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Sugden Connoisseur - lost classic?

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That's a pretty typical price for a SME 3009 S2 Imp these days, the BD1 is effectively a freebie.

Tony.
 
Just saw the winning bid on a deck I had my eye on last week

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Connoisseur-t..._HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables?hash=item3a5497f8b1

does this mean people are reading this thread? on the other hand I suppose the cart & the arm pushed it over the £200 mark

Yes, Have Fun, they are reading this thread: I know because I get emails from time to time asking for advice. The last one was from Moscow! Google pick up threads from pfm and they get seen round the world. If anyone wants a Connoisseur turntable they sometimes get this thread instead.

I should add about the polyester home- made belt that although it is better re: wow and flutter than the long home- made rubber one, it is worse insofar as on some recordings you can just hear some noise on the runin/runout grooves. I suspect that the stiffer belt is transmitting some motor noise via the platter. Not even the Farcas mod eliminates this completely.
 
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New design- just out- Thorens 2030 measured wow & flutter 0.21% (Noel Keywood 2007). Connesseur BD1 measured wow & flutter less than 0.1% (Frank Jones 1970).

Eguth

Martin Colloms (2009) measured wow & flutter on the LINN LP12SE Radikal,Keel at less than 0.045% (Hi Fi Critic Vol.3, No.3). The modified Connoisseur would undoubtedly measure better than the standard one tested by Jones. If fitted with the polyester belt it would, I think, measure better than with the long rubber belt. I have not measured any BD1, so my opinion should be regarded as speculation; speculation based upon listening.
 
I think that I was wrong in believing that the audible noise on some runin/out grooves with the new polyester belt is caused by motor noise being transmitted to the stylus via the belt. For one thing, it only occurs on some records: for another I have now listened to silent passages on records. On the silent passages there is no audible noise; just silence. Any suggestions as to what the cause of the runin/out noise on only some records could be?
 
I have just joined because there was so much on here that might help me. I have a BD1 with a SME3009 and a Thorens 125Mk2 with another SME3009, but the motor doesn't turn any more! I am particularly interested in getting the BD1 working and perhaps doing the key mods at the same time. Does anyone have access to the article by Eguth? Or can someone fill in the blanks because coming to this now is frustrating as the detail has gone. In the meantime I am trying to contact T&G.
 
2 main mods - The mods consisted of wall mounting the motor away from the deck - quite sensible but required making your own non standard belt & a box to mount the motor in
The other mod was damping the bearing housing with piece of hardwood drilled to the diam of the bearing housing a saw cut one side & a bolt to clamp it tight

I expect Eguth will be around soon to enlighten you more.
 
"I have just joined because there was so much on here that might help me. I have a BD1 with a SME3009 and a Thorens 125Mk2 with another SME3009, but the motor doesn't turn any more! I am particularly interested in getting the BD1 working and perhaps doing the key mods at the same time. Does anyone have access to the article by Eguth?"

Welcome to Connoisseur, gwood. I will do my best to help you. My friend, Have Fun is, as always, a valuable source of advice and especially with regard to 'researching the internet' he is possibly the most skilled pfm member.

I will number my comments following your queries.

1)”The motor is not working”. Have you checked the connections from the motor to the mains? Yes? O.K.? Have you checked the fuse in the mains plug? Yes? O.K.? Have you plugged another appliance (lamp, for example) into the socket to check that it is O.K.? Yes? In that case I suspect that you have a burned out motor.

It is just possible that you have a break in the continuity or a faulty switch. Check continuity, and check that the switch is working. These things should always be done, unless you are an electrician, with the mains unplugged!

However, if none of the above gets the motor going then, as a final try put one (1) drop of Singer Sewing Machine oil on the felt pad that sits just below the pulley. It is not necessary to remove the pulley but it is advisable to remove the belt first. No oil should touch the belt at any time.

Next, give the motor pulley several smart turns with the belt removed. Alllow it to rotate as much as it will by itself until it stops- to encourage the oil to work in. Now plug the TT in again, and help assist the motor to start by giving the platter- with belt on- a smart turn clockwise, simultaneously switching the switch to 'on' position.

2)You are the second person within a week to ask me for a copy of the articles. NB: this is not one article, but many. The scans were put on this thread without seeking or obtaining permission from me, the copyright holder. I am, as always, happy to share my findings. However the prospect of providing many individuals with copies does not appeal to me, and I am not licensing my copyright. You are quite entitled to one copy or one scan of the articles for research purposes under English law. I would suggest that you ask on this thread for someone who has copies of either the scans or the original articles to get these to you and to send you a pm (private message) in order to do so. Pfm members are helpful, and you should get something soon. I see that you have already asked whether anyone has access to the articles, etc., but I suggest asking for direct help in providing you with a copy. If at first you don't succeed try, try again. Not all pfmers read all threads every day, or even every week.

3) I have been trying to get in contact with T&G for several months. I have had no response whatsoever. I have come to the conclusion that they are no longer in business, but if anyone knows otherwise please let us know how they can be contacted. I do not know anyone who can supply you with a new motor, but it might be worth your contacting Signals u.k., who sell some spare parts for the BD1. Ask whether they can supply you with a new motor or suggest any firm that can. Other than this it is a matter of finding a secondhand BD1 or BD2 and cannibalising the motor. A search on the internet might bring results.

All the best, and do not hesititate to post here again with any further queries.
 
Eguth - T & G are still in business I had a response from them by email a few weeks ago
try another email / phone call

gwood - eguth over emphasised with his comments there about my internet searches
 
Have Fun

Thanks. It would help both me and others if you would please put:

i)email address; and
ii) phone number for T&G.

I may have the wrong email address, and I have no phone number for them.
 
I found out that T&G do not operate on Mondays. So I phoned them today (Tuesday), the phone number Have Fum has provided is correct. They are still there and were very helpful. They even said that if my belt is now more than 25 years older than when I bought the deck second hand buying 2 might never save actually save me money. (Of course I wouuld have to live that long too!)

Their address is:

Technical and General
P.O. Box 53
Crowborough
East Sussex
TN6 2BY

I will try to get someone to send me copies of eguth's articles, or send me a PMso we can get in touch. I missed the opportunity to send a PM to eguth before I had sent my first post.
 
They even said that if my belt is now more than 25 years older than when I bought the deck second hand buying 2 might never save actually save me money. (Of course I wouuld have to live that long too!).

I bought 2 belts in 35 years whether it needed it or not.
 
Have Fun

Thank you for the contact information for T&G.

I would like to suggest that anyone in need of a belt for a Connoisseur BD1 or BD2 try making your own out of polyester. You will find instructions on this thread (see my post above posted 3.8.09).

It is easy to make, costs about 10p (if that) and should take you (first time) about 10 minutes. Although I have a number of new and unused Connoisseur belts in dark storage I am now using only my home made polyester belt.
 
Thank you Have Fun for the main mods info (110). I really need to redo the deck mounting so I will attempt to clamp the bearing housing. I assume that the clamp should be part of the mounting and should be an integral cross member, rather than a separate part. Is that correct?

I will leave the wall mounting mod for later just cutting wood is tricky enough as I have MS and find placing a screwdriver in a screw head difficult, so I don't want to be too ambitious just yet.

Martin has posted the scans so I will see soon enough.
 
None of the mods are critical must do's

I haven't done the bearing clamp myself yet but if you can be patient it will be easy to do 2 of them so I can send you it when done - probably over the xmas break
 
<moderating>

I have removed two posts linking to a scan of an article from user 'eguth' due to a formal complaint regarding copyright infringement from that same user.

Tony.
 
<moderating>

I have removed two posts linking to a scan of an article from user 'eguth' due to a formal complaint regarding copyright infringement from that same user.

Tony.

Anyone who would like a copy of my articles is welcome to one. I suggest that they put a request on this thread for someone to send them a pm to arrange this. I, myself, am not providing such copies.

I hope that my position is clear. I am not licensing general publication. I am encouraging and welcoming single copies being provided to those who wish to have them.

It is possible that my articles may be published in future in book form.
 
"I assume that the clamp should be part of the mounting and should be an integral cross member, rather than a separate part. Is that correct?" (gwood)

I am not certain what the distinction you are making amounts to.

The clamp is made from of a piece of wood. The wood has a hole drilled in the middle for the bearing to pass through. One side of this hole is sawn to form a slit. The slit is tightened so as to grip the bearing housing. This tightening is done via a nut and bolt. First, however, after the hole in the wood has been pushed as far as it will go up around the bearing housing the wood piece is firmly fastened to the underside of the plinth with four wood screws. Next the bolt going through the slit is tightened so as to clamp the bearing. This clamp results in a more stable and less elastic support for the bearing. This mod should audibly improve performance, given a plinth etc. of good enough standard to benefit from the upgrade.

I would say that all the mods I have done on the BD1 are cumulative. That is, while you can 'cherry pick' them, do not expect all the performance you can get from this deck by 'cherrypicking' .

To take one example, if you do not build a better and larger plinth of the minimum size that will take sufficient concrete you will compromise the result. I speak having heard one modified BD1 that was compromised for that reason. I have heard others that were compromised in other ways; all audibly inferior to the complete mods. It is simply not worth cutting corners.

With regard to your problem fitting screwdrivers to slotted screws have you tried SPAX X posidrive screws? These may be much easier for you to use; they grip the wood extremely well, are self tapping and are easier to drive in than slotted ones. You can get a plastic box full of asorted sizes of SPAX screws called 'Handy Mix' from Axminster Power Tools. I like SPAX so much that for a number of years I have used nothing else.
 
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