Nitty Gritty Record Cleaning Machines going away.....

THANK YOU, I was down to my last set of lips, and just ordered more. So now I don't have to buy a new machine. And I certainly do wish the owner improved health.

 

Thank you! Luckily, I found an extra packet today at my local record shop. They had put their remaining few away for folks like me. Have a good weekend.

 

You're very welcome!

I'm hoping someone will be able to pick up the Nitty Gritty line. As someone earlier said, it would be great if KAB could pick up that baton.

 

Hmm. Mine just started leaking too, I think it's the 1.5 model. Guess I need to take it apart?

 

My Nitty Gritty 1.5 started leaking several months ago. Unfortunately, I never did anything about it. I can still vacuum the record and manually apply the fluid, but the records don't clean as well as they did and I'm not seeing where the fluid is going when it's sucked down into the machine. The little tray on the bottom stays dry. I would be interested to hear of any DYI solutions-especially for those who aren't terribly mechanically inclined. It's either that or start saving for the VPI Cyclone....

 

Yeah, just take the bottom off, loosen the Velcro holding the tank in place and you can work on it. It was leaking where the drainage hose comes out of the the bottom of the tank. I slathered epoxy around the juncture and it's fixed.

 

Thank you SO much. Yes, the amount that is coming out suggests that's probably my issue as well. Sounds like an easy fix. These things work so well, glad they are built for easy access since we may be on our own for repairs. Looks like everyone is sold out of existing units now.

 

Mine is doing the exact same thing. I'm pretty good with this kind of stuff, and Macman's solution sounds like it will fix mine as well. I'll let you know.

 

Somehow I melted part of my tank, it still works but I sure would like to get it fixed.

 

I have a 30 year old "Pro" model that does both sides at once - rehabbed about a year or so back - but guess I gotta start looking for a VPI for the future... the folks at Nitty Gritty always treated me great

 

I have the 2.5

The capstan is sitting to low to spindle a record. I took the bottom cover off and it seams there is a bracket below the capstan that is not sitting right( to low?)

I’m thinking some epoxy to tighten it back up. Looks like that was how it was originally attached.

Any particular brand I should use?

 

I used something called JB Weld steel-reinforced epoxy.

 

That's really great stuff!

 

The Day the Vinyl Vacuum Queen Disappeared – oddsong.
You all need to read this great article!

 

Thank you for posting. I wish I had jumped on getting parts for mine! I hope she recovers.

 

Great article. I don't understand why they didn't sell the company. The name and IP must be worth something. Just closing the doors and abandoning the business seems to abandon the long time users and those who would loyally support the company. It is a shame that Gail had a stroke and another one that this has led to the end of a great company. May she recover.

 

Speaking of Nitty Gritty, how bizarre is this?

Nitty Gritty Vinyl Record Cleaning System NEW~!! from Frank Sinatra Jr Estate | eBay

 

I saw that a while ago...they've been trying to get primo money based on a name but no one's biting. It might entice someone if he had used it, or better yet, if the Big Guy himself had, but it appears new so the fact that it was simply in Jr's house doesn't, imo, add a single penny of value.

I would bet the company will reopen. Either the owner is incapacitated and it will remain dormant until she passes, or she will recover enough to be able to authorize a sale, or she moves on and whoever handles her affairs will move things forward. I doubt it will just stay closed...too valuable of an asset. I love my unit and hope they figure something out.

 

Were you able to fix your leak?

 

This one appears to be a Mini-Pro model, which can clean both sides of a record.

 

I haven't tried yet...thank you for asking! I think I'll give it a go this weekend as I'm not using it and really should.

 

I do think in these circumstances that any relatives or others with Legal powers such as Power Of Attorney would have some moral obligation or financial sense to keep the business going. At least authorise another hi-fi business to provide parts and advice. If this is dormant for long sources of parts will dry up and throw tooling away such that it will not be viable to restart the business in the future.

 

Surely, it would be wonderful to have continued support for past Nitty Gritty products and even new products. However it is unreasonable to expect anyone to continue the business in it's original form. Most likely someone would want the name and patents and then produce junk in China for sale on the usual suspect websites and catalogs. Being in the niche of a small, hi-fi business myself, I can assure you that she wasn't getting rich from it. It was purely a labor of love.
-Bill

 

Here's another source for the strips for Nitty Gritty and the EV-1, better option for Canadians as shipping is much cheaper (Audio Advisor will only ship to Canada via FedEx):

The Disc Doctors Miracle Vacuum Strips (4 Pack)-Elusive Disc

 

I bought the 1.5 about a year and a half ago and have washed maybe 100 records with it. Just broke it out 2 days after not using it for a few months. The vacuum works but the capstan is not spinning. I tried emailing and got respond back they were shut down. I feel terrible Gayle. However, I’m also upset that I shelled out quite a bit of money on what I thought was a superior quality product in terms of manufacturing in the U.S.

Does anyone have a contact of state meone who works on these. I live in Portland and will ask record shop but bought it from there morrow but thought I’d see if anything ne has any advice on how I should handle this? Haven’t taken it apart as I need to double check purchase date to see if manufacturers warranty is still in effect. If it is not sure what good it does me. But didn’t want the take it apart and void anything in th event I bought it less than a year ago.