Thread: tell me about old record players..

Considering you got it used from a thrift store, it could just be in need of a recalibration or lubrication. If it does turn out that it needs to be calibrated, I recommend finding a professional to do it (if you want it to playback at an accurate speed)

Thank you. The player i has a switch that gives me the option for 45rpm or 33. A record of classical music i got i think i played it on the wrong speed. I havent heard it before so I didn't know. Would that hurt the player or record?

I never really played records at too much of the wrong speed, so I do not know for sure, but check the actual vinyl itself to see if it indicates a speed.

If it is not a simple speed-selecting problem, it could be the calibration problem of the platter that I have already mentioned.

Anyways, good luck on getting it to work. Analogue is always a beauty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record

I have a couple of Technics 1210's but they're not belt driven like I suspect your record player is. They're driven from magnets which maintain a steady speed. Record players can come in 33/45/78 rpm speeds so make sure you've selected the right speed.

If anything I would have thought the player would get slower as the belt wears and slips more. There's a thing known as 'wow' and 'flutter' - it's a common complaint from DJ's about the old belt driven record players, which is pretty much eliminated with the magnets. So explained: “wow” is the variation in rotational speed due to changes in the belt drive tension and “flutter” is the faster variations due to motor irregularities. This I suspect could be your problem, but you could get it tuned, I'm sure.

Oh, and you cannot beat that crisp, vinyl sound, with all it's clicks and pops... Lovely

Throw away your Goodwill player(or save it for backup) and buy a decent entry level turntable like Crosley.
They come packed... radio, CD player, tape deck, and of course a turntable. Some even burn CDs from the playing record or tape. For a couple hundo you can't go wrong, and the warranty(unlimited, lifetime, $20 repairs or replaces any problem) is one of the best I've ever seen/used.

Oh and start scooping vinyl whenever you can, it's an amazing hobby.

Originally Posted by music_man

Thank you. The player i has a switch that gives me the option for 45rpm or 33. A record of classical music i got i think i played it on the wrong speed. I havent heard it before so I didn't know. Would that hurt the player or record?

It probably wouldn't hurt it if it only happens by mistake, and not very often. Just remember the 45's are the little one-song on a side record, and the 33's are the albums, so bigger. And only on one side. Gosh, it's been awhile!

I've got to admit I prefer storing CD's!