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Worth Resurrecting, or Landfill?

davidjt

davidjt

pfm Member
I recently came across two boxes full of LPs that haven't been touched for fifty-odd years, and an expedition into the jungle that is the Spare Room uncovered two elderly turntables, so the question is resurrection or disposal?

First, are a Fisher Direct Drive MT39 or a Goldring Lenco GL75 (with broken lid hinge) and their original arms even worth thinking about?

Second, presumably the one chosen would require a new cartridge, so how much could one justify spending?
Same question would apply to a phono stage (s/h).

Since my main gripe about records back then (which Dolby cassettes and then cd appeared to solve) was surface noise, I assume that some kind of cleaning apparatus would be essential. Is this where the whole project becomes uneconomic, or are there reasonably priced systems which actually do the job?

My music budget is heavily biased towards digital media, and that's not going to change, so I'm thinking in hundreds, not thousands. If necessary I'll rig up something just good enough to digitise the old favorites and leave it at that.

As always, advice from those who've been there and done it would be appreciated.

(I undertake not to transfer, copy or in any other way preserve the one by Russ Conway. Can't think how it got there!)
 
The Lenco is undoubtedly the better turntable and capable of excellent sound. However if its been sitting around unused for decades it will very likely need some fettling to get working well.

The Fisher is a low end and lightweight DD and less capable than the Lenco.

However..... If the electronics within the Fisher haven't drifted too far it will likely still function well after a clean-up.

So if you just want a short lived nostalgic delve into some well played old vinyl, the Fisher, fitted with something like the AT95E (£40-ish) might be all you need.
If you plan to maintain a vinyl collection and listen regularly, fettle that Lenco!
 
Thanks: that's really helpful.

I believe Audacity can remove any clicks if necessary, assuming I take that route, but will a dustbug of some sort (+ static neutraliser?) be all I need to clean the records?
 
For best results, a wet clean using a record cleaning machine is the best option. Expensive though as the machine will cost a few hundred quid minimum.

A standard carbon fibre brush will remove surface dust and should make dusty records playable at minimum cost. Something like this:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=121679444514


I wouldn't bother with a dustbug or similar sweep arm.
 
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Or - sell the turntables to hobbyists - that Lenco will go in a flash and buy an inexpensive Project, or similar turntable - ready to go from the box. You might be surprised that surface noise can be less than you think with a decent modern stylus. A quick spin with a record cleaning brush before you play it is all you will need.
 
I agree about the L75. The lid hinges always go and the lid off a Rega is a perfect fit if you want a new lid. You can easily re solder a modern phono lead from the terminals because they are just under the platter, top right. Ditto the mains lead which can be replaced with a safer double shielded lead and connected to the chocolate block underneath. The arm look awful but that too is easily fettled. Have a look at Lenco Heaven, loads of helpful chappies there.
 
Thanks, folks. This is beginning to look like fun.

Currently using a Meridian G57 + MDAC, so I'll need a pre-amp. Any suggestions?
 
If the Lenco is cosmetically tidy, i.e. no corrosion, they are very easy to work with. It is all good simple mechanical engineering so an evening spent stripping, cleaning and relubing the motor and main bearing and then replacing the now inevitably perished vertical arm bearings with these replacements and you will have it working as it should. Just stick a modest MM cart in the high mass arm, something on the lines of a Pickering V15, AT95E and you have a pretty decent deck for next to no money. You also have a hobby with an upgrade atch should you choose to take it! Personally if I had a Lenco 75 I'd keep it entirely stock and restore it to as new condition as they are getting increasingly rare as so many are being cut up for projects.
 
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Tony L said:
Personally if I had a Lenco 75 I'd keep it entirely stock and restore it to as new condition as they are getting increasingly rare as so many are being cut up for projects.
Click to expand...

Agreed! Fettle it, but keep it original.

Personally, I'd fit a Shure M55E if you can find one, it works well in the arm.
 
Yes, another good choice. I bet a DL-103 would work there too. By saying that I had a Grado F1+ in mine back in the late '70s early '80s as I understood nothing about mass and compliance at the time yet it worked fine as I recall!
 
If the records are otherwise undamaged and are stuff you might want to listen to more than once to see if you want to keep/ digitize i would recommend the Disco Antistat manual record cleaning kit. I've had excellent results with one of these, it really does work and removes the noise and clicks caused by dirt or dust. I always do a double wash, first with the cleaning liquid, which is easily made oneself, then a wash with de-ionised water. it takes about an hour to do 10 discs at a time I find. Forget brushes or cleaning cloths, they may be ok for superficial surface dust but wont get stuck on ancient contamination off, IME
 
I have cleaned really filthy records in lukewarm water with a dash of Fairy and a new sponge. Rinse under the tap, prop up to dry. Naysayers will tell you that this leaves limescale on the record. Maybe. Then again, have a look at the glasses that you wash in the sink, are they covered in scale?

I'm sure the Loricraft machine is great but it's an expensive way around when you can wash a dozen records by hand in the time it takes to get the machine filled up and running.
 
Thanks; just for once I'll try the cheap 'n' cheerful route and think about expensive alternatives only if necessary.

Still no comments on a phono stage, so I guess it's a case of suck it and see.
 
davidjt said:
...

Still no comments on a phono stage, so I guess it's a case of suck it and see.
Click to expand...

MM or MC? I'd suggest an el-cheapo initially that is switchable between the two, until you find out of vinyl is for you. What is your budget?
 
glad to see so many in favour of the 'humble' Lenco. But, if you keep it stock, the turntable will not provide anything like what it is capable of. I have several Lenco's, some with Rega arms and either Denon DL110 or Dynavector DV10x5, or other more forgiving varieties, but the Lenco can (and does) keep up. My cart recommendation would be an AT95e.

Just now, constructing a thin plinth to incorporate a Jelco arm and my own design of tangential arm, using a linear bearing running on a carbon fibre tube to be used with a Lenco.

Have used a Cambridge Audio phono amplifier, which sounded OK, if a little dull, and I am currently using an MF phono. But, anything will help you get going, even a £35 Maplins one could help>

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/stereo-phono-pre-amplifier-with-switchable-rca-input-a69rz
 
stevec67 said:
I have cleaned really filthy records in lukewarm water with a dash of Fairy and a new sponge. Rinse under the tap, prop up to dry. Naysayers will tell you that this leaves limescale on the record. Maybe. Then again, have a look at the glasses that you wash in the sink, are they covered in scale?

I'm sure the Loricraft machine is great but it's an expensive way around when you can wash a dozen records by hand in the time it takes to get the machine filled up and running.
Click to expand...

If limescale is a real problem, you could just give them a final rinse in distilled or "demineralised" water.
 
I got an old Lenco L75 about 8 or 9 years ago.

Paid £30, it had most of its original arm but wasn't working. They cost a bit more now!
To get it going I had to replace the idler wheel assembly with a metal idler wheel. The original was plastic and the rubber tyres were no more. I also had to buy some counter weights that were missing, replace the V blocks that were virtually no more. Use cotton to tighten up the end stub (as described on the lenco heaven forum)Also service and regrease all parts. Fitted an earth to the top plate for safety. Added a Denon Dl103 (later an At95). Replinthed it in teak veneered ply box.

Since then it has worked flawlessly. Not bad for something about 50 years old. So you have to invest some time and expense in getting these things up and running, but it is worth it IMO for the sound quality and having a nice retro item.

By the way I have kept it stock, you can modify and use other arms but personally I would prefer to do that on a really knackered example! Best of luck whatever you decide.
 
happy to see the old Lenco doing well. They are a simple design, and benefit from it.

Just a bit of pedantry, if you will allow me. Retro is a recently made item made to look old. The Lenco is old. Neither is it vintage, as that just refers to the year, and not it's age, per se.

I sumtimes think of old hifi in terms of old cars. To restore an old car (classic?) to showroom condition is a form of preservation, but IMHO, still needs to be driven, its raison d'être, after all. Some people use old cars as donor vehicles, and this is what I do with hifi kit, except for an old Lenco GL59/70, and even then I have 'modernised' a bit of it. Not for me a person who hides away their beautiful Italian supercar, covered in a nitrogen-filled bag, kept under raps, to be looked at on my birthday, my partner's birthday and the Queen's birthday! :D
 
Hi,

Thanks for the correction. Lets call it old then. ;)

I do agree about using old things. I think the phrase 'use it or lose it' applies.
Storing old electronics unused especially in the loft where there are extremes of temperature usually means a bang when switched on...
 
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