Realistic LAB-330 Turntable Question...

[Ford 500]

Hello. About four or five months ago, I acquired a Realistic LAB-330 Turntable.
This is more than likely a dumb question, but can you just replace the needle,
or do you have to replace the cartridge? And if you do have to replace the
cartridge, how would you go about it on this model?

The main reason for asking this question is because I'm not sure if the needle
is worn or not. I read the FAQ for this newsgroup and it didn't give enough
info. How would you be able to tell if it is worn or not? I'm in the process of
backing up my records by recording them on my Apple iMac and then converting
them to iTunes 2 to MP3's and then burning them. A good friend of mine gave me
I believe a good 100 or more records. I want to make sure that the needle isn't
worn. About how long will a needle last? About how many LP's?

I'm sorry for the dumb questions. I have used an older record player but not an
80's model, the older one is an early 70's model. I'd appreciate any help
anyone could provide!

Thanks and God Bless.

 

[Sofie]

Ford 500:
Find a repair shop that still repairs turntables and sells styli..... they
do exist, my shop still does and I know of other shops that still deal with
this stuff..
..... they should be able to inspect the stylus for excessive wear with a
microscope and also advise about your other questions. In addition, they
can verify that the tone arm is balanced and that the tracking force and
anti-skate adjustments are properly set...... improper settings, even with a
good stylus can ruin your records, degrade the sound, and possible ruin your
stylus.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"Ford 500" <ford500@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040505145100.27526.00000937@mb-m11.aol.com...

Hello. About four or five months ago, I acquired a Realistic LAB-330
Turntable.
This is more than likely a dumb question, but can you just replace the
needle,
or do you have to replace the cartridge? And if you do have to replace the
cartridge, how would you go about it on this model?

The main reason for asking this question is because I'm not sure if the
needle
is worn or not. I read the FAQ for this newsgroup and it didn't give
enough
info. How would you be able to tell if it is worn or not? I'm in the
process of
backing up my records by recording them on my Apple iMac and then
converting
them to iTunes 2 to MP3's and then burning them. A good friend of mine
gave me
I believe a good 100 or more records. I want to make sure that the needle
isn't
worn. About how long will a needle last? About how many LP's?

I'm sorry for the dumb questions. I have used an older record player but
not an
80's model, the older one is an early 70's model. I'd appreciate any help
anyone could provide!

Thanks and God Bless.

 

[Jfet]

A microscope?

I used to be a club dj, and the easiest way to tell if the needle is worn is 1st : sound
quality, if it sounds distorted, it is probably worn, you can run your finger lightly
under it, does it feel sharp? 2nd: skipping/skating: a properly setup turntable will not
have the needle skate across the record under normal circumstances. If the needle is
worn, it won't track.

The reason why I ask about the microscope, we are talking about a Realistic turntable
(value=$5 at a garage sale). Not an Oracle on a 2" thick glass base with titanium tone
arm and diamond tipped ultra balanced mm cart ($5000 in 1985!, where the cart is $500
USD!).

You have to find out if your cartridge is moving magnetic, or ceramic. Some real real
cheap TTs used ceramic (offering high output, no need for a phono preamp). while mm carts
require a phono preamp.

Try it out first, you don't need to hook it up to anything, you'll hear music playing from
the needle. If it plays without skipping, you've won half the battle.

Hook it up to a preamp (if required) and see what happens.

I transferred a lot of vinyl into wave format to burn at high quality (12" singles have
decent quality, which providing played back on a good turn table, it will give decent
results. I used a Technics 1200 with a Stanton 890AL.

Hope that helps.

Radio Shack may sell replacements, they have some odd stuff!!
--

"Sofie" <sofie@olypen.com> wrote in message news:109ikpn1e6lk979@corp.supernews.com...

Ford 500:
Find a repair shop that still repairs turntables and sells styli..... they
do exist, my shop still does and I know of other shops that still deal with
this stuff..
..... they should be able to inspect the stylus for excessive wear with a
microscope and also advise about your other questions. In addition, they
can verify that the tone arm is balanced and that the tracking force and
anti-skate adjustments are properly set...... improper settings, even with a
good stylus can ruin your records, degrade the sound, and possible ruin your
stylus.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"Ford 500" <ford500@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040505145100.27526.00000937@mb-m11.aol.com...
Hello. About four or five months ago, I acquired a Realistic LAB-330
Turntable.
This is more than likely a dumb question, but can you just replace the
needle,
or do you have to replace the cartridge? And if you do have to replace the
cartridge, how would you go about it on this model?

The main reason for asking this question is because I'm not sure if the
needle
is worn or not. I read the FAQ for this newsgroup and it didn't give
enough
info. How would you be able to tell if it is worn or not? I'm in the
process of
backing up my records by recording them on my Apple iMac and then
converting
them to iTunes 2 to MP3's and then burning them. A good friend of mine
gave me
I believe a good 100 or more records. I want to make sure that the needle
isn't
worn. About how long will a needle last? About how many LP's?

I'm sorry for the dumb questions. I have used an older record player but
not an
80's model, the older one is an early 70's model. I'd appreciate any help
anyone could provide!

Thanks and God Bless.

 

[John Miller]

Jfet wrote:

A microscope?

The only way. You were a club DJ, and didn't have one of those little
pocket stylus microscopes?

I used to be a club dj, and the easiest way to tell if the needle is worn
is 1st : sound quality, if it sounds distorted, it is probably worn, you
can run your finger lightly under it, does it feel sharp?

If it feels sharp, it's already ruined every record it played for a long
time. A good stylus is nicely rounded (as seen under the microscope); once
the sides get flat spots on them, they're chiseling off vinyl as records
are played. The *only* way to detect this degree of wear is with a
microscope.

2nd: skipping/skating: a properly setup
turntable will not
have the needle skate across the record under normal circumstances. If
the needle is worn, it won't track.

If it's so worn that it won't track, it's even further gone than described
above.

--
John Miller
Email address: domain, n4vu.com; username, jsm

You know you've landed gear-up when it takes full power to taxi.

 

[Ford 500]

Thanks for the responses. Mainly what I want to know is, where would be the
best place to get a needle or cartridge and would I have to replace the
cartridge or could I just replace the needle? About how much would they cost
these days?

Also, what is the simplest way of cleaning old 33's? I don't have any special
cleaner made just for cleaning 33's, but what is the best way of cleaning them
with household items? A lot of the albums I received look as though they have
dirt in the grooves.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tommy