Yamaha P-(X)50 Turntable DIY Maintenance Thread P-350, P-450, P-550, P-750, P-751, P-10, P-20

[JakeW]

Hey Guys,
I've just came across this topic when searching the web, looking for Yamaha P-350 related topics. I just bought an old, tatty and shabby P350 for just ~$35. I didn't expect much, but besides scratched cover, missing hinges and broken stylus it was in surprisingly good and promising condition. I've done a lot of maintenance, cleaned it all, lube up in all necessary places, painted the headshell, replaced the cartridge and stylus, mount new hinges, and polish the cover. It actually was given a brand new life, and now looks magnificent in my opinion. I of course can upload some pictures if you're interested, but there's one issue I am facing - tonearm lift. There's absolutely no shock protection, when I move the switch to "down" position the arm falls down and almost hits the surface with a bang. When i move it to "up" position it lifts so rapidly, that I hits the underside of the cover.
Have you faced a malfunction like that? I know that the lift usually uses the oil to absorb shocks, but I'm not sure which to use, and how to disassemble the lift.
I'd be more then grateful for any help, tips, and support.

 

[Balifly]

Hey Guys,

There's absolutely no shock protection, when I move the switch to "down" position the arm falls down and almost hit the surface with a bang. When i move it ot "up" position it lifts so rapidly, that I hits the underside of the cover.
Have you faced a malfunction like that? I know that the lift usually uses the oil or lube to absorb shocks, but I'm not sure which to use, and how to disassemble the lift.
I'd be more then grateful for any help, tips, and support.

Welcome to the AK turn table forum.

Check the service manual for access to " tone arm lift ".
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/yamaha/p-350.shtml

Try 300,000 wt. silicone oil.
https://www.amazon.com/Boom-Racing-...ywords=Traxxas++Differential+Oil,+300K+Weight

 

[JakeW]

Thank you for both, the welcome, and the response.
I've download and printed out all the available documentation for this turntable, I found at vinylengine.com, at the very beginning of my maintenance-restoration works, but when I look through the manual, I see no information about arm lift disassemble, and as I it really fragile I'm a bit afraid to do something in a haphazard way.
As I clearly see that we have a Yamaha P(x)50 master of arts - reydelaplaya, I though it would be good idea to ask first.

 

[kbuch8586]

Hey everyone - I'm new to the forum. I just got into records - my friend gave me a yamaha p-450 that he found at the salvation army. I haven't changed anything on it...stylus and cartridge look ok...no noticeable sound degradation (but maybe I don't have a good baseline.) I did notice, however, that there is good amount of wobble, and it's coming from the platter mat/cover not sitting on the platter correctly....I looked into getting a new platter mat - 3/16" cork such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Turntable-To...1940&sr=1-2&keywords=turntable+toys+cork+3/16

However, I'm worried about changing the platter mat, since it doesn't look like there is a way to adjust the VTA on these things. Also....I don't know if 3/16" cork will be the exact same thickness as the original....Any thoughts or experiences doing something similar???????

 

[bobins08]

Hey everyone - I'm new to the forum. I just got into records - my friend gave me a yamaha p-450 that he found at the salvation army. I haven't changed anything on it...stylus and cartridge look ok...no noticeable sound degradation (but maybe I don't have a good baseline.) I did notice, however, that there is good amount of wobble, and it's coming from the platter mat/cover not sitting on the platter correctly....I looked into getting a new platter mat - 3/16" cork such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Turntable-Toys-TC-3-thick-Audiophile/dp/B01GK55EPY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1508931940&sr=1-2&keywords=turntable+toys+cork+3/16

However, I'm worried about changing the platter mat, since it doesn't look like there is a way to adjust the VTA on these things. Also....I don't know if 3/16" cork will be the exact same thickness as the original....Any thoughts or experiences doing something similar???????

You will effect VTA is you change mat thickness. Depending on the cartridge and stylus the change may be better, worse, or negligible.

I would measure the thickness of the stock mat and then buy or make a replacement of the same thickness. Herbies will have a nice rubber mat to your exact thickness.

I did like the way cork sounded on my P751 (which has VTA adjust).

Also --- Make sure you have good feet and good isolation from external vibration. My table needed vibrapods and a thick MDF shelf to sound its best. When these table are set up correctly they sound good.

 

[kbuch8586]

Hey everyone...I just tried to do a little maintenance on my p-450 and I think it backfired on me. First I removed the headshell to try and inspect the cartridge and needle. I'm still not sure what it is...I think most likely an adc xlm mkiii....it says omni pivot improved on the top...no other markings. The stylus just says 30 on the front. Anyway, I took it apart to inspect it, pout it back together and pout it back on the tonearm. When I tried playing a record again the volume was noticeably lower...about 7-10 db lower on my receiver to get the volume I had before. What could have caused this? Did I damage the stylus, cartridge, or headshell when I removed it? The sound quality doesn't sound much different...so I'm not sure what happened.

 

[kbuch8586]

Hey everyone...I just tried to do a little maintenance on my p-450 and I think it backfired on me. First I removed the headshell to try and inspect the cartridge and needle. I'm still not sure what it is...I think most likely an adc xlm mkiii....it says omni pivot improved on the top...no other markings. The stylus just says 30 on the front. Anyway, I took it apart to inspect it, pout it back together and pout it back on the tonearm. When I tried playing a record again the volume was noticeably lower...about 7-10 db lower on my receiver to get the volume I had before. What could have caused this? Did I damage the stylus, cartridge, or headshell when I removed it? The sound quality doesn't sound much different...so I'm not sure what happened.

Maybe I should also mention...the cantilever of the stylus looks slightly skewed...I'm not sure if I did that when removing it....and also I removed the cartridge completely...so when I put it back in I just eyeballed the alignment.

 

[Balifly]

I removed the cartridge completely...so when I put it back in I just eyeballed the alignment.

Your eyeballs and your ears maybe having a disagreement.

Re-align the cartridge properly and go from there.

 

[Sandrews]

Just bought one of these, it was stuck on 45. I tested R15 (first component after the 33/45 pin on the board), it was meg Ohms instead of 100 0hms, replaced it. Now speed changes and locks. Yay!

 

[Van_Isle]

I've got a P-550 that I'll have to tackle the tonearm bearings on.

It came to me without hinges. Now I can order the Linn-type hinge, but I think it will wobble in the holder (I have a set of near-identical Sony hinges which do) and probably the springs will punch through the backing just as fast as the originals. I've seen pictures of one example where other hinges were retrofitted (ebay completed listings) ... but it looks like some drilling of the cover would have been involved, which I'm a bit hesitant to try. Anyone have experience with other hinge types?

Also my mat has leaked 'oil' all over the platter. It isn't cracked but it's stiff as a board. I should have mat here that I can substitute. Anyway, something to keep an eye on with these turntables.

 

[jwjarch]

I just inherited a P-550 from a friend. It needs a good going through so I was thrilled to find this thread. Once I have it back in working shape are there any carts you guys prefer to use with the Yamahas? I'm thinking Ortofon 2M Red or AT100E right now.

 

[jwjarch]

Also considering the new line of AT carts. VM510cb perhaps. But there still aren't many reviews on these new ones.

 

[patient_ot]

Also considering the new line of AT carts. VM510cb perhaps. But there still aren't many reviews on these new ones.

I have a P-700 which is similar but part of a different Yamaha line. Tonearm mass should be about the same IIRC. I would skip the cart you mentioned above. It has a .6 mil conical and is the bottom of that range. The new AT carts don't appear to be much different from the previous generation, just minor tweaks to the design if any. If you could still find a new AT100E or AT120E those are good entry level carts. Note that AT carts in this series need to be loaded correctly to sound right. If your phono preamp has too much capacitance then I would either get a new one or select a different brand of cartridge.

RE: the 2M Red I don't recommend it, as I strongly dislike the sound. If you want a cheap Ortofon consider the OM-5E as a decent entry level cartridge with upgradable stylus.

 

[jwjarch]

I just finished cleaning up my P-550 this past weekend. I did the tonearm bearing cleanup followed by the azimuth adjust. Before this I couldn't get a consistent VTF measurement but after, it is very consistent and the tonearm floats nicely. I did this with a new AT95e cart. I couldn't pass up a decent entry level cart for $38 on amazon. I have some hours on the AT95e now and it's sounding better and better. Thanks again to Rey for starting this very helpful thread.

I now have a Vessel A3SV and a NOS ADC headshell on the way. Can't wait to get them installed and really hear the potential of this tt!

 

[reydelaplaya]

I just finished cleaning up my P-550 this past weekend. I did the tonearm bearing cleanup followed by the azimuth adjust. Before this I couldn't get a consistent VTF measurement but after, it is very consistent and the tonearm floats nicely. I did this with a new AT95e cart. I couldn't pass up a decent entry level cart for $38 on amazon. I have some hours on the AT95e now and it's sounding better and better. Thanks again to Rey for starting this very helpful thread.

I now have a Vessel A3SV and a NOS ADC headshell on the way. Can't wait to get them installed and really hear the potential of this tt!

Welcome to AK, @jwjarch glad to have you join us here.

Great to hear it's worked out well for you. I'm sure you're really going to enjoy that P-550. I'm still trying to justify tracking one down and having it shipped in. If you run across any problems, be sure to ask here on the forum.

 

[Van_Isle]

Good to hear it's all up and running!

Still wondering if anyone has tried any other hinges on the dustcovers for this series?

 

[jwjarch]

Thanks! I read somewhere on another thread about a finish nail trick with the old broken hinges. I think I'll give that a try. If it works I'll post about it here.

 

[reydelaplaya]

Good to hear it's all up and running!

Still wondering if anyone has tried any other hinges on the dustcovers for this series?

These are hinges that I use on my P-751. I just searched ebay for turntable hinges, and took a chance on ones that looked close. They're all metal, and from a parted out JVC turntable. The only modifications I had to do was put a shim of felt where it gripped the dustcover, and a slight shim in the hole of the base to keep that bottom half from rocking back and forth. Linn also makes similar hinges, but they're quite expensive in comparison.

 

[Mockduck]

My current play table is a Yamaha P350, which I like a lot, but as is fairly common the dust cover hinges are broken. If anyone has a good source for OEM hinges for this table, lemme know.

 

[Balifly]

My current play table is a Yamaha P350, which I like a lot, but as is fairly common the dust cover hinges are broken. If anyone has a good source for OEM hinges for this table, lemme know.

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