Technics SL-1900 turntable repair & review

[@susansmith6208]

I bought this exact model turntable new 43 years ago, and it has sat idle for the last 30. I decided to fire it up and figure out a way to hook it up to the new sound bar. It had the same stuck-in-raised-position problem, but we followed your instructions to the letter, and it works great! Had to get a pre-amp, though. First album up-The Beatles White Album. Thank you so much for your excellent video!

[@neilmansfield8329]

Love these National Panasonic record players

[@clifftay002]

Hello, this was very helpful in repairing my 1900. I need advice on an issue with my sl-1350. Can you help me with this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpTHmGSBbNh5fM0si=peZz13KTfiM5RWRw

[@Miler97487]

I own an SL-2000 which is basically a non-automatic version of the SL-1900. It looks very similar with some obvious exceptions. I bought mine used in 2011 and I was experiencing similar problems. The turntable platter kept fluctuating, never keeping steady speed. The great thing about the SL-2000 is if you only need to clean the pots, you only need to remove the metal plate on the base to get to the pots. I bought the same CRC electronics cleaner spray, cleaned the pots and switches and it now plays beautifully! I can now listen to my vinyl off this turntable and not worry about the speed suddenly changing on me.

[@donscheuer6776]

Just finished repairing my SL1950 and works like new. Original owner and still have the box from early 70’s. Thanks for the video.

[@LastGenGaming675]

I've had 4 turntables so far , I bought a new music hall and just picked one of these up , serviced , and it sounds FANTASTIC! A BILLION times better than any other turntable I've had

[@my68porsche]

Thank you for this great video! I would have had no idea where to start on diagnosing, much less, repairing my turntable. Your video clearly explained it and I had it back up and playing The White Album in about thirty minutes. Excellent video! Thanks again.

[@garysweeney949]

I’m the original owner of an SL1900 and have been chasing the “end of play return issue” for years. Mine has an extra cam on the spindle, so I held my breath and yanked it off with a pair of needle-nose. You were so correct...the grease had seized up over the years and was like glue. Once I cleaned everything and re-lubed as you directed it works very well! Thanks so much for posting!

[@richardcline1337]

I got VERY lucky in that I found a Technics SL-1D in a thrift store that had the AT cartridge installed. I bought the turntable for the cartridge but got one heck of a surprise when I got it home and all cleaned up. It is now my primary turntable in my system and works flawlessly. My cost? $25 plus tax. It is the only turntable I've found that will work with Grado cartridges without humming! Just proves that sometimes you can get really lucky when browsing thrift stores and people don't know what they are throwing away.

[@tallboyyyy]

Nice turntable. I used to be a DJ and am lucky to own 2 SL1200 MK2's. They are great turntables and are totally built like tanks. Mine I bought from another DJ who bought them from the club he played at when they replaced them after many years. Because they are former club turntables they are "Quartz Modified" which means they have had the quartz lock deactivated to make it easier to beat mix.

[@lcaise]

Sl2000 and 1900 are useless as dj machines!

[@GJYee888]

What a great DIY video. I also have a Technics SL-1900 turntable, which I purchased new in 1977, but have not used it for at least 10 years. I have the exactly the same problem you described in your video and checked with several turntable repair shops in my area. All wanted anywhere from $100-$125 to fix this problem excluding parts, if required. I went on several websites that mention that the lubricant in dampening mechanism is probably frozen and needs to be cleaned, but nothing addressed how to actually fix this problem. Then it dawned on me that I should check KZbin. Eureka! I was able to repair the turntable myself at no cost since I had all the necessary supplies. It works like new now. Thanks for posting this video. You did a great job putting it together and explaining clearly each step required to make this repair.

[@tomservojr]

Thanks for posting this! I grabbed one of these at a yard sale for $10, and my eight-year-old and I followed your steps and got it back up and running just great. Just added a new VM95ML and it sounds fantastic-the kiddo gets my old AT-LP120 now!

[@alkestos]

Ten… dollars… my god, you got lucky 😅

[@DJShoji]

15:29 I totally agree. Those used Technics turntable are really great; easy to maintain, easy to repair, super durable, no-nonsense workhorse. Those can be found in reasonable price range on used market. I found a used Technics turntable (similar to SL-1900, but manual turntable), sitting on a garbage bin a long time ago. I took it home and cleaned it, and it still works great as it should. It sounds great! (I own SL-1200 mk2 too, and I don't found significant difference in terms of sound quality between the two, for listening in living room.)

[@BlueAltaMultimedia]

The SL-1900 is a fantastic reliable turntable. For a fully automatic, it is easy to work on. I love mine and have been able to do repairs, clean up myself, thanks to great videos like this.

[@RGreeneRI]

Bought this exact model on eBay last week based based upon the description of it "working fine but the tone arm won't lower". I followed your instructions and it now works great! Thanks!!

[@JGofBEWA]

In a previous post I stated that my SL-1900 had a motor noise. It only occurred when the stylus touched the record, with an annoying hum that I could only hear with headphones. The original rubber mat had stiffened and excreated the softening agent like an oil between the mat and platter, so I tossed it and replaced with a cork mat because everyone says how great they are. The cork mat was the source of the problem. I tried a rubber mat from another turntable and the hum disappeared. I'm glad I figured it out, I was already searching craigslist and Ebay for another turntable. I've ordered a new rubber mat. Wow saved a lot of money.

[@yunquan1596]

woo new vwestlife video boys! literally the only channel i watch alongside techmoan these days. I hate the overproduced clickbait i get in my recommended feed. i need more channels like these guys!

[@chrysanth.5700]

Yun Quan I also like Techmoan these days. These two both show some interesting pieces of technology. I would also be watching Ashens because he has showcased some interesting things in the past but KZbin cannot handle me subscribing to him.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Me too but there are plenty of others they are just a little harder to find.

[@pmele]

Perfectly laid out. Took out my SL-1900 from 1970's with this same problem. Found this video, easy to follow. Thanks for taking he time 4 years ago to go back and make this video!

[@socksumi]

Best bang for the buck turntable back when it was new. I have the 1900 catalogued as $180 US in 1978. To get a fully automatic direct Drive with the specs and performance of the 1900 was amazing value in 1978. By 1978 standards the SL1900 build quality was decent but by today's standards it's quite excellent especially when you see the puerile garbage being sold at an entry level price point.

[@coreyfellows9420]

Im trying to learn as much about the repair and restoration process that I can. A rare phenomenon is among us where we all want "vintage" audio equipment. The problem is, no one knows how to work on it and longer. Thank God for people like this cat.

[@mikepokorny2835]

Thank you mate. I broke my Pro ject DB3 (accidently ripped the cables in the tonearm out after I wanted to change the cart). Wanted to buy a Technics SL1210 MK5. I wasn't aware that Panasonic had other tt's beside the 1200 and 1210 family. Bought a brand new SL-3210 for 200 bugs quit. It's direct drive as well and it also has a automatic tonearm return. You, sir, saved me like 1300 bugs. Subscribed!

[@shoemanque]

My father in law gave me this turntable recently. Tone arm raise/lower was sticking on mine too. KZbin search and what do u know not even a minute in and my problem had a solution. Thnx

[@alcapriotti6879]

Just bought one of these with the manuals and box for $25. It needed a cleaning and had this problem too. Thanks to your video it's all working now.

[@MichaelB2021]

Thanks for that video. I got this turntable "for less" this week with the lifter problem. I fixed it as you shown and now it works fine. Great turntable! My 2 years old TEAC is now taking early retirement, because this grandpa sound much better.

[@RobotPorter]

Glad you called out Vinyl Eyezz on new vs. old equipment. He was completely wrong there.

[@mariovsquez]

seems like the stumbled on vinyl and decided "hey, i can get sponsors to pay me and people to send me free music if i upload videos"

[@scrunts666]

Vinyl Eyez is (at this point in time) a moron and needs to listen to people who actually know what they are talking about.

[@jamesallen5591]

Yeah, he is a moron, but there are a lot of morons out there, so he has a market.

[@willcavanagh2391]

cavstersean 😂😂😂

[@JurassicTrance]

He just seems like one of those guys you can’t trust. He’s got that look. He speaks in that way. I’ve never even heard him mention Technics once.

[@blaineclark9794]

Just bought an SL-1950 for $18, senior discount and all, at the local Badwill store. Could not get it to function but found your tutorial and all is well! I'll be dumping my manual Kenwood KD turntable. Thanks for posting!

[@MacPhantom]

Yay, VWestlife finally has a decent turntable! I've been waiting for this day for quite some time. I happen to have the same unit (although I'll sell it soon as I now use a bigger brother in my main system). Some remarks: - the SL-1900 was indeed the second-lowest direct drive TT at the time (1977-78), but as you said a very good one. Shows what Technics is about. If somebody wants to enter the world of vinyl and doesn't mind tinkering a little bit as you did, the SL-1900 is a model I could definitely recommend. Other great choices: SL-Q2/3/33, SL-QX300 and of course all big ones (SL-1100 to 1800), although those cost quite a bit more. - your unit was manufactured on January 31, 1978 (serial number) - you can adjust the height of the tonearm lift when in the "up" position: press down the lift bank and turn the flathead screw inside the lift post. - likewise, if the stylus is not set down correctly at the beginning of the LP, or lifts up too early when reaching the end, there's two dedicated screws near the tonearm base allowing you to adjust that. - your strobe looks spot-on indeed as it should. Note that these old neon bulbs were not temperature-stabilized; as you use the turntable for a longer time the strobe thus may start to move slightly. If the strobe happens to fluctuate too much, there's two potentiometers for each speed inside the turntable which need to be cleaned. - the AT-95 cartridge is a mixed bag, as it has heavy variations in sound quality from unit to unit. Some may sound decent, others are terrible. If you are not satisfied, try out the Technics EPC-270C-II (which is the original cartridge to this deck). Sounds quite nice if you fit a good replacement stylus. An EPC-207C or greater would be even better, but also more expensive.

[@gitit20x2]

I got a used Dual 1242 with a stuck start lever (easy fix) and came with a like-new Grado f3+ it sounds amazing

[@aphexteknol]

Great video VWestlife. I still own a Technics SL-D3 (features quartz lock I believe?) which was a hand me down within my family, and its served me well for over a decade now. These older Technics are a fantastic bargain (especially some of the lesser known models) especially ones with the classic direct drive motor. I really had no idea the classic Technics units had superior specs to a modern $1000+ turntable however, I find that rather ironic. Anyone looking for affordable high quality playback of their LPs should hunt one of these down ASAP as they aren't getting any easier to find with each passing year I would imagine...

[@maineboy1979]

The D3 only has a regular FG servo for speed control (you had to buy its more expensive brother, the Q3, if you wanted quartz) but it's an excellent turntable just the same, and the speed should be absolutely rock solid as long as the electrical contacts are clean. :)

[@aphexteknol]

My apologies, not sure why I remembered it having quart lock then. I agree however; most any of the direct drive models would be a great turntable for anyone's "HiFi" setup... Appreciate the info. :)

[@alm3333]

BMRR is that you? It's almabes...

[@rrmcmurry]

Co-worker let me borrow an old SL-1900 out of their garage and it seemed to have the same problem of the cueing lever doing absolutely nothing to lower the tone arm due to old caked on grease. I just repaired it. Thank you so much for the video!

[@turntablesrockmyworld9315]

Thanks, I'm glad people are now posting relatively unedited videos on what they are doing. I am still learning and have 3 Technics to try and fix, not to mention a few others. One thing I thought I would mention is that lube is generally designed for rotatings things, and bearings, and grease is gneerally designed for things that slide. I am unsure if grease was the best option here as opposed to lube as from my perspective it will gum up again. Would be interested in hearing some thoughts on this. Trying to learn!

[@TheRailroad99]

I have repaired an old telefunken full automatic turntable from the 1960s a few months ago. These are built like tanks (all steel parts inside) but they have the same grease problem (a lot worse, the automatic switch wasnt even turning). But after repair... This is a AWESOME turntable. They are built completely mechanical without sensors whatsoever, like a clockwork inside. was very hard to repair because it also had no documentation in the internet. But the day of work was completely worth it, it plays very nice now (even if it needs a new stylus / tone cartridge and better isolated cables(the old cables on it generate lots of noise if they cross a 240V cable)) and it looks awesome. Edit: it was a Telefunken W215 i think (or another W... model. But looked exactly like a W215)

[@shifter3479]

I have an old SL1900 that that we've owned since the late 70s. It wouldn't lift the tone arm. Thank to your help I was able to fix it. The isopropyl didn't wasn't working, so I put some WD40 on a Qtip and it works. Thanks for your video

[@An_average_drummer]

2 years ago I got this turntable for Christmas. Best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten! It’s still my main turntable to this day!

[@Therockandroll1991]

Interesting to see the inside of another Technics Automatic Turntable, as I'm the only person I know who owns one and also had to repair the automatic start mechanism. With that, I should mention to use caution around the tone arm stop device (the thing that looks kind of like a set of stairs, I don't know the proper name), as there's a plastic tab that can break, resulting in a malfunction when using auto start (read: pull start lever, arm travels all the way to center). My SL-1301 was suffering from that issue for about 10 years before I was able to finally figure that out. :/

[@generalleefanatic]

Great video! I bought the exact same TT on Craigslist for $50 6 years ago and wanted to see how hard it was to disassemble after reading a forum post that said it was complicated. Looks pretty simple and straightforward. Thanks!!!

[@FK-zx1gc]

Had the exact same issue. Put in model # on KZbin & your video was the first to pop up! I love getting into projects like this. Thank you for the step by step video!

[@pcallas66]

I have a Pioneer PL-L800 linear tracking turntable from 1981 with a good Ortofon cartridge that sounds really good. Your turntable would definitely be audiophile approved. Somebody did a comparison between the ATLP120 and a Technics 1200 with the same exact cartridge and I couldn't believe that I could hear a clear difference between the two decks. The Technics sounded much cleaner and more detailed. It opened my eyes even more.

[@emo_panda]

16:35 I couldn't agree more. I had an Audio Technica ATLP120 for a while as my main turntable, but I really wanted something automatic instead. Yeah, I could go out and spend $100-$300 on a new automatic turntable, and I'm sure it would be perfectly fine, but I decided to look for vintage, and I actually found a Pioneer PL-8 at my local record shop that's fully automatic and quartz-locked direct drive, and I managed to just pay $35 for it as it needed some cleaning and repair, and now it plays perfectly!

[@Voyager_2]

I work for a local fab-lab and 2 months ago a guy walked in with a Technics Sl-D3 and asked if we had any use for it. So I called dibs on it. The plexiglass cleaned up very nice with some brass polish. It looks a lot like yours, a bit more eighties. Sounds very nice to.

[@mythodea2285]

I can only say, THANK YOU! I bought a Technics sl-d5 and I was worried about the sound quality. As you mentioned, old record players have even better performance over a new one, so I'm absolutely glad of buying my big dinosaur for my record collection.

[@robertmattison1282]

WOW! what a video. I have watch a lot of DIY video on electronic's, your video just move into #1 from audio, camera work and video quality. Did you prepare a shot list before shooting the video. The lighting was excellent. You voice was excellent. Perhaps you could do more DIY TURNTABLE that are worth buy broken that can be repair by a DIY person as there are fewer and fewer electronic repair center and many don't what to touch vintage stuff. How sad, the old turn table or vintage are better then the new USB turntables. Again my thanks for taking the time to make and up load this video on KZbin. I am now a fan.

[@marcokortekaas6819]

Thank you very much you have helped us tremendously! We bought this record player at a garage sale on our holiday. But obviously was not working like it should. After watching your video it does again.

[@mikestackhouse9001]

Good video my friend. I have the SL-2000 which is completely manual and my cueing has degraded. I was going to take it in for service but now I know how to fix it myself. Tonearm assembly is the same. Thanks!

[@billvinyl7394]

Thank you for posting this video. Just bought a Technics SL 1900 today at a yard sale and it has the same tonearm issue. Going to be watching this several times while I fix it!

[@Vintageelectronics2296]

Hi I bought two technics sl1900 turntables from Ebay and both had the same thing wrong as you showed in this video I have worked on televisions and vcr's for 40 years but not turntables till now because of this video i was able to fix both of them thank you for sharing this repair with us it really help me also I love your channel.

[@selwynandrews9665]

Another great video. Just looking at the construction of the turntable while it was open - typical Technics, nicely thought-out and well-engineered, even at lower down the range.

[@OronOfMontreal]

The platter of the SL1900 was an actual part of the motor, with the permanent magnets afixed to its underside. Great design.

[@RoaroftheTiger]

Prior to working for Technics, during the Late '70's. I worked in many "hi-end" Hi-Fi shops in both New York City and L.A. This series were proper turntables , only surpassed by the legendary SL-1200. Enjoy your SL-1900

[@byeck63]

Great video. Well done. I've fixed two SL-1900s previously using this technique and it works well. This model is well worth fixing. Must thank Joel Thorner for his personal help in phoning me to explain how to do it. He was a turntable-servicing legend.

[@harunal-muhajir5555]

I know that the turntables in the 1xxx series generally have the same motors as the 1200, but for some reason always assumed the 1900 did not. Neat to see the disassembly.

[@dahoo-needledrop]

1600mk2, 1700mk2, 1800mk2 shares the same motor as 1200mk2, not others.

[@JimboTheJim]

Love these frequent uploads!

[@Kryptopex]

ThinkStrong hi early guy

[@JimboTheJim]

Notification Squad am I right?

[@Kryptopex]

ThinkStrong yeah. Im actualy first!

[@JimboTheJim]

Well done dude!

[@johanvaneisenstadt6850]

Wow great achievement Indeed my friend, I wish I was the first viewer, but sadly, I am not. hey, at least I might be the first viewer from Gothenburg, Sweden! I bet no one else here is from there.

[@daytriprrr2533]

I followed your step by step instructions on mine. The only thing I might add is to also grease the two support rods that lift and lower the tone arm. I needed to do this in addition to your awesome guidance to make my turntable operate properly. Thanks for a fantastic video!

[@Godshole]

UPDATE. 1st item. I got carried away cleaning the up/down bits on my deck. As well as the bush and plastic bit you cleaned at 5:18 there is a post with a spring and a circlip (in the still pic at 5:18). It is just above and slightly right of the Qtip end. This is the 'oil filled damper' that also causes the arm to take a week to settle onto the record. If you remove the circlip, the spring, and then pull the damper in and out while qtipping it with ISA you can clean all the gunk out of that too. By flushing out all the gunk it makes the tone arm ENTIRELY controlled by it's lever. THIS MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU WANT. It does make it drop the arm very quickly in auto onto the record and I plan to take the whole thing apart again and drip a tiny bit of thin oil onto it to try get it to damp a bit again. Although, just having a run of it just now it seems sedate enough, although I have knocked the drop point for 12 inch a bit katty whompus so I need to go back to that. It now drops too far away from the center by a gnats bollock so does not engage the record but crashes the needle. Bugger! 2nd item. I can't remember where in the video you comment that the lifter bar (13:40)( the black plastic curved arm that lifts the arm up and down ) is set really high because the model used to multi stack records. You can adjust this to your taste. Headshell off, tone arm lever down and tone arm locked in place, then you can gently press the curved arm down on its spring, press a finger each side of the middle where there is a tiny black slotted screw. This screw has a hex head and when you press the black plastic curved bit down it releases the head of the screw from the moulded hex socket in the curved arm. You can then screw the black slotted screw, while keeping the curved arm held down... down ( to make the arm lower, or up ( to make it higher. When you let go of the curved arm you might have to slightly turn the slot screw to get it to lock into the moulded hex socket in the curved arm but once set, no more sky high headshells for you!

[@Godshole]

Great bit of kit this. Thanks for giving me the confidence to tackle the gunky drop issue. I've only just got my vinyl out of storage and recently managed to score a pair of Wharfedale Glendale ABR's, with the passive radiator (and a pair of Mission bookshelf speakers) for 30 UK pounds at the local auction house. Sound so sweet it made me cry.

[@maineboy1979]

I really like those late '70s Technics DD turntables. Even though the 1900 was the entry-level model in their lineup, it handily beats many other turntables past and present. I'm also very fond of the D2/D3 and Q2/Q3 which came three or four years later. If you ever find yourself wanting a fully automatic direct drive turntable that can play 78s, check out radiotvphononut's video on how to add 78 RPM to a Technics D1. The same mod can be applied to the D2 (semi automatic) and the D3 (fully automatic).

[@VinylRescue]

Great price for what you got. It's hard to get a used Technics direct drive for that kind of price, period. Been trying to get one cheap on Goodwill's online auction, but they raise out of my price range too fast. Many people have commented to get a used vintage turntable as they have great specs and can be refurbished to become a great turntable again. Recently I did get a Pioneer PL-7 direct drive and did a refurb job on it. It turned out great and now it's hooked up to my 5.1 surround in my living room through my Cambridge Audio 551P preamp. It was well worth the $68 I spent on it including shipping. I only had to spend $20 to replace the RCA cable and now it rocks!

[@WaybackTECH]

vintage is always better than new in my book. I'd take this over anything new. Very nice TT and looks well built on the inside. The base seems a little too springy though but i'm sure it's not like the Pyle TT I had. At least these, the weight is from real metal components, and actual care into it's build quality vs putting a heavy sheet of steel in the base like that AT of yours had. Modern TT companies, with perhaps the exception of Technics new TT's don't know how a real TT is suppose to be made. They make it look fancy, charge the price of a car for one, and people think it is the best.

[@jogmas12]

WaybackTECH you know nothing about turntables with such ignorant statements. Nothing wrong with modern turntables

[@traceysheneman8652]

SL-1900 is a quality turntable. Just be aware of the mass of the tonearm interacting with the compliance of the phono cartridge/stylus compliance. I installed a new hyper elliptical stylus in mine and I experienced tracking issues and skipping/jumping of the stylus in the record groove, without regard to the applied tracking force. I believe a medium-to-low compliance cartridge with a standard elliptical stylus would be a safe combination, at a tracking force of 1.5 to 2.5 grams. YMMV

[@TheMrMarkW]

Just managed to pick up a second hand SL-1900 - an ex BBC one no less, too. It needed quite a bit of work doing. Your video was helpful to do the lifter. But I also used lithium grease elsewhere in the table wherever I saw the dark grey grease. I also replaced the audio out cable which was past it’s best and a bit grainy and replaced with a decent OFC cable. It came with an Ortofon VMS30e but I had to source a replacement stylus, I also have an AT95E with an Ortofon head-shell along with a Technics head shell with a Pickering XV-15 D625E. I also use a Pro-ject phono preamp. The sound from this turntable is excellent. Very precise. The main tweaks I’ve had to do are (apart from a complete strip and degrease and clean) to adjust the start/stop areas and use Contact cleaner (deoxit) on the tonearm connector, the speed adjusters and I even oiled the turntable. I also managed to replace all 4 feet (three had fallen off due to rubber perishing) by fitting the M8 grommets from an SL-1210 and then fitting SL1210 feet. Oh - a tip. If you clean the tonearm with brasso and it shines, sometimes the anti-skate will pull your arm off the record when it starts. I’ve managed to dull a tiny bit the part of the arm that sits on the lifter so it’s a bit safer :)

[@NicholasT-f9n]

Very informative video ! These vintage turntables have such superior parts compared to what's mfg'd today.

[@Jakukaful]

Thanks for doing this video. I picked up the same unit which had the same issue. Your video saved me a lot of frustration. Excellent tutorial all around. Works like a champ now.

[@hsano6294]

I have this turntable I bought new in the late-70s. The last time I took it out of its box, it had this very tonearm problem. When I have time (maybe when I retire), I'll repair the tonearm with your instructions. I problem I always had with this turntable is the legs don't isolate vibrations very well. I never did figure out a good way to reduce skipping other than walking softly.

[@ltdees2362]

LOL...the only TT I ever purchased new...1974...I still have and use...my Pioneer PL-15R...I have four other TT's I found at thrift stores and garage sales. My "drop-dead" best garage find was a Technics SL-1200-MK2 matte black from around 1979, they were asking $20 bucks, short story...the gentleman let me have it after I purchased all his albums (they belonged to his dad) about 60 I think it was, $1 each. The Technics was in the original box/packing with all the accessories and manuals. It belonged to this guys dad, he had never seen it or had any recollection of it ever being used... I did not give him a chance to change his mind or think about what he was giving away, passed him three 20's and was thanking myself for being at the right place at the right time. Only after getting home did I realize I had stumbled on to a never-used old stock Technics SL-1200-Mk2...😎

[@cuppadan]

I have the SL-1950 and had to do exactly the same thing to make it work again. Great video on how to take it apart. Wish I had see this when I got mine. I had to figure all of this out myself. However I would do it all over again because as you said this thing has better performance than most new turntables today except maybe for the new $2000 Technics 1200's.Thank you for posting this.Maybe next you can show how to fix the dampening of the arm. My drops like a rock.

[@FifoF]

18:22 to be AUDIOPHILE APPROVED!!!

[@stephenk6958]

I own this turntable, it hasn't given me problems over the past few years. I'm running it on an Ortofon 2m red. Sounds great!

[@DVaEtc]

3:00 With his fast unscrewing abilities, VWestlife was able unscrew 5x faster than the average youtuber!

[@alexf7377]

Took a while, but I knew you'd arrive at classic Technics turntables one day.

[@christophelonguepe8323]

Thank you for that from France. My old sl 1900 (1977) works now perfectly. Great video! 😁

[@mapp4751]

what a great looking tt hard to believe it is forty years old! i would snatch that up in a heartbeat! nice job!

[@rx7fbforum]

Great video. thank you for taking the time to film and post it.

[@clarkesuperman]

Your videos are all so good man, doesn’t matter when they came out. Bravo.

[@alphabeets]

Excellent video. I've owned this turntable since the late 70s. I believe you should use oil to lubricate the arm lifting mechanism. The lithium grease seems to make the arm drop too slowly. I remember reading something in its advertising about an oil damped mechanism. So I'd recommend oil instead of the grease. The spring feet are to absorb vibrations from nearby speakers and footsteps etc so that they don't get picked up by the cartridge and amplified.

[@tacticsinquestion]

He only mentioned greasing the bushing and return spring arm. You would be correct about using oil on the actual arm lifting spring assembly.

[@matthewrichards88]

fantastic vwestlife. a fantastic turntable. yes these audiophile people like the high wow and flutter as it gives the music life and character.... :) great upload as always. Matt UK

[@soothsayer2406]

Great video....while you were in there...can you also show relubing the anti-skate mechanism which has been Grease glued and also the main arm mechanism which revolves around a 40 year old grease seized up brass pin......

[@QoraxAudio]

The music hall specs you showed us are amazing! In a negative way of course. I started out with a pair of basic Reloop RP-2000 MK3 over a decade ago (about 120 euros/piece back then) and it also had 0.15% wow/flutter.

[@Clell65619]

You should really look into magnetizing at least one of your screw drivers. That makes life so much easier. Excellent video, as usual.

[@mandalorian23]

My parents have this same record player, I remember playing records on it when I was younger, I always tell them they need to update, so that I can have it, but they always tell me there is no need because it still works great. The fight goes on.

[@joselacera8716]

sir thank you for this great instructions can you please show us how to hook up the wires on the cartridge if blue goes with red or how that goes on the SL- 1900 thank you again.

[@OronOfMontreal]

When I was a teen my family bought the SL1900 with a pair of Avid 101 tower speakers and a 50 WpC JVC receiver with built-in 5 band equalizer. My Elton John and Genesis records shook the entire house and bothered the neighbours!

[@callesandlund1204]

Thanks for the video! I have just bought this turntable and the tonearm works. But I'm saving it for future reference.

[@lego40404]

I have this turntable from the day it came out and in recent years has had numerous tweaks and repairs. It has finally stopped staying in pitch. After a resistor check which all were good I did change a few caps(bad esr values) and then all cap were changed when I had all in stock. It just stopped spinning, it lights up though. I checked to make sure all caps were correct, polarized were in correct position and NP caps were replaced correctly. I sent turntable to a place my friend recommended(He has known and has repaired his SL-1200's for years) and they couldnt repair and they didnt charge. I may look for a donor to try and get it back up and running

[@dell177]

I bought one of these back in the late 80's for very short money. I modified it a few years ago so now it plays 33, 45 and 78 rpm records.

[@nickytothenines]

THANKS! I got this same turntable for free and it has this problem. I stumbled across this vid while looking for some info for a different turntable. Bitchin! I will be fixing it tomorrow and putting a new shell and cartridge in.

[@HansJazz]

Great video. I found a Techincs SL D3 at the city dump a while ago. Same tone arm problem. Some cleaning an new grease solved the problem. New stylus and speed adjustment but otherwise in perfect shape. I use it with a Saba MI 212 and a pair Philips 431 speakers which turnes out to be a perfect match. Total set price? €55 including the new stylus. Also have a Yamaha YP D71 that was given to me by the dad of my son's girlfriend. Fantastic turntable as well. So, it is worth it to look after the old stuff instead of paying a fortune for new.

[@kurdtabe]

Thanks for posting this tutorial, you just saved me a trip to the repair shop. Had exactly this issue, surprisingly easy fix.

[@LellePrinter82]

I have a SL-1900 that I got for at least a half year ago, it works perfectly fine. When I found it, the lid was damaged so I threw it in the garbage. And I didn't realize that I forgot to remove the hinges until it was too late. I have a lid from SL-B2 that fits but the hinges doesn't fit. Finding hinges is very hard to find. I've could reuse the hinges to a similar lid. It sucks to not have the original hinges and lid.

[@gregoryclift2439]

great video! I got this turntable for $125 and it was malfunctioning in this manner. Your suggestions/tips were instrumental in me fixing the issue. Next stop, new stylus. thx

[@mergenbeen]

Damn, wished I searched for this video earlier, finally my SL 1900 is back in working order. Thank you very much!!!

[@tomtruss6312]

This video shows exactly what I need to do . . . the arm never drops down to play a record (I have to push the black support with my fingers and hold it while the record is playing) I am looking forward to fixing it ! THANKS !

[@michaelshakke]

Hey man, thanks to this video and the links that you provided I could actually fix the issue that I had on this turntable. You are a saviour, keep up with your videos !

[@thomasrainbow]

That was fascinating to watch. You seem very knowledgable and a cool person with an awesome voice. Great editing as well. Thank you.

[@wildbilltexas]

Nice restoration job. I would have given all the control pots a good cleaning too while you had it open. A dirty pitch control pot was a problem on my Technics SL-D2 turntable.

[@oliverlotus]

Great video as always. I can't believe how complicated these Japanese '80s turntables were. My Pro-Ject Carbon SB is like a knife and fork by comparison!! Having said that, I must get round to 'restoring' the Garrard Zero 100 SB I have in the loft!!

[@mschildgen863]

THANK YOU for making this vid. If i had this knowledge or confidence years ago i would have this exact deck today. I had to force the tonearm down and i also convinced myself automatic players were not what you should have. Sadly i didnt know what i had. At that time i didn't even realize you could take these apart. I didn't even realize i had one of the better turntables you could get. I was also getting divorced and moving and in a selling frenzy and i think i let it go for $90.... i have already been looking for one for a couple years and passed up one with this cueing fault. Not any more!

[@ParagonVideo]

I was able to repair my SL-1900 exactly as you described. Thank you! Also there is an adjustment screw in the lifter that will adjust the height that the lifter raises the arm.

[@Notacet]

Have to thank you personally! Got a used unit as a present and it had the excact same flaw. Very clear instructions. I didn’t have lithium crease so I used a few drops of bike oil. Hope it’s not dangerous😬

[@redcomusic]

Very similar to the SL-3110 I grew up with. Closest thing in the market to this right now is the Pioneer PL-990 that you also reviewed, which I have as well.

[@traceysheneman8652]

Good table. I had tracking issues in mine after I installed a new hyper elliptical stylus. Maybe a resonance issue due to mismatch between cartridge compliance and tonearm mass.

[@Hamboarding]

I like that you can adjust the vinyl size and the rpm independently. I use a 70s Garrard turntable which also has an automatic mode but it can't do 45rpm 12", 45rpm 10" nor 33 1/2rpm 7" disks. I have some 45rpm 12" ones so I have to use the manual mode.

[@neilmansfield8329]

This is a great record player. I got a good National Panasonic technics CD player.Had it since new and still good

[@stereophonicstuff]

The issue of the AT-LP120's speed fluctuations can most likely be attributed to a warped platter. It's something of an epidemic with many old and new AT-LP120 turntables. The only solution is contacting Audio Technica for a replacement platter, despite some people's just having spent over $200 on a brand new turntable!. Albeit the speed and pitch variations that a warped platter can cause are slight, and usually unnoticed by causal listeners, they are there--not at all a good thing if you have plans of transferring vinyl to another medium and want the best quality and accuracy.

[@richardmorgan1588]

I’ve owned several Technics turntables over the years. I think I may have even owned this model at one time. All three of my current models are Technics! Even their cheapest models were excellent! I don’t think they ever made junk. I’ve had a handful of decks from other manufacturers and they were fine but nothing impressed me more than Technics Direct Drive!