HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

doodledave · 18th Sep 2014, 2:46 pm

Hi all...

Very much a Vintage Audio Newbie - I have bought an 1960s HMV record player with an RC120/4H turntable... unfortunately it has nothing but two wires... pics attached... Everything works fine otherwise...

Please could anyone let me know what I need to source to get it to play!
Even better, could anyone recommend an online source for the parts i will need?

I have sourced the manual and attach the relevant page for "spare parts"...
I know I should be able to work out what I need from that but, never having seen the completed end of the tonearm before, I really don't know what I need - when I Google the stylus, all I am offered is a little bit of twisted metal with a diamond in the end!!

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks, Dave

peter_sol · 18th Sep 2014, 3:12 pm

That arm was for a special version of the Garrard GC2 cartridge, only.
It was held in place by mounting through the front hole.
You may have to drill a hole in the top to put a screw through to the new cartridge.
It is a cartridge you need not just a stylus.
What valves does the player have?

doodledave · 18th Sep 2014, 5:38 pm

Hi Peter - thank you for responding... without taking the thing apart (would hate to break anything) I don't know - I have poked my phone in and got the attached pics... any use to you in identifying the valves?

D

Tractorfan · 18th Sep 2014, 8:10 pm

Hi,
They look like an EL84 output valve, EF86 pre-amp and an EZ80 rectifier. At least the chassis will most likely be isolated from the mains, which is good news.
I have a Garrard deck with a similar arm and I had to drill a hole to accept a modern cartridge. I managed to hide the screw under the badge on top of the headshell, and mock-up a turn over knob that the original cartridge would have had.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Pete.

doodledave · 18th Sep 2014, 10:37 pm

Thank you Pete - now I know at least what to look for - the phrase "I managed to...mock-up a turn over knob that the original cartridge would have had" just made me shudder, but as I doubt that I will ever play a 78, I think I will get away with a modern cartridge.

So, would a modern cartridge just solder onto the wires and sit happily in the casing?
Thank you so much

Techman · 19th Sep 2014, 12:43 am

Hi Dave,

It's not that simple. you'll still need to drill the head and you may even need to make a spacer. You may need to link the channels from a modern stereo cartridge for connection to your mono amplifier. Also, your pictures show that it's fitted with a multi-stage amplifier. This is good news in that it'll be better quality reproduction and that a 'medium' output cartridge can be fitted rather than the now completely obsolete 'high' output versions.

The bad news for you is that there WILL be component/s (if they haven't already been recently changed) that WILL need replacing to prevent serious and expensive damage to the amplifier. You may have had it powered up and it may have seemed to have worked, but rest assured that they nearly all work for a while before smoke, a 'bang', or even a small flame - and that will be the end of it forever.

So to sum up - you'll need to service the amplifier and replace any interstage coupling capacitors. There's probably only one fitted in yours and that may be the only part that needs replacing at a cost of about a quid. Then you will need to service the record deck. It may seem to work, but as you haven't actually tried it with an actual record, you'll probably find it's all over the place. You'll also need to re-set the tracking weight with a new cartridge to prevent early destruction of your records and the new cartridge.

Advise - read the 'sticky' threads at the top of this section and they'll tell you virtually all you need to know.

vidjoman · 19th Sep 2014, 8:24 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by doodledave

So, would a modern cartridge just solder onto the wires and sit happily in the casing?

NEVER EVER solder the wires to a cartridge. Always solder the wires to tags and when cold fit the tags carefully onto the cartridge.

jonnybear · 19th Sep 2014, 10:16 am

One of these would probably fit nicely.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-MONO-T...item4d22d93c83.
John

Tractorfan · 19th Sep 2014, 10:23 am

Hi,
Just a few pics of the modification I did on my Garrard decks. I know the head shells are different, but they're just to give you an idea.
Oops, the pic of the RC120 deck shows it pre-modded. Sorry.

Cheers, Pete.

doodledave · 19th Sep 2014, 12:17 pm

This is all fantastically helpful guys !! Thank you all so much

18th Sep 2014, 2:46 pm	#1
doodledave Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Chedburgh, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 4	HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Hi all... Very much a Vintage Audio Newbie - I have bought an 1960s HMV record player with an RC120/4H turntable... unfortunately it has nothing but two wires... pics attached... Everything works fine otherwise... Please could anyone let me know what I need to source to get it to play! Even better, could anyone recommend an online source for the parts i will need? I have sourced the manual and attach the relevant page for "spare parts"... I know I should be able to work out what I need from that but, never having seen the completed end of the tonearm before, I really don't know what I need - when I Google the stylus, all I am offered is a little bit of twisted metal with a diamond in the end!! Any help would be appreciated Thanks, Dave Attached Thumbnails

18th Sep 2014, 3:12 pm	#2
peter_sol Octode Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Welwyn Garden City, Herts. UK. Posts: 1,906	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... That arm was for a special version of the Garrard GC2 cartridge, only. It was held in place by mounting through the front hole. You may have to drill a hole in the top to put a screw through to the new cartridge. It is a cartridge you need not just a stylus. What valves does the player have?

18th Sep 2014, 5:38 pm	#3
doodledave Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Chedburgh, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 4	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Hi Peter - thank you for responding... without taking the thing apart (would hate to break anything) I don't know - I have poked my phone in and got the attached pics... any use to you in identifying the valves? D Attached Thumbnails

18th Sep 2014, 8:10 pm	#4
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Hi, They look like an EL84 output valve, EF86 pre-amp and an EZ80 rectifier. At least the chassis will most likely be isolated from the mains, which is good news. I have a Garrard deck with a similar arm and I had to drill a hole to accept a modern cartridge. I managed to hide the screw under the badge on top of the headshell, and mock-up a turn over knob that the original cartridge would have had. Hope this helps. Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

18th Sep 2014, 10:37 pm	#5
doodledave Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Chedburgh, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 4	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Thank you Pete - now I know at least what to look for - the phrase "I managed to...mock-up a turn over knob that the original cartridge would have had" just made me shudder, but as I doubt that I will ever play a 78, I think I will get away with a modern cartridge. So, would a modern cartridge just solder onto the wires and sit happily in the casing? Thank you so much

19th Sep 2014, 12:43 am	#6
Techman Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Lincolnshire, UK. Posts: 5,000	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Hi Dave, It's not that simple. you'll still need to drill the head and you may even need to make a spacer. You may need to link the channels from a modern stereo cartridge for connection to your mono amplifier. Also, your pictures show that it's fitted with a multi-stage amplifier. This is good news in that it'll be better quality reproduction and that a 'medium' output cartridge can be fitted rather than the now completely obsolete 'high' output versions. The bad news for you is that there WILL be component/s (if they haven't already been recently changed) that WILL need replacing to prevent serious and expensive damage to the amplifier. You may have had it powered up and it may have seemed to have worked, but rest assured that they nearly all work for a while before smoke, a 'bang', or even a small flame - and that will be the end of it forever. So to sum up - you'll need to service the amplifier and replace any interstage coupling capacitors. There's probably only one fitted in yours and that may be the only part that needs replacing at a cost of about a quid. Then you will need to service the record deck. It may seem to work, but as you haven't actually tried it with an actual record, you'll probably find it's all over the place. You'll also need to re-set the tracking weight with a new cartridge to prevent early destruction of your records and the new cartridge. Advise - read the 'sticky' threads at the top of this section and they'll tell you virtually all you need to know. Last edited by Techman; 19th Sep 2014 at 12:51 am.

19th Sep 2014, 10:16 am	#8
jonnybear Octode Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Cullompton, Devon, UK. Posts: 1,435	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... One of these would probably fit nicely.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-MONO-T...item4d22d93c83. John

19th Sep 2014, 10:23 am	#9
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... Hi, Just a few pics of the modification I did on my Garrard decks. I know the head shells are different, but they're just to give you an idea. Oops, the pic of the RC120 deck shows it pre-modded. Sorry. Cheers, Pete. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

19th Sep 2014, 12:17 pm	#10
doodledave Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Chedburgh, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 4	Re: HMV record player without stylus or cartridge... This is all fantastically helpful guys !! Thank you all so much