Any fix for a locked groove?

I assume a 'locked groove' means the stylus kept repeating the same groove on every rotation.

Some causes:
1) A warped record causing the tonearm to skip back into the same groove on every rotation. Might be fixed by slightly increasing stylus tracking force.

2) Particulate in the groove. Identify the physical position where the stylus skips and then inspect with a magnifying glass. Sometimes the particulate can be carefully removed.

3) Bubbles in the vinyl due to a bad pressing. Try increasing the tracking force.

Hope this helps,

Relax, have a Stone Brewery Old Guardian and listen to some Armageddon...

Are you SURE its the records? 5 ,all towards the end of side 2?? .I think it may well be your arm setup. Sounds like the arm is reaching the end of it's travel before the end of the record

What kind of TT and TA do you have?

If I leave my dustcover on, I get a "locked groove" every time (when my tonearm bumps into it).

If my tone-arm SME V is sufficiently low set-up for VTA, some slightly warped records touch the arm close to the thick end of the arm tube when the needle is in the last 1/3 - 1/4 of the LP. This lifts the arm out of the groove with every turn and again = "locked groove".
Solution: use a higher (taller cart to go up with the arm for same VTA, use cart with more positive VTA requirement, clamp the record a bit harder to flatten it some more, if it can be done, don't play warped record, use tone arm with thinner arm tube, etc.)
Greetings,

Hey Guinness,amazingly enough one of the transfered LPs was Armageddon (the german band)!
I have RB 600/Grado The Reference/Michell Gyro SE setup.

Axelwahl, SME makes a 'headshell spacer' to solve the problem you're having. I use one with my Transfiguation cartridge -- most modern MC cartridges are rather short (heightwise) and the back of the armtube invariably will hit the edge of the record when the arm gets near the end of play.

overhang, The Rega RB600 shouldn't suffer from the SME's problem (fat armtube ;-) however you might want to check out the lift mechanism to make sure that:
a. It's falling away completely when in the down position, and
b. the curved lift pad is perfectly horizontal and isn't bent up a bit, allowing it to make contact with the bottom of the armtube near the end of play.

Hi Nsgarch
good post in respect of SME V, AND RB600.
Thank you,