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Apocalypse Now?—Technics sp10 problem s

I’d been enjoying my Technics sp-10 mkii for a couple of months now but recently it’s sending out signs of giving up the ghost.

When I first bought it, the start/stop function was halting in the sense that I would have to push the button several times in order for it to perform the function. Independently of that, I bought bearing grease and after adding some drops, the halting start/stop problem more or less disappeared. Great.

But then the strobe light went out. It still comes on occasionally but it’s intermittent. Unless that’s a sign of deeper ailments though, I could care less about that.

Worse: if I play a record now after first turning on the TT, the speed is obviously haywire. One symptom is that the gear mechanism is clearly audible in the form of an unusual and grating grinding sound. Playing records when it’s like this is of course out of the question. The good news is that, for now, if I let the motor spin by itself (without the cartridge on) for about 10 minutes or so, the issue goes away. That is, the speed is dead on for the remainder of the listening session (I played it for almost 8 hours yesterday with no problems), and the grinding noise is gone. The bad news is that all this may be just a sign of an impending apocalyptic failure.

So, I'd like to deal with the issue before it gets to that stage. Can someone suggest the cause? Or better: the cure. Or, alternatively, and best of all since I’m not handy enough to actually fix anything complex, can anyone suggest a reputable service shop where I could bring it? I live in Los Angeles. I’m hesitant to ship it because I don’t have the motor clamp for shipping. For all I know, that may be the original cause since the seller shipped mine without the clamp. I guess I could have a clamp fabricated if that’s my only choice.

It’s a wonderful TT and would hate for it to die so soon in our journey together. Final question: if there’s a repair shop, should I go ahead and replace capacitors, etc..? What are people’s opinions on that?

Thanks.
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ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Banquo363

I have one of these decks. If it were me I would treat it like my car and get it checked out - don't wait for the problem to get worse.

Put out an area location in LA on this thread and you will have members provide you with reliable contacts.

Whether you have a tune up due or a major repair it is worth fixing. An SP10 is very hard to find and/or replace. If for some reason you dont want to repair it you can sell it in no time here in "as is" or repaired condition.

Its worth fixing and worth more at that point if it has been updated.

Did you know the history on it when you bought it - was it used in a broadcast studio or in a private sound room?

Good luck
rwwear
2,871 posts
 
These are wonderful turntables and should be repaired. I had one before I found a MkIII. It sounds like the brake may need adjusting and the switches could use some tuner cleaner. The power supply could be in need of some new caps also. Be very careful using any kind of grease only use the recommended bearing oil if anything. There are many forums here for modding and repairing these.
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lewm
13,118 posts
 
I don't know where you are located, but if you are in the US, I highly recommend that you contact Bill Thalmann of Music Technologies in Springfield, VA. Bill is as nice as people get, honest, and very smart about SP10 electronics, since he has by now repaired and refurbished many many Mk2s and Mk3s. I guarantee that Bill can make your Mk2 good as new for a very reasonable cost. As someone above said, the basic building blocks of a Mk2 should last essentially forever if properly maintained. Your symptom(s) are much too complex for anyone here to diagnose, and it is unlikely that the solution is merely to replace the electrolytic capacitors, which should have been done from the get-go, so seek professional help and gain peace of mind.
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banquo363 OP
371 posts
 
Thanks for the responses everyone. I mustered up the courage to open up the bearing well (with Lewm's help--thanks) and there doesn't seem to be anything obviously out of place. No gunk to speak of. However, the shaft that the spindle sits atop has wear to it and that may be the problem--but there's no fixing that, I think.

The brake piston had a bunch of gunk on it. Cleaned that off and adjusted the brake (which was dragging against the spindle--I could hear a swooshing sound as the spindle turned).

Put it all back together and...same damned apocalyptic sound as before (minus the swooshing :). The sound is not quite like gears grinding as I suggested earlier but rather an electronic buzzing like morse code. Hopefully it's not the motor itself.

I live about 30 minutes east of downtown LA. But I'm willing to drive, so it doesn't matter really where the shop is. Even as far as San Diego would be fine since my folks live down there and I could just visit them. I hope there's a west coast version of Bill Thalmann, otherwise I'll just send it to him.
pryso
1,933 posts
 
Banquo, two suggestions.

One of the best turntable experts in the US is not far away - Brooks Berdan (I think in Monrovia). I would call him Monday morning and ask for his recommendation.

If that fails send me a PM for a suggestion in San Diego.

Good luck.
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