Problem with turntable

drunkmonkey5556 wrote:pardon me cause i dont know the correct names for anything but you know the two screws that are on top (at the end of the arm, the needle side) that hold the cartridge on i guess? would tightening them be good? or is this what you warned against? they loosen up over time and when i tighten them everything seems to be better. but i wanted to make sure im not causing any damage. it doesnt seem like i am, at all

they shouldn't be coming loose, sounds like you have the wrong size screws, or the thread has worn away.

some cartridges (such as stanton 500) have plastic screwholes and I think the screws are supposed to cut their own threads the first time you screw them in. if you keep tightening them they might be chewing up the thread, so there's nothing left for them to grip.

if that's the case, you might need to buy a new cartridge (although technically you'd only need the plastic screw holder bits)

and using the right terms helps everyone to talk about the same things

the pics below are of a Stanton stylus + cart, there are better ones out there, but these are very common and pretty typical so make good examples

the stylus (the actual needle that sits on the record)


now singalong ...

the stylus is connected to the cartridge


the cartridge is connected to the headshell


the head shell's connected to the tone arm:


none of those bits should wobble or be loose. the tone arm should move gracefully up and down and side to side, but should not wobble loosely in place.

drunkmonkey5556 wrote:

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:

happyhour wrote:Just get a Shure m44-7 for scratching. It's tried and true.

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/ ... f_en_M44-7

+1

when i get some money together ill look into that



pardon me cause i dont know the correct names for anything but you know the two screws that are on top (at the end of the arm, the needle side) that hold the cartridge on i guess? would tightening them be good? or is this what you warned against? they loosen up over time and when i tighten them everything seems to be better. but i wanted to make sure im not causing any damage. it doesnt seem like i am, at all

are you saying your cartridge is kinda loose on the headshell? that would most def cause skipping during any rubs and backspins where it would prob not have the issue during regular playback.


as far as your cart and stylus you can get good/great results with a cheap stanton 500 or with a pricey ortofon concorde just gotta set it up at and angle that keeps the needle gliding back & forth in the groove and not "bouncing" (heavy hand movements cause bouncing needles) gotta be light as a feather on the record