ghetto even for me. If I ever get a bonus, I might get one from KAB.

[nobody]

I use about 5-6 drops per side. The thing I've noticed with the Disc Doctor stuff is you really have to rinse like crazy. It leaves a bit of residue if you don't really rinse carefully. I usually clean once and rinse twice.

[jrhymeammo]

I never rinse after using RRL SRW because I vacuum it dry.

How about Disc Doctor Quick Wash? http://www.discdoc.com/

You can use more than 6 drops and you shouldnt have to rinse more than once. Don think Vac is neccesary

[nobody]

I may try that new disc doctor stuff...although it says it works best with a vacum machine. Any idea how the RRL stuff works without a vacum?

I should have a couple more months before I run out, just thinking of what to get next or to stick with something I'm actually pretty happy with already.