Hey Guys........
No ..... I have not lost interest in this forum. Sometimes "life gets in the way" and Audiogon takes a back seat to other things. The bearing seems fine, and I think I've narrowed it down to a cartridge problem. I'm going to try to borrow a similar Rega cartridge and mount it to see if that improves the situation. Thanks for all your help and thoughtful advice ! I really appreciate all the interest you guys have shown, and it certainly is a pleasure being part of this fine Audiogon community ! I will keep you all posted as things progress. But, as summer approaches.... a lot more time with golf, bike riding, hiking with my dog, and all kinds of outdoors stuff ..... and a lot less time sitting in my basement music room !