How to fix a dodgy connection on your turntables cartridge.

This is a video showing you one way to eliminate a dodgy crackle or buzzing from the cartage on a turntable.
This should solve a problem that a lot of people seem to be having, including me.
this look quite brutal but Im only using slight pressure when polishing the contacts, also I recommend firmly holding the tone arm in place while you do this and never apply to much pressure, you could damage the tone-arm. I didnt do this in the video because my arm would have blocked the view of the camera.
Information.
The type of polish to use is just general purpose metal polish, but not spry polishes (because most are silicone based and leave behind a horrible sticky residue). In the video I mentioned not to use spray polishes like brasso, I didnt mean dont use brasso just dont use brasso spry polish.
When polishing the contacts its a good idea to hold the tone-arm still with your other hand so you dont damage it (I didnt do this in the video just so it didnt obstruct the view but you should)
If you do not have any rubbing alcohol you can use CD cleaner because its about 70% alcohol.
Warnings.
When using alcohol to clean the contacts dont literally use alcohol that you drink like vodka or whisky, yes it is alcohol but its got sugar, syrup and other stuff in it thats not going to be very good for the contacts or your cartage.
Once you have cleaned the contacts with alcohol and need to polish make sure all of the alcohol has evaporated before using the polish, the alcohol reacts with some polishes and you end up with a horrible foamy mess.

[@miraOFFICIALable]

Where would we be without you. The man who has saved all my turntable worries.

[@strictlybusiness]

the one and only. to this day.

[@jpkaal842]

Yep, I had lost my whole left channel which was just buzzing. Had swapped cartridges, plugged and unplugged several times. Finally getting desperate, I hit the connections with the alcohol and quetip after watching this vid, and it comes right back on. Amazing how something so basic as a little corrosion can ruin your vibes. Thanks so much for this vid!

[@kobalt77]

James.................. I think I have just "fixed one of my turntables by doing this. The sound has only been coming out of one speaker on and off ............. I thought it was knackered................ done the cleaning with alcohol thing, and now its seems to be working fine .............................. Thank you so much mate. This is the 2nd time you have saved my bacon ...................... Please keep up the good work my friend :)

[@viperfrank]

hi there Jeffery, think you so much for letting me know about the misspelled title i didn't realize, thats the problem I'm dyslexic so i cant spell well and i kind of rely on spell checkers. thats the problem i have. thanks again for that and all the positive feed back. nice one!!!

[@marxerm]

just what i was looking for. the comical garnished were a bonus. cheers mate!

[@WBLKMUSIC]

Big thanks viperfrank!!! Thanks for taking the time to do this

[@Ninja_Gaijin]

Free advice for all DJs - DO NOT lick your bloody cartridges. Take your isopropyl to the club and CLEAN the tonearm AND your cart connectors. Then it works. Licking just puts some moisture on it which conducts the signal through your spit. As soon as it dries out it won't work again and will be more dirty/corroded/oxidised. Same goes for blowing into Nintendo cartridges - you were just spitting on it, making it 10x less likely to work next time. For nintendo cartridges - white eraser works best (just need 5-10 minutes elbow grease) Awesome you spoke about this - makes me sick seeing DJs spit on their carts lol.

[@viperfrank]

@thezerouser That's great, it's good to here that my videos are helping. Thank you for your comment. Nice One ; )

[@bcardoza]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I thought I was in need of new cartridge. You just saved me an unneeded expertise. I owe you a beer if you ever make it out to San Diego.

[@viperfrank]

@zirtico HI there, thank you for your comment. as long as it has no really harsh chemicals in it you should be fine, i dont think its going to have any dangerous chemicals in it otherwise it would be an industrial product and it would say not for domestic use, if it dont say that it should be fine. hope this has helped you and thanks again for your comment. nice one!!!

[@kidinme8]

This guy is the best...He knows Technics for Technics! thanks for all your vids brother...

[@jamesbennett9406]

thank you man i was seriously was gonna take my dek apart myn was only coming through left channel this has made my night thanks bro

[@daryllparkerjr5369]

I was having issues with my player reading my control vinyl used alcohol to clean the tonearm and it works now. Thank you!

[@ivorysamoan]

Cheers bro, been a noob and hadn't cleaned mine forever.. red lining on Serato; now perfect - great advice.

[@viperfrank]

@DeliverLikeUPSTrucks hi there, sorry for the late reply, a few people have asked me about this, ill might hopefully have a video up about this very soon in the mean time try spraying a little WD40 in the end and just wiggling the pin gently with a tooth pick. hope this helped and thank you for your comment. nice one!!!

[@JimKile]

Thanks for the tips! My turntable is quite different (Luxman), but the way you cleaned yours gave me a few ideas on how to clean mine. I have been fighting issues with the left channel for a very long time. Instead of Isopropyl alcohol, I used a little DeoxIT on a swab and that seems to have worked. We’ll see - it can be finicky. Thanks again!

[@viperfrank]

@tiernan1 Thank you, I'm glad the video was of some use. Thanks for your comment. Nice One ; )

[@jesseboy303]

holy shit! this fucking works! i thought my tonearm might be busted...so i said what hell swab some alcohol on the contacts and now it works fine. Thanks a million!!!

[@zokroth]

Man ur the best. I had trouble finding rubbing alcohol in a pharmacy but I went to hardware store and bought some isopropanol for about 4 quid. Fixed the problem I was having where left channel wasn't putting out audio properly. ❤

[@Jimppin]

This actually worked mate, You still be helping blokes out an decade later lmao.

[@scottdouglas5567]

Love your sense of humour - Just like me

[@thezerouser]

Thank you! I had terrible problem with the left and right signal balance. Now everything's ok.

[@wanmomusic]

Bro you have taught me sooo much. Thanks for sharing

[@viperfrank]

@Audioquest56 Hi there, yeah it should be OK, but I would only use small amount because I'm not sure how sarong it is, but its apparently its safe for plastics so it cant be that strong. hope this helped and thank you for your comment. nice one!!!

[@zxxzmjjjiik6986]

Thank you for the vids Just bought a 1200 thought I'd been sold a lemon. Watched your video, a bit of meths and a cotton bud later... sweet! sounds good. Gunna do some of the other things you show how to as well. Much appreciated

[@carlushi]

Helped a lot!! Thank you so much for this video.

[@MrMargaretScratcher]

The eraser off the end of a pencil is perfect to get in to the end of the tonearm, and fits perfectly into one of the slots of a headshell case

[@formlessaudio3367]

Great tip! Worked a charm! Thanks!

[@vvlad1989]

you're funny man, love the content, keep it up

[@djephexx]

OMG you are awesome! I needed this!

[@viperfrank]

no problem, I'm glad the video was useful to you. thank you for your comment.

[@phoenixwasted]

Awesome advice, just thought I would add while doing this to check that the cartridge has no movement to it, if so tighten the grub screw directly behind and underneath the the connector.

[@viperfrank]

thank you im glad this helped. nice one!!!

[@sgtgrash]

Firstly James, I congratulate you on your videos, they are informative and you are a good communicator and also very methodical. A previous comment mentions Caig De-Oxit. I would highly recommend the product for this particular job because you can do away with the rubbing alcohol step when using De-Oxit as it not only cleans, but it degreases too. It also coats the contacts with a substance that improves the connection and continues to protect the contacts for many months.

[@cassconner6023]

Thanks! I purchased some to clean my volume knobs and was wondering if it would work in this situation.

[@sgtgrash]

@@cassconner6023 Holy Moly was this really 7 years ago??? 😷😉🖖😷

[@oovalen]

top man!!! ....still worried by the tash but your building confidence....

[@MujagaWudakhi]

Great stuff man!! Ill try that when i come home...

[@MujagaWudakhi]

Great stuff!!! Ill do that as soon as i come home!!

[@dannygroov3663]

Thanks mate! Worked for me!

[@DJCeeX2010]

Thanks for the advice dude! Now, what kind of polish is good for this? Thanks again!

[@tom7676]

I have licked so many carts in my lifetime 😂😂😂😂

[@mikkelbreiler8916]

I quite like the kitchen. Don't know about any other video recording setup he has - this is my first time watching him.

[@djmadwax]

Godsend - thanks for putting this up brother

[@laroi888]

I had trouble with 3 Technics SL- 1200MK2 turntables that had been sitting in storage for about 10 years with no cartridges on them. They were very dirty. I followed the instructions from this video. I even had to use polish on the contacts. A little Wrights Silver polish worked great. I now have 2 of them passing balanced signals and spinning nicely. The 3rd turntable will need the arm replaced. I will see if you have a video for that task, since this first cleaning job went so great.

[@weenz6153]

You are a legend

[@EthanWood757]

Definitely going to give this a try. I thought it was my rca leads but if I wiggle them the sound is steady. Yet if I tap (gently of course) the end by the time arm the sound comes back

[@simonakapaddy]

i love the ending mate

[@1Luup]

Damn !!! You're the best !!!Thank you SO MUCH !!!

[@monkey025]

you solved my problem mate! thx a lot!!!

[@viperfrank]

thank mate, there is a place near me called T.K.MAXX, and its just like jumble store they just sell loads of different stuff, cloths, furniture, shoes stuff like that, i think it was only like £10. thanks for your comment sorry for taking a wile to reply. nice one!!!

[@sonboogie]

"bits of fluff and stuff" 😂 you crack this yank up

[@viperfrank]

@Vegi71 thank you, I'm glad you like the videos, I will try to do some more soon, I have just been working so much lately I haven't had time. so thanks again for for your comment. nice one!!!

[@marvinmalcolm4688]

Solved it for me - Nice one!!

[@steveidxp]

You rule. I got a bunch of gunk out of mine...thanks again.

[@adson2311]

thanks very much for this, very helpful, just tried it and the connection of both tonearms has dramatically improved. one has totally been fixed, for the other one there is an improvement however still the left channel signal is stronger than the right channel signal, but i guess it is somewhat acceptable. however - i stupidly used too much polish and now have some residue sticking in between the pins. the q-tips dont get there so i cant wipe it off. any ideas what to do? or does it not matter if it stays there, i guess it will just dry?

[@ThePosingPensioner111]

Just bought a deck off E-bay with problems so will try your invaluable advice tomorrow because the tonearm & deck are dirty & neglected. Will try this & report back, many thanks for the post ATB Steve.

[@viperfrank]

great, I'm glad you found the video useful, and good luck. thank you for your comment.

[@deepwhatever]

Hi m8, just want to thank you for this vid, it helped me a lot and probably saved me some money, because the right channel on my turntable was dead and I was ready to send it for repair. I've stopped using it for almost 2 years and I suspect that was the problem. I've cleaned the end of the tonearm as u said and the turntable is working fine again. I only have one question, can you tell me if I can buy the polish on ebay or if I can find a similar product in stores. Thank you again m8

[@truccato]

ace video again mate. been doing spit for years : )

[@clyth41]

Great video mate .. Cheers

[@viperfrank]

no worries.glad you found the video useful. thank you for your comment.

[@adamlangley6033]

thanks for the help ,again cheers!

[@pinomarino8917]

Q-Tip is a common brand of cotton swabs. It’s like referring to a vacuum as a Hoover or a tissue as Kleenex.

[@tiernan1]

tremendously helpful!!

[@artandmusic4u]

may i know what polish you are using? I can't find any polish cream that doesnt leave any protective coat back on the metal (most say invisible protective layer- which is most likely wax?)

[@MohamadAlRifai]

Hello sir, First off thank for all the videos you have made, you have helped me with my technics to my time-code set up so thank you. I am having trouble with one of my techincs, the right side doesn't work. I have got a multi meter and i have checked the connection from the connectors to rca, rca to board, board to connectors and board to board and they all seem to have a connection. I have cleaned the connectors too and still nothing. So what do you think? should i change the tone arm? or is there something i have missed? Thanks you again :)

[@3ck]

thank you,master!

[@DJHRtv]

This video helped alot, only problem I'm having is that I'm not getting any signal from one of my tables, it appears to be that 2 of the pins in the tip of the tonearm have been pushed back somehow, is there a way that can be fixed or do I have to replace the tonearm?

[@janaerice1981]

Hey, I have a ortofon s120 needle cartridge, and there is some gooey stuff sorda coming out of the back of them. Should I use this method to clean them? Could the gooey stuff be coming from the tonearm?

[@deanyEBoySavage87]

hiya, i'm having trouble with the tonearm itself, it twists like its got a tiny bit of play in it. are there screws somewhere to tighten it up ?

[@Greenjah81]

Very nice! Big up.

[@bearded_wolverine3503]

I notcied a small thudding sound coming from the right channel of my 1200 mk2, I lightly wiggled the cart and itbwent away, so im guessing i may need to clean the contacts, ill give this a go. Thanks!

[@JEJFL]

Saved my day

[@retroceptphototech1864]

Thanks love 😍

[@eipi5173]

Good tips! thxs

[@tristanbruckheim7069]

Hello there. I've been watching your videos and enjoying them very much. My problem is: I have a Stanton T.92 which is supposed to come with a built in preamp. For the past 2 years I never thought of grounding and it never gave me any problems until last week when the hum started. It's low though. I assume it is the 60Hz. I replaced the RCAs, switched from phono to line as someone suggested which according to Stanton I should not do. Learned that later. Also grounded. All to no avail. Also plugged the amp, cd player and turntable into a power strip. Sometimes the hum goes away for 15/20 minutes, then it comes back. I am now totally lost. Any suggestion? Keep it up, great videos. Cheers.

[@HiddenDriveways]

Nice video! I needed this. Does anyone know of a good metal polish for this job that is sold in the United States? I'm aware of the expensive boutique lubes that they sell at Guitar Center, but I'd much rather use something from my local hardware store. I'm going to try to find Autosol and Brasso in a minute.

[@dannyboy6114]

I have a problem with my record player could you please help. I have to turn my amp on full to get a normal level of sound and when I put my arm back in its rest at the end of using it the speakers make a loud popping noise could it be a loose wire in the arm.

[@ibrokemykeyboard]

Thanks man. Thought some alcohol might do the trick. Appreciate the video.

[@MrIzo56]

hahaha at the cat xD Well done James, very helpful indeed. Thanks.

[@DJTURBOTECH]

Can you use that clear gloss nail polish

[@bartk174]

Viperfrank i replaced the to rca original spare ones however the bass is not deep It sounds empty Any tips ? All connections are clean and proper solderd

[@maciejdabrowski303]

hey, i have met the weird problem. One of the 4 pins inside the tonearm has been pushed in, and it does not spring out back. How the heck solve it? To mention, it is pushed so far i can't grab it even by tweezers :/

[@MichelaPalladino]

Hey, thanks so much for this. One question: this worked on one of the turntables, on the other turntable however, it didn't, and inside the tone arm, one of the four copper connection points looks a bit ... dark-ish. What should I do? Go to a shop and have it replaced? Or is there anything I can do myself?

[@cjohndesign]

Mine is still darkish as well... lame. Did you end up replacing the tonearm?

[@tonyclifton6116]

Hi there great video, I have a question I have some minor corrosion crust build up on the tip of my tonearm what's the best way to remove it should I use rubbing alcohol or metal polish cream?

[@deejaysnag1152]

Try a little electronic contact cleaner spray

[@ElectoneGuy]

What about using Caig DeOxit to do the cleaning?

[@Casketkrusher_]

I have also a problem sometimes when I play a record my right speaker doesn't make sound, and If I record them to my PC I sometimes have the same problem then the right channel is no volume, whats this?

[@TruMusicLighting]

I use a dremel tool & cut the q-tip swabs & insert them in the dremel tool. I use the lowest speed on it thou.

[@etiopPajeczno]

I was little afraid of damaged it but I put screwdriver into head of the arm and the spring jump out. It was risky, but new tonearm isn't cheap so... :)

[@Zutko]

Hi there. I have a huge problem with my Vestax PDX 2000 decks. Everything is connected the way it should be, but i still get the huming sound from them. That is when i don´t put the needle on the record. Ass soon as i play record it´s gone ( i don´t hear it on my headphones ). I have not tryed it on the speakers yet. What can be wrong ? Any idea ? It´s like the grounding sound, even if all GND cables are connected... I am lost. HELP !!

[@djvlader]

now clean the whole turntable my friend

[@DeliverLikeUPSTrucks]

can you help me please!! PLEASE!! I cant find any video on youtube to explain how to fix a stuck pin in the arm or a 1200 technic, The bottom left one is stuck and doesnt have good contact with my stylus needles. How can I fix this?? Please help.

[@hyperbladegaming172]

thanks bro ;)

[@viperfrank]

hi there, sure its called "autosol metal polish" as a mechanic i use this stuff a lot. its good stuff if you can't get that you can get "brasso" the non spray one that stuff is good as well. nice one!!

[@floatinga4930]

ive got an issue with the cartridge not staying in the tonearm. It just wont screw into the port

[@JefferyHunt]

Very helpful. But it might be hard for some to find it because you misspelled cartridge in the Title. I'd like you to get as many views as possible sir.

[@alanpartridge6943]

The end where it screws onto cartridge seems to be full of corrosion, can isprar wd40 on it, would that help, I mean the actual scew itself

[@deejayluke]

@freindsareforever1 you could try check all the connections between the turntable, mixer, amp and speakers

[@etiopPajeczno]

Hi. I had a problem with balance (sound only in the right side). I've removed cartridge and noticed that one of this gold pin is pushed to the ground and is significally lower than other pins. Cleaning with alcohol doesn't work. Do you know if there is a way to pull out that pin or fix it diffrently? Should I replace whole tonearm? Thanks! :)

[@mariona.5047]

Tbh just use really thin pliers to pull it out

[@bengiarraputo9357]

One of the most popular turntables in the world. The 1200. Frustrating that I cannot find a video that shows how to remove the headshell locking nut to check the wire connections to the pins. Ten thousand other videos on here, not one showing the most important thing.

[@izzzzzz6]

The one flaw of the 1200/1210. Oh, and they could have made indestructible lids. Not that anyone uses them but it would be nice to have them. Oh, and shit tracklamps, change for LED because the 24V lamps always blow.

[@childshood]

A guy at the Guitar Center told me you could just use an erase to twirl around in the tone arm (gently), anyone know anything about this?

[@Hardbody94]

Hey viper I got a question! My technics when connected to the stereo are only playing from one of my speakers. The other speaker is pretty much humming / static, are the RCAs bad??

[@Hardbody94]

@viperfrank

[@PedroSilva-pr2ef]

+coney island lurker fault finding should always proceed from easy to hard steps... 1- is your balance knob set to the centre? 2- try swapping the RCA leads from the turntable around. This will at least identify/confirm the issue is within the turntable and not after it.

[@machiasman]

I'm dealing with the same thing. Figure anything out?