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Technics SL-1200MK2 bought on a whim!

I certainly wouldn't be in a hurry to put a decent cart on the end of that arm.

I bought a similar (buggered) Technics a while ago, with a bent arm. It's worth fixing - I went for a CF arm-tube and some headshell bits that I machined along with a full re-wire, sounded great. I'm sure I've seen someone else insert a different arm-tube with integrated headshell on theartofsound, otherwise you can buy the individual parts of the tonearm assembly.

Before
gbIgPQL.jpg


After
XriqN9H.jpg
 
hockman said:
I can't tell for sure if your arm is bent or not. But don't forget the original rubber mat is quite thick, about 6 mm or more, so the '0' setting should be taken into account accordingly. Replacement arms or the arm tube itself can be sourced pretty easily but it's a question of whether you want to spend the money given that you picked this table up on a whim. You could of course put another arm on it. There are many users who prefer other arms although personally I am happy using the standard Technics one.

Aside from the arm, the table looks cosmetically pretty decent so it's a good indication that it has not had a rough life. DJ abused ones normally will have plenty of nicks on the plinth and wear and marks in the area near the pitch slider where your hand rests for cueing.

The good thing is that these tables can be easily restored if you are willing to spend a bit of money (not a lot since spares can still be found at reasonable cost).
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I know the consensus is that the arm is bent - but - to my untrained eye I can't see any nicks or creases along the tube? Also the arm seems to be resting level with no damage on the plinth itself. The only obvious part out of sorts is the weight hanging at the end? So where 'along' the arm is the bend if anyone can see it?
 
Did you remove the counterweight to have a closer look? It could well be that the counterweight itself that is the problem. You can source a new counterweight I think.
 
I must be in the minority here but I’d be tempted to sell it on (£150 - £175) at a small profit (hopefully) and then look out for a good one (£350?). With the advent of the new range of Technics decks the price of the 1210/1200 has now fallen to reasonable levels so in the end, after all the messing around and the cost of new parts, there might not be much difference in the final outlay. Look out for the later ones - the serial numbers should tell you exactly when they were made. As I have said, I’m probably in the minority but I wonder if you’d ever be satisfied with it - especially as aesthetically it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
 
alanchamberlain said:
I must be in the minority here but I’d be tempted to sell it on (£150 - £175) at a small profit (hopefully) and then look out for a good one (£350?). With the advent of the new range of Technics decks the price of the 1210/1200 has now fallen to reasonable levels so in the end, after all the messing around and the cost of new parts, there might not be much difference in the final outlay. Look out for the later ones - the serial numbers should tell you exactly when they were made. As I have said, I’m probably in the minority but I wonder if you’d ever be satisfied with it - especially as aesthetically it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
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This might be a sensible idea - but presently I have a wide spectrum of answers regarding the arm - it's either 'just the counterweight' or 'bent to buggery' - so if the arm ends up being OK then I think aesthetically it's just fine. As I said earlier, I find it hard trying to find a kink or actual bend in the arm itself apart from the obvious area around the counterweight. This serial number translates to a 2001 model (from my own research) - and electronically everything seems just find, and the damping in the arm as it lowers seems just fine too.

But as you say - if the arm is expensively damaged ("if") - then it's worth moving it on. I just need to conclusively find out about the arm first and see what side of the spectrum I am really on.
 
I was just watching this video here:
- and noticed that he had to wind his arm all the way down to the 1 marker point (which is nearly to the bottom) in order to level his arm up. And that's with one of those downward facing cartridges!

I reckon that may even be achievable with my arm if I had one of those carts! Is his arm bent too?

Actually no - scrub that - a normal cart hangs that low too because of its fatter body - sorry! Good video though.
 
Actually I think the tube is bent - nothing too obvious until I rested a block of wood on the arm - see the gap at the end... ?

Shown yet again with me marking up the photo with a straight red line.

The last photo with the red line is me trying to be level from the bent down part of the arm to see if it's level with the arm holder.

That slight angle on the tube is plenty enough to cause the issues I have I would guess. It it easy to change the tube (if I have diagnosed this correctly)?





 
I'm sure I wouldn't bother trying to fettle it. It looks knackered.

If you want to try a Rega arm I have a silver armplate for the RB250/300. You can have for £0.

Considering the prices for a NOS Techy arm it's the way I would go.
 
Rather than the arm tube being bent is there a possibility that it's become rotated slightly in the bearing housing? I'm not familiar with the Techy arm but maybe there's a grub screw underneath to lock the arm tube in position?
 
lazycat said:
I'm sure I wouldn't bother trying to fettle it. It looks knackered.

If you want to try a Rega arm I have a silver armplate for the RB250/300. You can have for £0.

I've got an Origin Live OL1 if you're interested- would be a good match for your Technics.
Considering the prices for a NOS Techy arm it's the way I would go.
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lazycat said:
I'm sure I wouldn't bother trying to fettle it. It looks knackered.

If you want to try a Rega arm I have a silver armplate for the RB250/300. You can have for £0.

Considering the prices for a NOS Techy arm it's the way I would go.
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That would be superb thank you! If I can take you up on your generous offer that would be just the ticket (I hope).

And happy 2020 - I did get beyond merry last night out partying.
 
The arm tube being rotated or bent would certainly have the effect you're describing. I'd certainly be looking at another arm. Personally I'd go with a Jelco or similar rather than Rega, but that's largely a preference. My own SL1200 had a fettled original arm - Audio Origami foam fill and rewire, KAB Fluid damper, new counterweight, Sumiko headshell. Sounded bloody good. I'd imagine the carbon tubed version shown above to work well too.

Also, regarding arm height - it is possible, if the arm assembly has been removed, to reassemble wrongly and not be able to get the arm height right. I did when taking mine apart to clean it (mine was worse than yours in condition when I got it for a good price) and it took me ages to figure it out!
 
Jason P said:
The arm tube being rotated or bent would certainly have the effect you're describing. I'd certainly be looking at another arm. Personally I'd go with a Jelco or similar rather than Rega, but that's largely a preference.....

Also, regarding arm height - it is possible, if the arm assembly has been removed, to reassemble wrongly and not be able to get the arm height right. I did when taking mine apart to clean it (mine was worse than yours in condition when I got it for a good price) and it took me ages to figure it out!
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I understand that a Jelco is a good option so I will certainly bear that in mind - but with the generosity of a pfm member I have nothing to lose trying the Rega armplate.

I think Jason if you have a look at my diagram with the straight lines added as reference, would you not agree the silver tube is bent as the end. To double-check though can anyone show me a straight Technics arm photo for comparison - with a straight line markup added so I can see the difference?

To add a line markup using an iPhone - go into Photos - select the photo - select 'Edit' (top right) - select the three dots in a circle (again top right) - select Markup - select the + symbol far right - select the Arrow symbol - choose your colour (red is good) - then select the little square/circle symbol to the left of the colours - then choose to change the current arrow to a thin straight line (top left). Move and stretch the thin red line around the image appropriately.

Thanks!
 
Things will become more obvious if you strip it down first and have a good look at it. It doesn't look at all difficult tbh. If the tube is bent I don't think it would be that hard to straighten. Worst case you replace it. I can't promise but I have several S shaped arm tubes and one might just fit.
 
Chops54 said:
Things will become more obvious if you strip it down first and have a good look at it. It doesn't look at all difficult tbh. If the tube is bent I don't think it would be that hard to straighten. Worst case you replace it. I can't promise but I have several S shaped arm tubes and one might just fit.
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Stripping down any arm will be a first for me! Is it fairly straightforward on a Technics? It's nice to have a selection of S shaped tubes.

Does everyone agree with me at least that the only thing causing me grief with this arm is that little bend in the S shaped tube highlighted in my photos (assuming it's not shaped like that on purpose)? Yes the counterweight is a tad drooped so to speak - but that should have no affect on the arm as a whole.

I'm itching to give this thing a spin but - of course - it's not yet fit to play a record properly. Everything else seems to work just fine - I just have this little kink to fix.
 
If you can solder ok ( which I think you can) you shouldn't have a problem. The only tricky part will be unsoldering/soldering the headshell connector. You don't want to get the terminals hot for too long. Once the connector is off it's just a few screws though the tube may be glued into the housing. I've never had an issue breaking the seal and I don't reglue the joint so there's some azimuth adjustment. In all fairness the arm isn't useable so you've nothing to lose and a lot to gain. If you can't straighten the tube and one of mine fits you're welcome to it. I think I have four altogether so we could be in with a chance.
 
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