Vertical Playing Records
 

I am looking for thoughts, advice and opinions regarding the Sony PS-F5 and PS-F9 vertical record players. I wondered if any of the members have owned one or had experience of them. I have been trying to find one as I have limited space and from what I can gather they are quite unique. Also as they seem to be difficult to find has anyone bought one of the new generation of vertical players. Any help and advice would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Mitsubishi also made a vertical record player or deck, and Sharp made 'both sides play' vertical record players as well.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

The PS-F9 and F5 do t turn up very often, but when they do they go for silly money, I was after one, but gave up! The modern ones will probably be about as good as a Steepletone, which are not very good!

As mentioned above, there were vertical players from Mitsubishi and Sharp, I have a Sharp VZ3500, took a bit of work to get it going, its belt drive, so needed new belts, motor bearings needed a drop of oil too, but once working it sounded pretty good.

I also have another space saving turntable, a Sony PS-Q7, that is a direct drive turntable designed to fit with a micro system, the Sony FH series, they are about a quarter size of a record! They also turn up more often than the vertical ones, and are much cheaper too. There is a belt drive version the PS-Q3 too. If you go for one of these make sure you get one with a cartridge fitted, that also works too, as they are impossible to find on their own, the stylus is easy enough to find though, luckily.

Regards
Lloyd

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Thank you for answers to my questions, I am keeping my options open at the moment, I like the look of the Sony unit in the photograph.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Vertical turntable systems were a gimmick introduced at the end of the record era on modest consumer systems, even the Bush brand was in on the act. Not sure I would trust my record collection to one.

The Project VT-E?, whose gravity defying conventional looking arm is definitely a talking point, might be worth a look.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

I saw these successfully in action during the 90's. A trendy item as PJL suggests but somewhat counter-intuitive in themselves, whatever system the mechanism employed to keep the horizontal stylus against the record???.
On a par with the 60's "portable" record players with which you inserted the records into a slot-short lived!

As with the conventional 78 rpm acetate or later Viny discs, even the original Edison Talking Machines employed a stylus reproducing the audio signal vertically on to and from a wax cylinder mounted... horizontally! Given the decades of effort subsequently devoted towards developing conventional record decks and sound reproduction, I don't think I would want to risk my vinyl played upright!

Dave W

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

These can't do your records any good in the long run.

Good to have one and some old records that don't matter too much to play on it to amuse your visitors!

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Thanks again gentlemen for your comments regarding vertical record players, very helpful.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Not just at the end of the record era. My mum bought one out of Kay's catalogue in the early seventies. It was the size of a large radio and made of plastic with teak wood effect. When playing an LP some of the record was protruding out of the slit and you could watch it going round. The first one that came we used for a couple of days but it was damaged slightly on arrival a crack in the body of it so she sent it back. It's replacement was even more damaged on arrival so that went back and she cancelled the order. Shame as I never got to get to know it I can't remember the make even.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Having owned both the F5 & F9 I can understand why they are so rare. They have an excellent sound the quality of which is difficult to comprehend. Were it not for the other half I would still own them. If I recall they went for circa £400 & £800 for the F5 & F9 respectively a couple of years ago; but expect to pay more now.
Joe

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

I would also love a Sony PS-F5 or 9 but, sadly, the prices they're fetching are a bit off-putting!

If 60 degrees rather than 'vertical' would do, how about a Vestax PVT-E2? ;)

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

I sold my Brother one of Amstrad Linear vertical record players back in my Rumbelows days.
The door fell off the Speakers blew but apart from that it worked well for many years.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Weren't the players in some juke-boxes of the 'vertical' variety?

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

I think that's right about Juke boxes! Those Sony machines look quite 'high end' which may account for the high prices. The ones I saw were much more domestic and like a regular deck but up-ended!

Dave

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

One problem I have found with the PS-Q7 is that there isn’t much room between the lid and the base, so if you happen to have some slightly warped records they can catch and completely stall the player! I’ve not had that problem with the Sharp VZ3500, which has much more clearance inside it. Looking at the thin slot on the PS-F5 and 9 this might also be a problem with those too.

Regards
Lloyd

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

Yes I've heard some jukeboxes played the singles vertically.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

There's the Sharp 'Optonica' RP114 vertical player of the early 80s.

Quite a thing in its day. Linear tracking, with two stylii which will play both side of the record if desired. My son bought one some years ago and as is generally the case, the drive belt had turned to goo. It looked like a nightmare job to strip down and replace the belt but we discovered that the new belt could be fed through from the front around the 'boss' supports the record when playing. We were able to hook the belt through from the rear and feed it around the periphery of the drum. I mentioned it in this forum thread:

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=102440

However, I've just discovered an excellent 'Tech-Moan' video on youtube which shows that it's actually quite easy to replace the belt by disconnecting the PCB and putting it to one side to give access to the drive 'drum' around which the belt runs. A useful commentary on the Optonica too. It gets confused with picture discs and can't play white or clear discs due to the optical sensor getting confused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_YAmDbEuPg

There are countless offerings of new belts on internet so I guess there must have been quite a lot of these players sold back in the early 80s.

It must have been quite a thing in its day.

Hope that's of interest.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

All Seeburgs from the M100A onwards (static magazine, travelling player, tonearm with two styli to play one side or the other), and some of the later 45rpm Wurlitzer machines (static player, revolving magazine, record taken from one of two positions 180° apart depending on selected side).

NSM vinyl jukeboxes also use a vertical play mechanism which is very similar to a Seeburg, but uses separate motors for moving the carriage and playing the record.

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

A picture of a Wurlitzer, stereo version using a Sonotone 8TA cartridge.

Record wear with Wurlitzers and Seeburgs no greater than with horizontal designs.

Alan

Re: Vertical Playing Records
 

I have a Sony PS-Q7 and find the rumble from the thin aluminium stalk that is the tonearm to be quite annoying with low-volume parts of songs.

I'm not that bothered as I think I paid a fiver for it with a broken belt on the tonearm drive.

As for the F5 and F9; aren't they victims of the Techmoan effect ??


There is a Sharp VZ 2000 or 3000 (can't remember which) at an antiques shop near me for £80 [I think] and I have often admired it and then thought of all the problems I might have with it.