reydelaplaya
Super Member
As you all well know, I have a particular affinity for the Yamaha P-(X)50 series of turntables. This series, offered around the turn-of-the-decade 70s/80s, has often been my recommendation to fellow members when they ask about getting a nice vintage, consumer-grade turntable within a modest budget. They're well made, easy to operate, and have very good specs. IMHO, a great 'bang for the buck' turntable.
Owning a couple, and having worked on a few, I have decided to provide some DIY maintenance walkthroughs to help resolve or prevent common issues that arise in this series.
While there were some different options to choose from in this series, there are also parts that are common throughout the entire line.
I would recommend downloading any manuals for your particular turntable from AudioKarma's AKDatabase or VinylEngine to assist in identifying parts, schematics, or any procedures. A link to the particular AKDatabase or VinylEngine page (if exists) is provided below by clicking on the model number heading.
P-10
The Yamaha P-10 is a 2-speed, belt drive, auto-return turntable. While it doesn't match the P-(X)50 nomenclature so I am not absolutely certain, this seems to be a rebadged P-350. While the P-350 was marketed as being semi-automatic, and the P-10 only being auto-return, the lifting mechanism is most likely the same as the lowering mechanism, which should make these tables physically and functionally identical. With that in mind, since a separate P-10 information page doesn't exist on VE, I have linked to the P-350 page instead.
(This is just a guess, but from looking at it in a business perspective, it looks as if when the P-(X)50 series was discontinued and the later P-(X)20 line took its place, there were still some P-350s and P-550s left over. It appears they ended up getting rebadged and carried over to the bottom of the newer series.)
P-20
The Yamaha P-20 is a fully automatic, servo controlled, 2-speed, adjustable, direct drive turntable. Here again, like the P-10, this table is most certainly a rebadge. Having bought and serviced a P-20 as a gift for my parents last year, there is no doubt in my mind that the P-20 is actually a P-550. Excepting the labeling, everything inside and out is identical to the P-550 service manual. Since a P-20 information page does not exist at the moment, the link to the P-550 page has been provided. Also: See footnote in P-10 above.
P-350
The Yamaha P-350 is a semi-automatic, belt drive, 2-speed, servo controlled turntable.
P-450
The Yamaha P-450 is a fully automatic, belt drive, 2-speed, adjustable, servo controlled turntable.
P-550
The Yamaha P-550 is a fully automatic, servo controlled, 2-speed, adjustable, direct drive turntable.
P-750 / P-751
The Yamaha P-750/P-751 is a fully automatic, quartz lock, 2-speed, direct drive turntable with adjustable VTA. I own two of this model, and will be using the one that is currently on my bench for repairs as the model for photos in the subsequent write-ups.
For the moment, I am leaving the P-850 off of this list. While I suspect it has a lot in common with the rest of the line, I am not familiar with, nor have I worked on its motorized tonearm and FWD/REV controls.
This thread will be constructed in stages, depending on the topic addressed, and a linked table of contents will be edited in below as new topics are covered. I am also open to questions or suggestions, so please feel free to ask if there's something you'd like to see covered or discussed.
- rey
Disclaimer: I am not a Yamaha technician, I am only doing this for the enjoyment of helping others keep these great vintage turntables running even longer. The information provided is for reference only. Choosing to repair your turntable following the guides below is entirely a YMMV situation. There are no guarantees.
References: Technical information provided above was sourced from AKDatabase and/or VinylEngine. All images sourced from the internet.
EDITED to repair image source links
Owning a couple, and having worked on a few, I have decided to provide some DIY maintenance walkthroughs to help resolve or prevent common issues that arise in this series.
While there were some different options to choose from in this series, there are also parts that are common throughout the entire line.
I would recommend downloading any manuals for your particular turntable from AudioKarma's AKDatabase or VinylEngine to assist in identifying parts, schematics, or any procedures. A link to the particular AKDatabase or VinylEngine page (if exists) is provided below by clicking on the model number heading.
P-10
The Yamaha P-10 is a 2-speed, belt drive, auto-return turntable. While it doesn't match the P-(X)50 nomenclature so I am not absolutely certain, this seems to be a rebadged P-350. While the P-350 was marketed as being semi-automatic, and the P-10 only being auto-return, the lifting mechanism is most likely the same as the lowering mechanism, which should make these tables physically and functionally identical. With that in mind, since a separate P-10 information page doesn't exist on VE, I have linked to the P-350 page instead.
(This is just a guess, but from looking at it in a business perspective, it looks as if when the P-(X)50 series was discontinued and the later P-(X)20 line took its place, there were still some P-350s and P-550s left over. It appears they ended up getting rebadged and carried over to the bottom of the newer series.)
P-20
The Yamaha P-20 is a fully automatic, servo controlled, 2-speed, adjustable, direct drive turntable. Here again, like the P-10, this table is most certainly a rebadge. Having bought and serviced a P-20 as a gift for my parents last year, there is no doubt in my mind that the P-20 is actually a P-550. Excepting the labeling, everything inside and out is identical to the P-550 service manual. Since a P-20 information page does not exist at the moment, the link to the P-550 page has been provided. Also: See footnote in P-10 above.
P-350
The Yamaha P-350 is a semi-automatic, belt drive, 2-speed, servo controlled turntable.
P-450
The Yamaha P-450 is a fully automatic, belt drive, 2-speed, adjustable, servo controlled turntable.
P-550
The Yamaha P-550 is a fully automatic, servo controlled, 2-speed, adjustable, direct drive turntable.
P-750 / P-751
The Yamaha P-750/P-751 is a fully automatic, quartz lock, 2-speed, direct drive turntable with adjustable VTA. I own two of this model, and will be using the one that is currently on my bench for repairs as the model for photos in the subsequent write-ups.
For the moment, I am leaving the P-850 off of this list. While I suspect it has a lot in common with the rest of the line, I am not familiar with, nor have I worked on its motorized tonearm and FWD/REV controls.
This thread will be constructed in stages, depending on the topic addressed, and a linked table of contents will be edited in below as new topics are covered. I am also open to questions or suggestions, so please feel free to ask if there's something you'd like to see covered or discussed.
- rey
Disclaimer: I am not a Yamaha technician, I am only doing this for the enjoyment of helping others keep these great vintage turntables running even longer. The information provided is for reference only. Choosing to repair your turntable following the guides below is entirely a YMMV situation. There are no guarantees.
References: Technical information provided above was sourced from AKDatabase and/or VinylEngine. All images sourced from the internet.
EDITED to repair image source links
Last edited: