SL-1500C tonearm shape defective?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by woodpigeon, Feb 27, 2021.

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  1. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    Yes, the pipe is rotated clockwise. It may be possible to correct it.

    If the table is new, the OP should contact the dealer.
     
    woodpigeon and The FRiNgE like this.
  2. Electric Warrior

    Electric Warrior Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    The tonearm looks fine. I guess the headshell is just mounted at an angle? :confused:
     
  3. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    +1
     
    The FRiNgE likes this.
  4. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Locking collar set screws are shown to be a bottom of tonearm so BENT, either tonearm or PIVOT area, seems to be the condition and a good place to check for damage.
     
  5. woodpigeon

    woodpigeon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Zealand
    It’s a bit hard to see it from that angle because it’s S-shaped. The stylus doesn’t point straight back at the pivot. But yes, the back of the tonearm is higher than the front.

    I was wondering if anyone might know what those two little screws on the bottom of the tonearm do, and whether tightening or loosening them would affect the angle of the locking collar and in turn, the headshell.
     
    The FRiNgE likes this.
  6. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Those screws keep the locking collar in place.
     
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  7. woodpigeon

    woodpigeon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Zealand
    So they can’t be used for adjustment.
     
  8. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    They could be used to adjust azimuth, not VTA.
     
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  9. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    There might be enough play to make an adjustment at the shell, but the azimuth adjustment should be made at the pivot as this is where the problem originates. Because the pipe is rotated, instead of the bend in the pipe being perfectly lateral, it dips down from the pivot then back up towards the shell. This is clearly visible in your photos.

    Take another photo, this time from far enough back to reveal the full extent of the arm. You will see the bend behind the shell is the lowest point, where in fact it should be the same height throughout.
     
    woodpigeon likes this.
  10. woodpigeon

    woodpigeon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Zealand
    How do you adjust azimuth at the pivot?
     
  11. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    I'm not familiar with how that arm is assembled. That's why I suggested you contact the dealer. If it is still under warranty, it needs to be repaired or replaced. If that isn't possible, there may be images on the web that could provide a clue.
     
    woodpigeon likes this.
  12. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Azimuth is not the problem. I only mentioned it because someone asked about the locking collar screws, which could possibly be loosened to allow the locking collar to be rotated to adjust azimuth. The problem is likely a bent tonearm, very slightly bent.
     
  13. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    Yes, but the bend is intentional...the rotation is not. The rotation can be rectified at the shell to correct azimuth, but then you wind up with the problem the OP has.
     
  14. woodpigeon

    woodpigeon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Zealand
    I’m still having back and forth with Technics support.
     
  15. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Just fyi, assuming the 1500 is similar to the 1200, there are two screws on the bottom of the arm tube in the front to hold the collar, and then two screws in the rear in the pivot assembly to secure the armtube, as shown below from bottom (and neither is intended to adjust azimuth) ... so it's possible a batch of armtubes was drilled and tapped a little off, which would rotate the arm ...

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    The bend I suspect in the tonearm is vertical. Bent down somewhere just slighly in the middle will produce a tail high headshell condition, which cannot be corrected without eating up all the VTA adjustment available. This is as the OP has described it since his first post; and, since, as I understand it, the TT is a demo model, it's easy t believe the tonearm might have been bent by a very aggressive prior user.
     
  17. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Yes; yet, it appears the issue here is not an arm rotated out of position but instead a tonearm which is bent downward in its middle slightly. That's how it looks to me and the OPs actions to level the headshell, which makes the tonearm pivot high and low at headshell tail supports my reasoning.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2021
  18. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Below is a picture of the underside of the arm tube, with the threaded-hole pivot end closest to viewer. If you put a little spacer under the bend on the right to rotate the armtube slightly, that will make it bend down in the middle and make the headshell end point upwards when installed. I don't know if the holes and thread are done before of after the bending, but something off on one of the machines could easily cause this issue (at least from the way I read the description) and there could be many examples out there with the same issue ...


    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Yes, I think you nailed it.
     
  20. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    It would take considerable force to bend the pipe, enough to damage the bearings and leave marks on the pipe. I can't imagine how such abuse would not be noticeable in other ways.
     
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  21. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    The screws may not be intended to adjust azimuth, but the tolerances may be large enough to permit the rotation. 1° would be enough to cause problems.
     
    Uglyversal likes this.
  22. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I totally agree.
     
    woodpigeon likes this.
  23. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Sure, but if you look more closely you'll see the screw heads mate to a flat surface on the casting, so I don't think you could rotate the armtube since it will return to the original position when the screws are tightened.
     
    Ripblade likes this.
  24. Ripblade

    Ripblade Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Six
    That's a good point, but now I'm wondering if the pipe itself is tapped, or if there's a tapped plug inside. The latter would be stronger, and opens the possibility for misalignment.
     
  25. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    The pipe is tapped with metal screws ...

    [​IMG]
     
    Ripblade likes this.
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