Record players – a guide for newcomers

The forums frequently get asked for advice on record players, often from new
members with a new-found interest in the subject. Of course, the forums are happy to
help and encourage in order to keep the interest in vintage technology alive for future
generations.

However, a number of basic points often need airing in forum threads and these are
touched upon herein. The subject is wide and complex and to cover everything would
result in a very large book, so this writing is intended only as a relatively brief
introductory guide supplementing the website and forums. The deliberate intention is
to cover all-electric machines only, meaning acoustic (wind-up) gramophones and
acoustic gramophones with an electric pickup are excluded, as are radiograms.

As a foreword before we reach the main part of this guide, record deck component
terminology often causes problems for members new to this aspect of vintage
equipment. The deck illustrated below has it’s component names shown and/or makes
the purpose of each component clear. The deck shown is a BSR UA14 but the layout
of fairly typical of autochangers regardless of make. Some decks may vary in layout,
for example some had the Overarm mounted on the left, whilst certain Collaro decks
lacked the Size Detector, but the illustration is adequate for general reference.

Dansette
This is perhaps a good point at which to clear up a common myth concerning
Dansette record players.

Dansette was just one of many brands but, for one reason or another, many people
nowadays erroneously believe “Dansette” is simply another word for “record player”.
This is akin to the way people tend to call any vacuum cleaner a “Hoover” or any
rigid plastic from a bygone age “Bakelite”. Another often seen statement is “Dansette
style”, which is misleading considering most record players of a given era followed
similar general styling. Does “Hoover style Electrolux” make sense? No it doesn’t, so
neither does “Dansette style record player”.

Dansette’s record players, more than any of their other products, currently command
relatively high prices. This is for one reason only – nostalgia. Dansette was, in its day,
a brand which was reasonably affordable and was therefore attractive to the younger
generation who wanted the latest Beatles, Rolling Stones etc records. A couple of
generations on, people are now reliving those nostalgic days and hence the
aforementioned current high prices for Dansette machines. Note the use herein of
“Current” and “Currently”; as with all antique and collectable items, prices can and do
fluctuate over time.

Dansette products were, in the main, technically ‘average’. This means they weren’t
top of the range, as it were, but nor were they total rubbish. Probably 5 out of a score
of 1 – 10 would be a fair rating. Nevertheless, Dansette products perhaps had one
further edge over their competitors, this being that many were attractively styled and
with bright colour schemes – red being a popular colour, even today.

Fidelity

Fidelity was another brand more or less concurrent with the heyday of Dansette, also
relatively cheap and aimed at a similar market. Still common today, Fidelity record
players haven’t captured the nostalgia market in the same way as Dansette yet they
were of equal, if not slightly better, quality. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that
Fidelity didn’t style (many of) their offerings in such a contemporary way as Dansette
did. They could be described as ‘functional-looking’ or, in a few cases, decidedly
‘antiquated’, even for their time.

Philips/Stella

Unless these brands (Stella were essentially rebadged Philips offerings) sport decks
such as BSR or Garrard, avoid them. This is especially applicable to the ‘Disc Jockey’
series. These used the infamous AG3016 rocking pickup headshell with two adjacent
styli. When discovered today, the cartridge (which is integral with the headshell) is
usually a failure. They can still, just, be replaced, but with a modern equivalent which
is now rather expensive – currently £35 - £40.

The Disc Jockey came in several variants, both single play and autochanger. The
single play version, in particular, can be notoriously awkward to set up for correct –
or even acceptable - operation. So unless you enjoy quirks, a challenge, or both, avoid
these Philips/Stella machines.
 El Cheapo machines – general

These are too numerous to mention more than one or two specific makes/models but,
broadly, this category embraces the small ‘Attache case’, ‘Vanity case’ or ‘Suitcase’
machines.

Often these have a flimsy cabinet, sometimes even made of Rexine-covered stiff card
(sometimes even printed paper was used), a single play deck as crude as you could
imagine and a ghastly little loudspeaker which is only fit for getting rid of unwanted
visitors on a Sunday afternoon quickly. The Regentone Handygram springs to mind
here, to give one example, although for all its shortcomings it is quite nicely styled.

Possible advantages of this type of record player, in trying to think of some, are the
convenience of storage once the unwanted visitors have gone and their light weight.

Cautiously, one possible exception (just) is the little Fidelity HF42 model. This has a
tone control (mercifully), a rigid plastic cabinet which is easy to clean and has no
grille cloth to get damaged. If attracted to one of these, beware of the tonearm though
as it’s very fragile. The HF42 is among the best of the worst – possibly.

Better quality machines

Like the el cheapo models, there is also a wide range of the better quality offerings
too numerous to mention beyond a few examples.

‘Better quality’ means a good, sturdy cabinet, a decent (for products aimed at the
masses) deck such as a Garrard, a good amplifier, a decent sized loudspeaker and
comprehensive controls (separate Bass and Treble, for example). There might also be
provision for stereo reproduction via an external, add on, ‘speaker/amplifier unit
which, it should be mentioned, are not too easy to obtain nowadays.

A few recommended machines which fall into this general category are the Bush SRP
series, the Pye Black Box range (with integral multiple loudspeakers) and the Hacker
range. The latter, however, tend to be heavy, quite bulky and rather severe-looking
but it’s a matter of personal taste.

Add-on record players

These are not to be confused with ‘conventional’ record players or the add on
‘speaker/amp units mentioned in the previous section.

The “add-on record player” was literally what the name implies – a device to play
records via a suitably equiped radio receiver and using the latter’s amplifier and
loudspeaker. This is the purpose of the ‘Gram’ position on, usually but not always, the
wavechange switch of many valved radio receivers. As will now be clear, this type of
record player contains no amplifier and loudspeaker of its own. The whole ensemble
was often known as “the poor man’s radiogram”.

Unfortunately the forums have had occasional members new to record players who
have, in all innocence, obtained one of these add-on machines only to later realise
his/her purchase is useless on its own. Usually, if not always, these ‘add-ons’ are on a
par with the el cheapo machines outlined earlier, although much simpler due to the
lack of integral amplifying equipment. Often for 78RPM records only in the case of
earlier examples, none of these machines (add-on or otherwise) are recommended for
playing cherished or valuable records on and certainly not stereo records. More on
stereo later.

A point of historical interest concerns the fairly common ‘Plus-a-Gram’ brand of add-
on record player. These were the product of Messrs. J & A Margolin, a firm which
later became better known as ‘Dansette’.

Cartridges and styli

For those new to record players, terminology is often a stumbling block. The cartridge
is the device fitted into the headshell (of the tonearm or ‘pickup’) which converts
mechanical movements from the record track into electrical signals for the amplifier
to do its duty with. The stylus is attached to the cartridge (types and fittings vary
widely) and is the actual device which contacts with the record track (groove).

For the purposes of the types of record player with which this document is concerned,
there are three types of cartridge; crystal, ceramic and magnetic. The latter, however
can be discounted herein as it broadly applies to more modern and/or supposedly
high-end equipment. The crystal cartridge is now all-but obsolete and is also the most
troublesome nowadays. Briefly, the crystals themselves are prone to dampness, which
over time causes the crystals to go soft and ultimately turn into a treacle-like mess.
This is usually the fate of the Philips AG3016 mentioned earlier.

A very small selection of common cartridges follows. Relevant text, in italics, is

Above is illustrated the infamous Philips AG3016 head. On the left can be seen the
letters M (for Microgroove) and N (for Normal, ie 78RPM). On the right is the
underside view showing, amongst the goo, the styli mounted side by side.
Unfortunately many old record players which turn up these days have spent some
considerable time stored away in lofts, sheds and garages. This means they’ve been
exposed to extremes of temperature and, often, dampness – the worst case scenario as
far as crystal cartridges and other components are concerned. More on other
components later in the ‘Acquiring a record player’ section.

The usual course of action regarding failed crystal cartridges is to replace them with
ceramic types. Often this is the still-available BSR SC12M/H of SX6 types, although
some ingenuity may be required in order to fit them.

Older records were almost invariably mono, later ones and most – if not all – of those
available today are stereo. There exists a common misconception that any old
cartridge and stylus is fine for playing any record. Not so. A mono record may be
played on any machine using a stylus. For stereo records a stereo cartridge and stylus
must be used, or a so-called ‘stereo compatible’ cartridge and stylus.

Be aware that just because a record player is fitted with a stereo cartridge and stylus
(or stereo compatible), it does not mean the output of the player is stereo. In perhaps
99% of cases the output is mono.

On cartridge/styli (note the plural of ‘stylus’ is ‘styli’ and not ‘stylii’ as is often
amusingly quoted) there are commonly two types and these are largely tied up with
the mono and stereo/stereo compatible differences. One type is the ‘turnover’
cartridge with which the entire cartridge turns through 180deg to select the 78RPM
stylus on one side, or the microgroove (16/33/45RPM) stylus on the other side. The
turnover operation is via a small knob on the front of the tonearm and this type of
cartridge is almost always, but not exclusively, mono. They are now less easy to
replace although a few presumed ‘repro’ examples exist.

The other main cartridge is the fixed position type which makes use of a turnover
stylus. These styli have an arm which projects from the underside of the headshell and
are flipped over to select the required stylus. Many of these are marked ‘ST’, for
example ‘ST12’, ‘ST15’ and so forth; the letters denoting Stereo.

A few other oddities exist but, for the purposes of keeping this as brief as possible,
they will not be included here. A small few older cartridges are illustrated below,
most of which are nowadays unlikely to be in good working order.
 The top picture shows an older BSR X3M crystal cartridge minus stylus, whilst the
bottom picture shows a later BSR X5H type. Both have their mounting brackets
present. Both are now obsolete although the X5 types frequently turn up fitted to old
record players; some may remain just about in reasonable condition but most are
now either failed or failing.

Note the ‘turnover’, or ‘flip over’ stylus, the BSR ST8. ‘ST’ denotes Stereo, although
the cartridge is actually Mono. This is an example of what ‘Stereo Compatible’
means. Note, too, the ‘78’ marking. As the unit is illustrated from the underside, the
LPS stylus is actually the one positioned for use.
 The above two pictures show another commonly found type of cartridge, the TC8
ceramic type. The top picture shows the mono variant, with mounting bracket minus
the turnover knob. The bottom picture shows a stereo version. Note the three pins,
that in the centre being ‘common ground’.

Visible on the stereo cartridge is an arrow with some markings beside it. There are
two sets of those, conveniently indicating which stylus to fit on which side. The two
outer pins are marked for Left or Right channels. Although ceramic, these cartridges
can no longer be relied upon.

As already touched upon, common replacements are now the BSR SC12M (Medium
output), SC12H (High output) and the SX6 types which, in appearance, resemble the
older X5 series. As also already touched upon, a small number of turnover cartridges
can still be obtained. An internet search will show the sources. A word of warning
when buying cartridges, especially if using an SC12 to replace something else. Make
sure the mounting bracket comes with it, or the cartridge will be useless.
One final point concerning cartridges. If a cartridge is replaced with a non original
type, as is often the case nowadays, bear in mind tracking weight (pressure of stylus
on record) may need adjusting. The height, ie the degree of lift during the auto-cycle,
of the tonearm may also need adjustment.

As with all relevant aspects, help and advice is available in the forums if need be.

Stereophonic record players

As will be gathered from the previous section, true ‘stereo’ (to use the common
abbreviated name) record players are quite rare. Some, such as the Pye Black Box,
have multiple loudspeakers but can only be described as ‘pseudo stereo’ at best. The
rather weird Pye Achoic 1005 and its 3807 export version is one of the very few
models which can be described as ‘stereo’ in the true sense of the term. Others, such
as the Bush SRP series mentioned earlier, become stereo once their add-on
amplifier/loudspeaker units are attached.

In more recent years came what is known as the ‘Stereogram’, the offerings of
HMV/Marconiphone (EMI) being about the most common. By and large they’re good
units but, being built in similar styles to radiograms, they’re more like pieces of
furniture and thus are not portable and so are less popular. That said, if you want
something stereo and more modern, plus you have the space, they can be picked up
very cheaply if not free.

Beyond those points, it is not intended to elaborate on stereograms and radiograms

Valved or Transistorised

Both types are common. Vintage technology enthusiasts prefer valved equipment for
a number of reasons. If, however, you just want a working record player then the type
probably doesn’t matter to you.

Transistorised machines are probably the better option for non technical people. This
is because they are low voltage beyond the mains transformer, deck motor excepted,
and would likely require less electronic component replacement when compared to a
valved machine.

Battery or mains/battery machines will be transistorised and one area in which these
differ from mains-only machines is the deck motor, which will be a DC ‘can’ type and
usually rated at 9V.

Acquiring a record player

It is possible to acquire restored record players, at a price, either online via the likes of
eBay or via one of a very few specialist dealers who may have their own websites as
well as trading via eBay etc.
As mentioned in the Cartridge section earlier however, most old record players which
turn up nowadays have spent years laid aside out of use and probably stored in less
than ideal conditions. This will likely mean a new mains flex is required (Ideally
modern double-insulated flex, with a 3A (Max) fuse in the mains plug), some internal
rewiring, component (usually capacitors) replacement and
cleaning/degreasing/relubrication of the deck mechanism – especially the ‘trip pawl’
on autochangers.

The Vintage Audio forum section contains some excellent threads concerning the
aforementioned grease problem, trip pawls and so forth. Virtually all old record
players which have been subjected to long periods of disuse and/or lack of
maintenance suffer the grease problem. Newcomers should therefore be prepared to
deal with the problem, which will entail full or partial strip-down of the deck - a
process which initially can appear quite daunting.

Rubber turntable mats are prone to perishing and good, original replacements are no
longer easy to come by.

Idler wheels can also cause problems. At this point it might be an idea to point out
that the vast majority of vintage record players use idler wheels to transmit drive from
motor to turntable. Many newcomers assume there will be a drivebelt – not so insofar
as vintage machines are concerned. The idler wheel (AKA ‘Jockey’ wheel) also acts
as a ‘clutch and gearbox’ to engage/disengage the drive and to change speed. The
mechanism for these purposes is prone to seizure and also the mounting grommets for
the motor can and do perish – causing the motor to drop and correct speeds becoming
impossible to select. Other idler wheel problems are failure to drive the turntable due
to slipping and damage to its rim caused by the mechanism being left idle but ‘in
gear’.

On that latter point note that most speed change selectors do not have an ‘Off’ or ‘0’
position. So when stored out of use ensure the ‘Off’ position is selected on the
‘Start/Manual/Auto’ control. Autochangers and most single-play decks automatically
shut off at the end of play in any case.
 Above is a typical idler wheel. Many of those by BSR and Garrard are similar in
appearance but are not interchangeable. Other types can be found according to age
and make of deck but, again, that shown is typical (unless it’s a Philips).

Check the deck Transit Screws, there’ll be at least two of them. One is marked on the
deck illustration near the beginning of this guide. When the machine is in use, these
screws should be screwed in so the deck floats on its suspension. Otherwise if the
machine is being transported or stored in a non horizontal position, the screws should
be out (that’s screwed out to their maximum extent, not physically removed) to enable
the deck to be secured. Check for this when you acquire your record player as failure
to set the Transit Screws correctly can cause damage and/or failure of the deck to
operate correctly.

As with almost anything, you need to consider why the record player was taken out of
use and stored away in that flooded air raid shelter down the garden in the first place.
Perhaps the cartridge failed, perhaps it developed another fault or faults. Others have
been taken out of use because, for some mysterious reason, the owner decided to put
all his/her music collection onto those CD things and then dumped his/her vinyl
records onto the doorstep of a charity shop during the dead of night.

The latter means, of course, that there was actually nothing wrong with the record
player when it was put into storage. As is touched upon elsewhere however,
remember that age, periods of disuse and unideal storage conditions cause faults to
develop. If obtaining an old record player with an unknown history, it’s best to
assume work will need doing – regardless of whatever yarn the vendor tells you.

This conveniently brings us to the next section.

Safety reminder

We are all keen to simply plug in our latest acquisition in order to see what goes bang,
but this is a bad idea. There is a risk of damage to the equipment as well as risks of
electric shock, fire and explosions – yes, that does say “explosions”.

Our website contains much information on safety issues, via links on the Homepage
and also in numerous forum threads which can be searched using appropriate
keywords. It is therefore not proposed to repeat this information here, but just because
this Safety section has come last does not mean it’s of minor importance.

That said, what is worth repeating here is the warning about equipment designed to
operate from AC or DC mains. In the case of record players certain faults, or arguably
poor design especially in the case of the el cheapo machines, can result in pickup
wiring and/or the entire deck becoming live. Again, this is well covered in our website
and its forums and the site owner, moderators and membership take no responsibility
for any accidents or injuries caused. A disclaimer to that effect is on view at the
bottom of the Homepage.

…..and finally
As said at the beginning, this article is intended as a mere introductory guide to the
very basics of record players. To that end we hope it has proved useful. As has
already been said, our website and its forums contain much information on various
brands, components, faults, repairs and restorations. The Vintage Audio section of the
forums is the one that’s specific to record player repairs and advice. Within that
section can also be found information on the value of radiograms as well as a list of
cartridge and stylus suppliers.

In addition to all the above, information on specific makes and models is available, as
is the same for specific makes and models of record deck.

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