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Old 18th Mar 2019, 4:30 pm   #1
TomBazeley
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Default PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

Hello. Complete novice here seeking expertise.

I've just been given a PYE Black Box record player as a birthday present. It's lovely, but skipping all over the place on most LPs, often distorted, and there's a faint whine for half a side of every record I play, which fades away eventually. I'd like to fix all that, and would welcome some advice.

Here's what I've found out so far, from browsing here and elsewhere:

The deck is a BSR "Monarch" UA6 autochanger.
The fitted cartridge is a Goldring MX2 turnover thing, which I gather is a mono cartridge.

Er, that's it.

The sound from the speakers seems fine, and the distortion is intermittent, not the kind I'd expect if there was a problem at the amp/speaker end. I suspect I need to replace the stylus or the cartridge, but what do I know?

Help, please!
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 5:58 pm   #2
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

Have you been trying to play Stereo LPs on this? The Goldring MX2 cartridge is for Mono records only. It's possible that any of your Stereo LPs played on this may now be permanently damaged. To avoid any further issues, you need to get a stereo-compatible cartridge asap.
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Old 18th Mar 2019, 6:21 pm   #3
paulsherwin
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

It sounds as if this is completely unrestored. If so, there are likely to be multiple problems with it.
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Old 19th Mar 2019, 1:03 am   #4
RojDW48
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

My daughter lives in Frome. I could take a look when I'm down that way if you like and give you an idea of what needs doing and where to look in the forum for advice. Nice players when they work.

NB - don't post personal info (Tel number etc) on this public forum. Send me a private message.
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Old 21st Mar 2019, 3:01 pm   #5
TomBazeley
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

Thanks folks (and don't worry, it was tested on an old LP bought second hand, so nothing precious!). Roj, I will drop you a line, that's very kind of you.
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Old 22nd Mar 2019, 1:08 am   #6
suebutcher
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

Groove damage aside, mono cartridges do tend to skip on stereo records even if there's no problem with the arm or tracking force. You should be testing the machine with an old mono record.
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Old 22nd Mar 2019, 7:19 am   #7
Ed_Dinning
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Default Re: PYE Black Box cartridge/needle replacement

Yes, be careful not to run the BB until it has been checked. The transformers in these sets are a weak point, faulty coupling caps can easily damage them.

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