• Mose metal case with ventilation

• Pre-installed Genuine Hercules II 33/45

• High quality 1.52 Meter or  5 feet  multi-core remote control cable .

• 7mm thick aluminum front panel

• Furutech AC mains socket cost

• “Starter” AC cable, able to be upgraded later

• Detailed instructions

Please note that shipping time can sometimes take as long as 10 to 14 business days.

More details here.

If you are attempting to service the bearing well on a Thorens in the14X or 16X line, and the drive platter will not lift out, you need to remove the bottom of the turntable (just four screws, one at each foot) and then find the clip next to the bearing well that is pictured above.   Fully unscrew the screw which also holds a ground wire in place.  Keep track of the screw.  Next, gently pry the clip so it moves in the slots you see pictured at each side.  That movement of the clip in the direction away from the bearing well, will release the platter so it can be serviced.  Reverse the procedure when finished.

NOT AN ENDORSEMENT! AVOID THIS COMPANY. At the end of December, I ordered some nice quality headshell leads.  After some very confusing telephone conversations, I finally received my package, but it was not what I ordered. They were extremely inferior leads, not as advertised.  The representative asked me to send a picture of what I got, which I did immediately.  Knowing that pictures sometimes have trouble getting through, I also sent an e-mail telling them I had sent the pictures.  Days passed. Weeks passed. No word from the company.  Finally, a couple of days ago, I decided to leave negative feedback for Hollywood DJs on several of the feedback sites they themselves promote.  Lo and behold, today I received an e-mail looking into the case!  After a whole month has expired, they are now telling me they cannot deliver the product I originally ordered.  For all this hassle, and lack of attention, they insult me by only offering a refund, nothing else.  Hollywood DJs is obviously a company that only looks out after itself, not its customers. Avoid them, and spread the word.

There are many commercially available cartridge alignment protractors.  However, for the average person, purchase of an expensive protractor is unnecessary.  You can get your alignment very very close with a protractor you print for free on your printer.  The best resource I know of for free protractors is here in the Tool Section of Vinyl Engine.

For those with Iphones or Androids, you won’t want to miss this very cool app.  Using your smartphone’s GPS, it will lickety-split give you a list of all indie vinyl record stores in your area!   Touch that store, and you immediately get a map and, if any have been entered, “Shouts” about the store.   (Disclosure: I have only used the Android version.)  Click the link above to find out more.

The photo actually misrepresents my tip of the week, but I couldn’t resist using it once I saw it.  Many of you in restoring your own turntables may be faced with sticky residue from adhesives left on metal surfaces.  (For example, someone having used a glue to adhere a dust bug to a Thorens metal plate.)  I have found WD-40 to the best at removing that residue.  It takes some elbow grease, but with a clean cotton cloth and judicious use of WD-40, you can remove many types of adhesive residue without harming the surface.  As residue is transferred to the cloth, keep turning the cloth to a clean area.  As always, be careful to keep the WD-40 off of the surfaces of the pulley and drive platter.   And, always test in a small inconspicuous area, if possible.

As you can imagine, shipping vintage turntables is not for the faint of heart.  I have been doing it now for over 10 years.  My practices have gradually changed over time, hopefully all improvements, but one thing that hasn’t changed is I continue to use only FedEx for shipment of my complete turntables.  I don’t know how competitive their prices are, and I really don’t care, what matters is my packages get to where they’re supposed to be in the same condition they left my shop.  That’s been true for 10 solid years. It is also nice to see, via their new commercials, that they are moving towards much greener modes of transportation.

If you have never set-up a phono cartridge before, this guide is a good place to start:  A Beginner’s Guide to Cartridge Set-up by Andrew Chasin.

Not exactly audio-related, but I cannot praise highly enough what this little label printer has done for my shop and my shipping.  It is the Brother QL-570 and is available widely for less than $60.  It plugs into the USB plug of your computer, and it comes with very easy-to-use software.  I have used it for labeling everything in my shop.  It was quick and easy.  Additionally, I use the labeler daily for shipping.  It is recognized by both Paypal and eBay shipping interfaces, and before you know it, you have a self-sticking mailing label printed.  I ESPECIALLY love that you do not have to pay for INK; it operates through “thermal printing”…whatever that is!  I recently discovered you do NOT have to buy Brother labels for it; there are generics that use the Brother plastic roller.  Also, their customer service is outstanding…I had a problem with my first labeler, and it was promptly replaced.

For years, I have been urging buyers of my turntables to purchase one of these handy devices.  Instead of “balancing out” your tonearm” this simply designed Shure SFG-2 Tracking Force Gauge is a more straightforward way to set tracking force.  To me, it takes all of the guesswork out of the process.  Some folks promote digital scales of all sorts, but I still love this simple gauge. For under $30, it’s a stocking stuffer for any analog lover.