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Old 26th Feb 2021, 12:04 pm   #1
dualloop
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Default Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Hi,

Last week, I picked up a Bush RP50 record player for £35, and apart from needed a sanding down and respray to the casing, it seemed to be in mostly good working order.
I do have some advice to seek if possible?

When I turn it on, it takes around 10-15 seconds for the speaker to produce any sound. Is this due to the valves warming up?

Some records skip and some are OK, but there doesn't appear to be a specific reason. For example, one that was in near mint condition skipped but one that was in worse condition played OK. Also didn't matter if it was a LP or Single.
78s played OK with the flip over stylus.
I changed the stylus with a new old stock one which has improved the sound but it still skips randomly.
Is there a place where I can adjust the tracking force?

Lastly, while the auto start and stop work, it seems to place the stylus just after the begining of a track on an LP, singles are not affected.
Is there a place I can adjust this?
I thought the hole on the far end of the tone arm would help but didn't want to start fiddling until I was sure.
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 12:17 pm   #2
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Welcome! The warming up time is quite normal for a valved unit. The tone arm can be adjusted by the tension spring to be found inside the rear end of the tone arm. The pick up set down position can be adjusted by the small bolt facing you at the base of the tone arm mounting when you lift it up. It's a very sensitive adjustment. The skipping may be due to a too light tracking weight. Set it to 5 grams and then see how it goes. Your Autochanger is a BSR UA25 and a Service Sheet for this can be found from the "Service Data" link top RHS of this page. Please do keep us informed of just how you get on!
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 12:22 pm   #3
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Yes, the delay in sound is due to the valves warming up, so no problem there. To adjust stylus pressure, there is a spring underneath the arm. It is attached to a hook at the base of the arm, and at the other end, nearest the cartridge, is pressed into a small metal square set into the arm. Remove that end, and replace it a short distance further towards the end of the spring, thus shortening the spring by a small amount. However, be aware that the correct stylus pressure is essential to the care of your records, so you should ideally have a stylus pressure gauge. To adjust the dropping position, there is a horizontal screw that sticks out of the bracket that holds the arm. Offhand, I can't remember which way to turn it to make the arm land further out, but it will soon be apparent with a bit of trial and error. The hole in the end of the arm is to adjust the arms' height.

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Old 26th Feb 2021, 12:34 pm   #4
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Thanks Barrry.
I'll have a go this evening.

Also, I wanted to remove the front three knobs to spray some WD40 in as I get the occasional crackle when adjusting them but I cannot seem to remove these.
They feel like they are attached in some way on the other side so I don't want to risk snapping them off.
Should these just pop off when pulled?
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 1:15 pm   #5
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Don't use WD40 unless it is the special switch cleaner version. Ordinary WD40 may seem to work to start with but will soon gum up the potentiometers. It would probably be better to get to the back of the potentiometers and spray some switch cleaner into any holes or gaps you see in the cases.
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 1:26 pm   #6
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Thanks for the heads up Paul.
I do have some of that kicking around so I'll use that.
How do I get behind to the potentiometers?
I tried this a couple of nights ago but couldn't get the cover off that protects the speaker and knobs.
It was almost like it was caught on something so I suspect I need to remove the base the turntable sits on?
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 1:37 pm   #7
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

No need to remove the motor board. Just take out the screws from the rear cover panel and you'll find it sits in a slot at the nearest end of the motor board. Ease it out. In the potentiometer casings you should see a slot to spray the (ideally) SERVISOL 10 in.
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Old 26th Feb 2021, 1:47 pm   #8
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

I am not familiar with this particular record player, but on the ones I have come across the board from behind the speaker sits in a groove cut into the base board. There may be someone else who is more familiar with these but otherwise all you can really do is follow your instinct as you look at it.

Edit. I have just come across a youtube video showing one of these being disassembled. It seems that the board on the rear of the speaker does just slot into a groove in the base plate. It also mentions U series valves which suggests that this is a "live chassis" model. This means that the amplifier chassis can be connected directly to the mains when plugged in even when switched off so be very careful if you take it apart. The video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9tcFmiTif4
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Old 28th Feb 2021, 6:37 pm   #9
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

These seem to have sockets for tape/speaker on the front so cannot be live chassis designs.

I had one with a C129 deck, but most the online pics seem to feature the earlier equivalent UA25.
Both decks have a rather crude plastic arm so not the best at tracking more recent records, I seem to recall thigns like disco 12" singles being a problem.

You can minimize groove jumping by ensuring the cartridge is a BSR x5m, with stylus ST15 (or ST12, ST14 if you own 78s). Check someone hasn't bunged in the plastic-shanked ST8/9/10 - a bad idea in these!
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Old 28th Feb 2021, 6:52 pm   #10
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Quote:
Originally Posted by ben View Post
These seem to have sockets for tape/speaker on the front so cannot be live chassis designs.
Ben, the RP50 (and later RP60) are live chassis designs, despite having a three core mains lead, speaker and tape outlets. Also, I think that the earth from the mains lead just goes to the autochanger chassis.
As far as I can recall the tape outlet is simply resistively tapped from the speaker outlet which is not connected to chassis, although there may be a separate winding on the output transformer for the tape output as it's been a while since I had dealings with one of these machines.



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Old 28th Feb 2021, 10:12 pm   #11
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Thanks for the correction Andy, make sense.
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Old 28th Feb 2021, 10:22 pm   #12
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Thanks for the replies.
Annoying I didn't ask about the stylus first.
This was fitted with an ST9 so I replaced with a new old stock.
I will try to get an ST14 instead as it is still skipping despite it tracking at more reasonable weight.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 12:16 am   #13
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Before buying anything, post a photo of the cartridge and stylus assembly as-is. Just so we can be sure.
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Old 1st Mar 2021, 8:48 am   #14
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

The BSR ST9 is a low-compliance stylus better suited to high-output cartridges. I'm sure you will find a BSR ST12 or ST14 will track much better and weighted a c.5grams.
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Old 3rd Mar 2021, 10:53 pm   #15
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Hi,

I've attached a photo of the stylus and cartridge.
I've tried to balance it using scales but I cannot get an accurate reading.
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Old 3rd Mar 2021, 11:40 pm   #16
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Hmm, that rubber V -block in the cart seems quite chunky, so that plastic stylus may well be the right one. In any case, if that has been left there for years then the rubber will have altered shape to accomodate the wider plastic shank. So a metal stylus might well 'rattle about' in it.

If you unclip the blue cartridge from its white bracket, there ought to be a number printed on top. This will allow is to give a definitive answer as to what stylus it came with and /or possible suitable replacement carts.
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Old 4th Mar 2021, 10:37 pm   #17
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Hi,

The cartridge is a BSR type X4H.

Cheers,
Karl
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Old 4th Mar 2021, 11:23 pm   #18
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

In that case, it takes the plastic shanked stylus that you have. These are low compliance cartridges and styli which coupled with the plastic arm, make for pretty poor performers on some types of music in particular.

The bad news is that you cannot replace it with a higher compliance cartridge because the output will be too low.

You could always attempt to fit an ST 15 or other metal shanked stylus (see my previous post), but good results are not guaranteed.
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 9:13 am   #19
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

Quote:
Originally Posted by dualloop View Post
Hi,

The cartridge is a BSR type X4H.

Cheers,
Karl
Whilst I have never come across a BSR X4H cartridge, the "H" suffix means it is a high-output type and I must advise you that this is the wrong cartidge for your record player. It may have been wrongly fitted by a previous owner.
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 9:40 am   #20
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Default Re: Bush RP50 record player - some advice

This has come up before:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...8&postcount=11
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