Advice for a friend: linear tracing tonearm problems

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by RollinHard843, Oct 6, 2015.

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  1. RollinHard843

    RollinHard843 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    So a friend introduced me to someone a few nights ago who has some sort of vintage turntable with a linear tracing tonearm and its not performing like it should. Here's what i was able to learn before family stuff required my presence elsewhere:

    - the biggest problem is that it skips or jumps to the next groove way too much.
    - she lives in a pier and beam house with woods floors. Just walking can cause skips
    - i dont know if the table is level.
    - not sure what kind of feet the table sits on.
    -by comparison, i live in a similar kind of house, nut theres carpet in the TT room. My toddler can dance in the room and my records rarely skip.

    I want to help, and the best i could offer was that i would come here for advice. I wish i could have gotten more info, but in given circumstances, i had to cut the conversation short.
     
  2. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    But they do, which is a clear indication that unwanted vibrations are reaching it, affecting its sonic performance.

    Tell her to place the TT on a wall-mounted shelf. Your own TT would prolly benefit a lot from the same treatment if you did the same thing. And by all means retain your isolation feet. You should be able to stomp on your floor without affecting the performance of your TT.
     
  3. RollinHard843

    RollinHard843 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Alright thanks, I'll pass that along to her. I'm not too worried about my table honestly, that's not the issue here. I was just using it as a comparison. My daughter has to be nearly jumping and close to the table to get anything to happen, and even then it's not always the case. With my friend's friend, it sounds like mere walking can cause a record to skip. Not sure what her budget, but a shelf and isolation feet sound like a logical place to start.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  4. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
  5. Captain Wiggette

    Captain Wiggette Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Vintage linear tracking arms seem like kind of a nightmare.

    But sorbothane would be my suggestion as well. Or changing tables away from a linear tracker.
     
  6. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    What make/model of linear tracking turntable is it? I've had mine for 35 years, and for many of those years I literally kept it on the floor. I could probably dance the watusi next to the table while wearing cement shoes and it would not make the needle skip. (It truly has never skipped -- unless the record had a scratch/defect, or I had something set incorrectly.)
     
  7. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    I had a Phase Linear 8000 turntable for many a year and skipping was NEVER a problem. The stylus needs to be checked, balanced and the whole turntable leveled. Leveling is essential for a linear tracking turntable.
     
  8. timw

    timw Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    You didn't mention the make/model TT or how old it is but perhaps the linear tracking tonearm mechanism needs a good cleaning and re-greasing...and possible new drive belt(if it uses one). The old grease might be gunked up and causing the tracking/skipping issues....the classic Technics linear trackers from the early
    1980's all seem to suffer from this issue if you find one today....
     
  9. Dentdog

    Dentdog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Given that linear trackers have no skating force would seem to make them less likely to skip. The wall mount probably is the answer here.
     
  10. RollinHard843

    RollinHard843 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Thanks for the help everyone. I was just asking my friend today if she knew the make/model of her friend's table, but she ended up returning the table! Glad that whoever she bought it from accepted returns. Must have been the easiest option
     
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