The Once Over for a Vintage Turntable: Pioneer PL-530

[@mrturtleturtle7878]

Thank you for this video! We recently found a pioneer pl 530 in storage from an older relative. Once I can get around to it, I’m hoping it works, and if not I’ll have to see what I can do. Thanks for the video, I’m sure it’ll be helpful when working on this turntable!

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

There's a good thread on Audiokarma.org that addresses the disassembly of the PL-530 (specifically to replace the veneer).

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

You are the king of bookshelf speakers

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I'm the king of speakers I can find for cheap! 😎🤣

[@todddonaldson2822]

Impressive work! Digging the format of this video as well. Interesting mix of music and cool transition.

[@robertbernardini1536]

Picked up a nice PL - 600 for my stepson & a PL - 400 for me. I like mine.

[@gregbates2844]

The style and pace of your videos are perfect. I could watch these for hours. :)

[@johnfloy]

I bought one of these pl-530s at a church garage sale for $5! They didn't know what they had. Got it home, and it works perfect. The auto return doesn't return all the way but other than that, you can't beat it for $5. I did replace the cart with an ortofon om2 red, sounding great and tracks awesome.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I've read that your auto-return issue has a simple fix: replace a piece of rotten foam. I don't know how easy it is to get to. The PL-530 is notoriously difficult to work on.

[@magnoliatom1300]

Nice score! Looks and sounds great

[@ceylonmooney]

such a cool table. i been window shopping the 570 and 630 for a very long time. man i dug the egg hunt.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I have the PL-630. I love it, but I've had a hard time keeping it running as it should. I'm bracing for the job of taking it apart for a third time. Despite the difficulty, I love it. It's suspension system and mass make it insensitive to external vibrations (e.g., speaker on same surface as TT = no problem), and it delivers superb sound. I think the 570 is the comparable table in the earlier line (but be careful: Pioneer re-used that model number in the 80's).

[@ceylonmooney]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi ugh. that sounds uncharacteristically high maintenance for a decent pioneer. VTA adjustment is a nice feature on a higher quality table. i think both the 630 and 600 have it, right? yes, the 570 is its antecedant. in fact, the 600 and 630 are the next gen counterparts to the 530 and 570, respectively. well, the BPC 570 is...BPC, and its everywhere on the used market. man!

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Yes, the 630 and 600 have VTA. And I made the mistake once if buying a BPC 570 before I was aware of the distinction. I still need to get around to lightly servicing it and selling it.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

@@ceylonmooney Still I love the table. You can knock-knock, hard, on the plinth, with little effect on the sound from the speakers. It's built like a tank.

[@ceylonmooney]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi thats very good. my pl-520 resonated like an acoustic guitar, so i stuffed it with plasti-clay. i dont recall the brand. you can still knock knock it, but its so much less resonant than before.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

I just picked up a really clean PL-530 at an estate sale for $240. It’s complete and all original, with Pickering V-15 cart. It too has some small stress cracks at the hinges, so I’m going to try wicking some methylene chloride into them before I polish the rest of the dust cover.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Oo! Please let me know how that goes! I've been considering the same thing, but that stuff is so easy to screw up.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi I'll let you know. I have some experience with chemical welding of acrylic, from my years in the sign and rapid prototyping jobs, but it's been a while.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Did you get that done yet? Just curious how it went.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi Nope, it's still my "next" project. I'm currently working on a Kenwood KD-5077 for a customer.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

My PL-530 recently developed speed variation issues, so it's on the shelf now. I did get some syringes, but I'm worried they might not be fine enough. I got them to get oil into a tight place on a cassette deck. Getting the oil to go through the needle was difficult but possible. I'm worried it might be too fat for putting solvent/cement into hairline cracks.

[@soatinformes8691]

HUNT ,METALLICA AND XTC !!!! YEAHHHHHH !!!

[@canadiankrispybacon]

Vintage is where it’s at! The quality of those builds were second to none… really nice find. Pro-tip, rubber cleaning fluid and paper towel..not a good mix 😃

[@dustyturntable]

Great video, makes me want to work on mine! Those Hartley's are pretty rare? Love my Zodiac 78's.

[@geedaddy45]

That dust cover turned out well! Can't even see those cracks you spoke about. What did you use to clean the dust cover? I need to clean the dust cover on my PL-720 so it can look as good as yours! Thanx!

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Meguiar's PlastX. It's marketed for headlights.

[@johnkendrick7304]

I found a pretty decent place for belts because I was having the same problem as yourself and a place dynamic lamps on the internet cheap prices but quality products

[@dianapatrick519]

I just bought one at a garage sale for $80 it’s in excellent condition ( no cracks on dust cover, vinyl in great condition) it’s missing the head shell. Any recommendations

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Buckle up! It's known as one of the most difficult turntables to work on. Mine crapped out, and I haven't gotten to working on it yet.

[@g.fortin3228]

I would have proceeded to just wipe off the word STOP and pretend it wasn't there. still cleaning my pl-518 metal .. found the little fiberglass cleaner pen and it seems to work ok. I wish Pioneer had clearcoated the aluminum.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

🤣🤣🤣

[@CraigLafferty]

The 530 is my daily driver. I have 3 turntables, but there would be more if I had the space.

[@lesleyaraujo2284]

We have a PL-530 that I’m trying to set up for my husbands birthday (it was his grandfathers) but I’m not sure what speakers / amp is compatible? Any suggestions? I’m brand new to this.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Nearly infinite options exist! But a similar vintage Pioneer receiver would be an awesome complement to the PL-530. The SX-450 would be a nice, modestly priced option. You've got a million speaker options. For a nice East Cost sound, you might find some Boston A-100's or 150's or anything EPI. I'm not expert on the West Coast sound. JBL tops the list there, but they've made so many different speakers, it's bewildering.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

I'm really enjoying your videos. I own a record store in Tulsa and often buy, restore, and resell turntables. I'm wise enough to know my limitations, as to time, space and abilities. A table which I recently picked up, a PL-630, while being in remarkable cosmetic condition, has been sitting in a neighbor's closet for 30 years. I've read the DIY on Audiokarma and there is no way I'd be comfortable doing that much work to it. I heard you mention you're daily driver is a PL-630. Do you perform service on these for other people?

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I've done a little repair work for others, and I've done the service on my PL-630. I've actually opened it up a couple of times. After the first time, i was still getting occasional, momentary speed drops, so I went in for another round of DeoxIT and replaced the suspension boots while I had it open. I'm still getting occasional malfunctions, where the tonearm doesn't move after I hit start. So far I can always get it to work after some button pushing and moving the arm manually once or twice. I might be willing to service yours, but I'd want to temper your expectations. It's a lot of fiddly work. Getting the optical plate just right is hellish. And it might not be perfect after the work. For me, it's still such a nice TT, the best of the several that I have now, and I bought it with my dad when I was in high school (in FYV, Ark., BTW) back in the 80's.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I get you, though. Most turntables are super simple compared to the PL-630.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi Thanks, I'll keep you in mind. There's a guy in Lubbock Texas who has successfully rebuilt several of these, and I'm hoping he'll get back to me sometime about doing mine. Its a long drive, but it's comparatively near to me here.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Did you ever find someone to service that PL-630? I was back in FYV over the summer. I thought of swinging through Tulsa and would've looked up your shop, but my old friend in Tulsa was away, so I just took the fastest route.

[@TheAgeOfAnalog]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi I found a guy, but I’d have to ship it to him and I haven’t wanted to spend the money. I just had a minty Dual 1219 CLAd by Bill at FixMyDual and I’m loving it.

[@EddieJazzFan]

Is this considered better than the 560? (the one with the speed meter)

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

The 560 was later and seems to have been a slightly less deluxe version of the 630: quartz, separate motor for the tonearm, but not the full suspension and mass of the 630. The step up from the 530 was the 570. I like the look of the 530 and 570 over the 560. Nothing beats the 630, though. I've had my 630 since the 80's, and I'll die with that one.

[@EddieJazzFan]

@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi I bought a 560 about a year ago for $100. Functions OK, but bad cosmetics. Sounds great to me, but not as good as my Technics 1200. Thanks for the info!

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

It's hard to beat a 1200, from what I hear!

[@MrsDior2024]

Wow! I got one at a thrift store for 10 dollars ✌🏻😊

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

That's quite a score!

[@rickc661]

darn good stuff. minor pt - for a kinda deluxe T' table that vinyl is awful, from thousands of miles away probably. I have the slightly older, cheaper 117 , after 45 years still works great. the vinyl started peeling so I pulled it all off - light brown fiberboard looks better than the fake wood..... fundamentally a very solid product.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

Yeah, the vinyl isn't in great shape. I'd like to take it off and put on wood veneer. It needs servicing as well. Whether it's micro-switches or pots, the speed tends to become unstable. It's just not top of the to-do list right now. 😕

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Baby wipes then mothers. IPA is hard on some silkscreen.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

I just ordered some Mother's. I've got a Realistic STA-2000 that's barely a step up from a barn find. Removed tons of dirt with Dawn, warm water, and a dish cloth, but it's still badly stained. Time to try something new, so thanks for the suggestion!

[@broeheemed32]

Jeez..... volume up, volume down, volume up, volume down. That marginal music is annoying, and you're blasting it.

[@Lancaster_Hi-Fi]

☹️