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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 28th Feb 2021, 11:14 pm   #1
ysgramor87
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Default Electric Gramophones

Hi everyone,

I have some question regards to Electric Gramophones.

1) I wonder which type cartridge they have, what I've seen there is always gramophone needle on them.

2) I presume, if old wander plugs could be replaced with modern RCA, then possible to connect them to modern amplifiers?

3) Some of them have bayonet connectors, can I find any adapter to convert modern plug?

Thanks in advance!

Fatih
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 8:56 am   #2
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

I guess what you are refering to is old 78rpm only turntables that use steel replaceable needles. If so, you may find that the old magnetic pick up heads in these will not match a modern amplifier very well.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 1:52 pm   #3
ysgramor87
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

Thank you Edward,

I meant that ones yes. Do you think it fits to radios with pickup inputs?

Cheers,

Fatih
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 2:32 pm   #4
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

Yes, that was what they were designed for.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 2:51 pm   #5
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

They're also often in a bad way, and need re-building, from what I've read (e.g. coil open circuit, and/or rubber bits hard and perished).
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 3:01 pm   #6
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

I agree. They nearly always need pickup head work and you'll struggle if you don't have the skills to repair them. If the heads aren't right they'll absolutely trash your 78s - they're best avoided in my opinion, unless you're really set on having one and can do the work always needed on the head and possibly the motor, which sometimes has pitch embedded capacitors, with sometimes no marked values on them. I should also mention the different impedance values of the head coils which can be from an ohm or two and needing a matching transformer, up to those with coils of thousands of ohms, then you'll need a good stock of 'play once only' needles to feed it with and some take special needles that you can't get anymore.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 3:51 pm   #7
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

My 1950's Odhams "Radio Televison and Electrical Repairs" book says that the rubber items in this type of pick-up will probably need replacing. That advice was given more than 60 years ago, so certainly something to be checked. The book mentions three different types: crystal, moving coil, and moving iron. Repair of the first two types was considered to be something best left to the manufacturers, but advice was gven on overhauling the moving iron type, by far the most common type then found. The most important thing was to fit a keeper between the poles of the permanent magnet before dismantling to prevent loss of magnetism.

Last edited by emeritus; 1st Mar 2021 at 4:00 pm.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 4:17 pm   #8
ysgramor87
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

Thanks everyone, sounds like I should avoid for now ��

Cheers,

Fatih
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Old 2nd Mar 2021, 10:40 am   #9
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

A good place to learn about these pickups is to watch some of Norman Field's videos on YouTube. He revives some and his explanations are very good.
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Old 2nd Mar 2021, 2:25 pm   #10
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

Here's a scan of the section on pickups from the Odhams book.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Moving iron PU.pdf (420.4 KB, 56 views)
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 6:09 pm   #11
ysgramor87
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Default Re: Electric Gramophones

Thank you for your help, definetely I'll read that scan and watch that videos.
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