The more I read about current day turntable options and also the difficulty in finding certain models in stock anywhere, the more I think I'm going to see about getting my trusty Dual 1219 checked out before I give up on it. Apparently, there's an issue with the motor. The platter is either sluggish to start spinning or it doesn't move at all unless it is spun by hand a few times. There's also an audible knocking under the hood. Truth be told, I'd much rather keep the 1219 if I can get it up to snuff than cross my fingers and hope to make the right choice with modern equipment at "modern" prices.
I'm no expert but I have messed around with these a bit. Others know a lot more than I do. But it might just be the idler wheel. If the rubber has hardened it might not be gripping the platter properly. If that's it you just need to get some rubber renew and paint it on the wheel to soften up the rubber. It isn't expensive so you could try that first. It might correct both the start up issue and the knocking. If it is the motor itself you can try rebuilding it or picking up another one from someone that is parting out a 1219 or 1229. The same if you have to replace the idler wheel. It isn't that hard to do yourself. It doesn't even take that long.
Thanks for the information. I may be one of the least mechanically adept people you'll ever run into so my attempting to tackle some of this is remote at best. I actually had the unit checked over a couple of years ago but it's only been recently that what I think is motor noise has started so I believe that the idler wheel is OK. There's a place that works on vintage equipment that's not far from me and I'm waiting for a call back from them. My thought is to just take it up to them and see what they say. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the issues are relatively simple to correct and this wonderful turntable will be soon ready to do its thing for years to come.
It's usually just the small stuff that hangs us up. If you are hearing a noise from the motor watch this video I did a while back. I'm no mister mechanic so if I can do it anyone can. Even if you don't do it yourself and take it to someone this video might help to give you an idea of what is going on and you can be a more informed customer, which could keep you from being hoodwinked for a repair person.
My father has an original 1218 with that base. He bought it in the US in 1972. They were distributed by United Audio in the US and it has a UA logo on the front of the base. As others said, Dual units need A LOT of maintenance as they're highly mechanical. I used a guy at FixMyDual.com, Bill, who did excellent work restoring an old unit from the late 70s. They use several different kinds of grease and oil so it's worth having someone with knowledge do an overhaul.
Lazydawg, watching your video convinced me that I did the right thing in bringing my turntable to the local repair guy this morning. I admire your patience and willingness to dive into that Dual but it's not something that I felt ready to tackle on my own. You obviously solved your problem so all of your hard work paid off. Congratulations. Thanks again for trying to guide me along and I appreciate the tutorial. You never know...it may still come in handy one day.
Please let us know how it goes with the repairs. That Dual will bring a world of enjoyment once you have it up and running!
I will let you know. That thing has served me well since the early 70's so I'm hoping it's a fixable issue and it comes back home ready to rock.
Your post inspired me to listen to my 1228 in the bedroom. Great changer. I love how the mechanics work, sound and feel.
Nice. I understand exactly what you're saying, I've been thinking about replacing my 1219 but so many of today's turntables just don't measure up in one way or another when I compare them to the Dual. Mind you, I'm not talking about tables that run into the thousands of dollars because spending that much doesn't make sense to me. The closer I was getting to narrowing down a make and model of current day units, the more I realized how happy I've been with my Dual all these years.
In another thread that I was reading tonight, the discussion was about records that are pressed off-center. I realized that that was another reason I love the Dual. If I get a record that's extremely off-center, I can always pull the spindle out and position the disc on the platter so that the grooves don't waver. One that I can think of immediately is the soundtrack of "The Graduate" that Barnes & Noble did few years ago. One side is badly off but by the time I opened and played it, it was beyond the period when I could return it. Pull the spindle, problem solved.
In 1986 I bought my Dual CS5000. I thought it would be my last turntable since CDs were gaining market share. Little did I know. Today it’s still working downstairs in my house in my second system. Always loved the slim wooden Plinth.
The base you want won't work with a 1219 or 1229. It will work with small chassis Dual 1000 or 1200 family turntables. A Dual 1218 is appropriate. My example is a Dual version, and has a 1019 mounted inside of it.
Now that is one good looking TT. I much prefer that look to what we see now from many of the new TT manufacturers.
My 1219 has this issue, is there any solutions? Would a restoration shop like the one in Iowa be able to replace that?
There are a few things you can try before you send it to a repair man. They are all simple. First try taking a que tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol and brush all the contact points on the sled and head shell. If that doesn't work get a can of Deox-it (maybe $15 or less?) and spray it on que tips and do the same thing. If that doesn't work you can buy a new sled from Pat's Audio on ebay. I believe it is a TK 14 for the 1219 and 1229. They are new builds not old stock or parted out. I think they run about $17. Remount your cart to the new sled and see if that does it. If it still doesn't work you can take it out of the plinth and flip it over. Find and follow the wires out of the tone arm. Clean each contact point with the alcohol and deox-it. If none of that resolves it the contact points on the head shell are probably worn out or it's something else I can't think of. Most likely it's time to go to the repair shop at that point. If so you've sunk less that $40 trying to do it yourself and now have a new sled and some cleaning supplies that you can use for various other things. Here is a video I did when I was working on a 1019. The issue we are addressing here comes up around the 16 minute mark. I hope all this helps.
However, very overpriced when new. $50 more that year bought you the vastly superior Thorens TD-160 Mk IV, The Dual's headshell system was also much more prone to trouble (especially the VTA headshells).
Lazydawg, I picked up my Dual 1219 from the repair place today. The motor noise is gone and the overall tune-up was a major success. When the owner of the shop brought the unit out from the workshop area, he put it down on the desk and said "This is a beautful machine". I couldn't agree more.
Some0ne remind me of the most likely problem with the auto return? I'm lazy and before I flip it over and start trouble shooting I thought I'd ask. After several hours of play yesterday it stopped returning. It has happened a time or two before. I went back today expecting it to be back to normal but it's still doing it. Note that I normally don't use the auto cue, just do it manually. I'm wondering if it is that little nipple (long German word) has worn down and needs to be replace? I don't think it would need cleaning and relubricating as that was done about a year or two ago. Or is it possible that the stylus is wearing out and this is the first sign before it starts skipping across the record?
Steuerpimpel. I purchased three duals at my local thrift over the years...and all three needed Steuerpimpels. I fashioned my own from coax cable insulation and all three tables worked perfectly after the fix.
It could be the steuerpimpel - if that goes the auto return will malfunction. But if it was replaced recently I doubt it would be worn down already.
I didn't replace it when I serviced it so that's probably it. It's only 50 years old, things just don't hold up like they use to. I'll try replacing it and see if that solves the problem.
Thanks, I'll check on prices and if too high I'll see about fashioning something like what you suggest. This is most likely what it is.
