Pioneer PL-518/540/560 Counter Weight

Hello,

Just acquired a PL-518 from a family member and seems to be in great working order once a few adjustments are made.The only issue is the counter weight is missing which didn’t cause any initial concerns as I didn’t think it would be a difficult item to locate. However, I found out real quick this is not the case. I know the counter weights are similar or the exact same for the upgraded models (540/560) but these are also hard to find. Does any one know where these weights can be purchased or perhaps know of a similar weight that can be utilized ? I have scoured eBay and the google and nothing really comes up. Was thinking about buying one of nonworking tables on eBay for the parts but would like that to be the last resort. Thanks !

 

Contact this site, they don't list a counterweight right now but they may have something compatible.
Pioneer PL 518 Turntables PL518 Repair Parts

 

Troll eBay, try classifieds at AudioKarma or other repair-oriented forums, or buy the donor table. Organ Donor Parts sometimes has spares for various tables and is worth checking also, not sure that they have your particular counterweight though.

 

If you have a caliper to measure the diameter of the arm, and a digital VTF scale, you could search the e auction site for "shaft counterweight" to find something "incompatible" (from unloved turntables) that will fit and make the tt usable for now, even if it won't turn correctly and its scale may be useless.
Also, if you have that VTF scale, you also could hang and tape on a couple nuts from a hardware/plumbing store to make it usable for now. You could get it working today while still searching for a "proper" replacement counterweight.

 

Also, the belt drive cheaper PL 518 siblings use the same part.

 

I’ve read conflicting reviews of the cheaper pl’s counterweight working on the 518. I did see some of these for sale on eBay but read they were too heavy for the 518. Do you know if this is true?

 

I have an extra cw from a PL630 if it will help. ID is 11.90mm / 110 grams