So I spent the evening yesterday "servicing" and cleaning my SL23. For a turntable thats probably 30 to 40 years old, I must say its in superb nick and sounds better than some of the more modern turntables. Ive had it in storage for at least 10 years, so it needed a fair bit of cleaning. Cosmetically, it is a beauty though - even the cover looks decent (a few swirl marks though).
One thing that needed attention was that this TT seemed at first to have varying speed at both 33 and 45 rpm. I lubed the pitch control pots and this helped considerably. I then "boiled" the belt as it seemed fairly strecthed and this helped even further. It nows plays almost perfectly - except I notice that the speed has a "notch" every now and then (possibly once every rotation). Its not audible at all but I can see it on the strobe light. I suspect the problem is the belt. If a new belt doesn't help, I'll replace DC servo board caps next.
I also noticed that while the TT plays pretty good sound that the stylus looks a little knackered. Its a Shure M44MB.
So questions are:
1. Where can I source a belt for this TT?
2. Is the M44MB still available? Are there better alternatives? Where can I get at decent prices?
And just for the fun of it, some pics I took:
One thing that needed attention was that this TT seemed at first to have varying speed at both 33 and 45 rpm. I lubed the pitch control pots and this helped considerably. I then "boiled" the belt as it seemed fairly strecthed and this helped even further. It nows plays almost perfectly - except I notice that the speed has a "notch" every now and then (possibly once every rotation). Its not audible at all but I can see it on the strobe light. I suspect the problem is the belt. If a new belt doesn't help, I'll replace DC servo board caps next.
I also noticed that while the TT plays pretty good sound that the stylus looks a little knackered. Its a Shure M44MB.
So questions are:
1. Where can I source a belt for this TT?
2. Is the M44MB still available? Are there better alternatives? Where can I get at decent prices?
And just for the fun of it, some pics I took:
