Philips Disc Jockey Major dead cartridge - solutions?

[roxarama]

I have some dead headshells and cartridges I would like to renovate or replace. Are they still available? Crazy prices? Is there a proven budget mono flipover cartridge which can be made to fit? I have a few of the swivel-type as well as a flipover one in a broader headshell. I'll post some photos asap.

[Audio1950]

The "swivel" types can be fitted with replacement cartridges if they are very narrow, such as the BSR SC11 (without the mounting bracket) but a way has to be found to mount them in the headshell. The wider type headshell will take any cartridge, the only modification being a hole drilled through the top to take a fixing screw. The problem is that some of the Philips arms have no provision for weight adjustment, so that a new cartridge may be far too heavy. Again, a BSR SC11, which is very light, should be acceptable. If the arm does have weight adjustment, though, there is no problem.

[Edward Huggins]

It will tend to look a bit of a bodge to fit a standard flip-under, or turnover cartidge, to the Philips tone arm. Even if you did, correct tracking may be a problem.
In many cases you can still buy the correct Philips type - a photo will help.
It all depends on how much you value your player.

[paulsherwin]

Will the Chinese red cartridges fit?

[roxarama]

Thanks for those ideas evryone. What are Chinese red cartridges? Any more detail?

[paulsherwin]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turntable...A/312639574611

There are many alternative suppliers.

[ben]

I have successfully fitted Chuo Denshi clone chinese carts into Philips headshells. see here.

[slidertogrid]

This is the sort of thing.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...rtridge&_sop=2

The problem is as Edward has said the tracking will be a problem. The Philips Disc Jockey record players use their own special cartridge. It can be stripped out and a more conventional cartridge fitted into the shell but the Philips tone arm has no provision for adjusting the weight of the arm and you may find that the arm will be much too heavy for the replacement cartridge. I haven't checked if they have any in stock but Musonic used to supply the correct type but at a price...
The Philips cartridges are not all duff I have one that was fitted to my record player in the 1960's the player has been kept in a dry bedroom since and the cartridge is still fine. Others I have seen have leeched a green liquid as the rubber inside degrades if dismantled the crystal and rubbers inside will be found to have degraded into a gooey mess.
It's a case of searching out a good used cartridge they do appear from time to time as lots of Philips record players and grams used them or sumping up for a new one.

Rich.


Post crossed

[slidertogrid]

I assume this is the original type you have ?
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/philips_ag3016.html

[roxarama]

This the original on the DJ Major. I'll have to rummage around here for the others.

[roxarama]

Originally Posted by slidertogrid

I assume this is the original type you have ?
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/philips_ag3016.html

That one swivels to change stylus whereas mine is a flip-over version but I expect either will do.

[roxarama]

Originally Posted by ben

I have successfully fitted Chuo Denshi clone chinese carts into Philips headshells. see here.

Mine has a female socket but it might not matter. No tracking weight problems? My player's tonearm has no weight adjustment.

[roxarama]

[QUOTE=slidertogrid;1156693]This is the sort of thing.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...rtridge&_sop=2

At that price I'll get one anyway. Thanks for the info.

[roxarama]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Turntable...A/312639574611

There are many alternative suppliers.

Yes, I'll get one; but I play mostly 78s on this player so it isn't a complete solution. Thanks for the info.

[roxarama]

It's not a Major. It's a Philips Autosonic Disc Jockey (with autochanger)

[Techman]

Originally Posted by roxarama

Yes, I'll get one; but I play mostly 78s on this player so it isn't a complete solution. Thanks for the info.

It is a complete solution if you buy two and use the second one for just its stylus - after all, they're cheap enough! You paint the second red stylus mount green and swap it over for the red one in the fixed black cartridge body when you want to play 78s. The stylus tip won't be correct for 78s as it'll be a little too narrow, so will tend to track the bottom of the wider 78 groove, but will soon bed in. With the light pickup weight it's very unlikely to do any damage to the shellac 78 records - others may disagree, but I've actually done this myself with success

[roxarama]

The dead cartridge has a 78 stylus and one for microgroove so I might be able to salvage them to use on the Chinese cartridge. Thanks for the suggestions.

[wd40addict]

Why not just get the Chinese type with flip under LP /78 stylus?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/78rpm-LP-...s/253059983279

[Audio1950]

Originally Posted by roxarama

The dead cartridge has a 78 stylus and one for microgroove so I might be able to salvage them to use on the Chinese cartridge. Thanks for the suggestions.

Not possible, I'm afraid. The two styli are completely different.

[roxarama]

Originally Posted by wd40addict

Why not just get the Chinese type with flip under LP /78 stylus?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/78rpm-LP-...s/253059983279

Bingo. Excellent.