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Back to vinyl (Technics SL-1900)

EK517

EK517

New Member
Hi all (again).

It has been a long time since I posted here. Last time it was about my Sansui 517 amp, wonderfully restored by ScottRT.
I moved a bit since then, Prague for a while and now Israel.
I picked up the turntable from my parents' place. A Technics SL-1900.
I grew up listening to it. It saw almost no use in the past 30 years but I got the bug, a sizable record collection and recognizing that connection to my past and in some way, to my late father who was a symphony musician.

To be honest, not until last week, when for the first time the stylus and records were properly cleand, did I know how wonderful this medium can sound. Rather amazing.

I have been touching it up. The speed control potentiometers could not keep the speed steady until I gave them a good cleaning, for that not only did I take it apart but also put it back together with no extra pieces to report.

I noticed a slight (1-2mm) wobble; I think the rubber mat is the culprit here, it may have warped or dried unevenly. I am thinking of getting a new one, RGS0008 I believe is the part number.
Also started to look at maybe upgrading the stylus, the head is Grad F3+

For some reason all 4 feet are missing, I will need to address that as well.

Last night I drove downtown to the 3rd Ear, an iconic record store that closes late, and picked up some wonderful records, for next to nothing and those are recordings I doubt were ever released in CD.

The sound quality is so easy on the ears, especially with the Sansui, and it is a perfect way to end the day that way.

I am hooked.
Best,
Erez
 
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image.jpeg Hello and welcome to AK. I also have a sl1900 that I received for free and a really nice sounding table. Currently I have a audio technica At100E on it but when I was running a Sansui 7000 reciever it really sounded sweet with a Ortofon blue cart.
 
We are all pleased that you are now hearing the magic that was instilled in the vinyl of old.for the first time. It does require some effort to reclaim it, but for those of us that do, we are handsomely rewarded. I do not think that the engineers that recorded it ever fully heard what they had accomplished back then.
 
I just helped my neighbor revive the 1900 that he bought new in the 70s. He has an AT440mlB on it and he can't get over how good it sounds, not to mention how piece of his distant past is suddenly back up and running like new. His is also missing a foot - seems to be a common thing.
 
Years ago, I attempted to replicate my father's old stereo system, which I had fond memories of growing up listening to. The turntable was an SL-1900.
His was still available to me, if I wanted to have it shipped 3000 miles, but the tonearm would not lower. I soon found out that this was a common issue with this ageing model, which kept me from acquiring one. I never did recreate his system. I gave up after receiving both the eBay purchased Sony receiver and Technics cassette deck in non working order, despite the owner's claims that they were in operational condition. At this point, I no longer have a desire to obtain those components, but I still wouldn't mind having a working SL-1900 to integrate into the works.
 
I had an SL-1900 which had the same problem of the tonearm occasionally not lowering, or at an unacceptably low speed. The reason for this in that model is always the tonearm lift assembly being stuck due to old grease. I took mine halfway apart and sprayed parts of the actuator with some cleaning solution. That was very risky, for the correct way to do it is to clean everyting completely and top up the lift with oil of correct viscosity. However, it did the job perfectly.

The good thing about this turntable is its robustness: there's no real design flaw, so chances are next to nothing that something's seriously damaged in a unit that doesn't work right.
 
I seen many old SL 1900s lose feet.
This gonna cost much for the feet.

Btw how to fix that 2-3 mm wobble strobo speed dots to stable rotation?
 
Sprungtol said:
I seen many old SL 1900s lose feet.
This gonna cost much for the feet.

Btw how to fix that 2-3 mm wobble strobo speed dots to stable rotation?
Click to expand...

The feet go for $30-$50 each. IMO worth it if you're missing one. The wobble can be corrected by spraying the pots with Faderlube and working them back and forth. There are two on the circuit board plus the speed control knob if I recall correctly.
 
Wow, wonderful feedback from the group. Thanks a lot.
Regarding the feet, could you recommend an alternative to procuring original parts? Even original parts are not that easy to obtain and being abroad, that would be rather expensive, with international shipping.
 
I took delivery today of an ART DJPRE II and hooked it up.
I was curious if it was going to make a difference compared to the built in phono input of the Sansui AU 517.
It does: the sound is clearer and better soundstage.
Who would have thought that a $34 phono can sound so good... now I am curious to try other ones...
Great fun.
 
:):)
EK517 said:
Wow, wonderful feedback from the group. Thanks a lot.
Regarding the feet, could you recommend an alternative to procuring original parts? Even original parts are not that easy to obtain and being abroad, that would be rather expensive, with international shipping.
Click to expand...

I got 4 vibrapod cones off Ebay. The cone metal tip actually fits perfectly right where the original foot would meet the rubber "cap".
I does isolate vibrations pretty well: i can tap on the surface on which it stands without it getting picked up as before. I think the sound is somewhat improved. I like it
 
Just had a friend give me his vintage equipment, he is retiring and slimming down his life. The turntable I received from him is the SL-1900, with manuals for both the turntable and the cartridge, ADC LXII. I was going to have the cartridge checked out, but this thread makes me believe it will be a good vintage turntable to have and listen too. He also handed me a Marantz 2235B to power the sound. I just had it cleaned, and all new lights put in. Thanks for the thread, I will post photos of this vintage equipment when ready! For those that have been asking about that cartridge, it seems to be a mystery somewhat. I can scan the 4-page sheet that has the specs, and warranty info on it, if that would help? This man was a pharmacist, and very meticulous with his hi-fi equipment. Not to mention the 150 albums he handed me also! Thanks again for the thread on the SL-1900! I can't wait to crank it up soon!
 
A few updates on my 1900
I got a new rubber mat for it (RGS0008) off ebay which pretty much solved the wobble.
A friend of mine adjusted the cartridge for me and it made a huge difference. I think my father just bought a cartridge and a shell on a tour at some point and that was the upgrade to the nagaoka jt 411 cartridge. I doubt he even knew anything about cartridge adjustment.

My friend used a ruler to measure the overhang distance. I later checked the cartridge against a protractor and it was spot on.
I think a simple Technics overhang gauge, which is dirt cheap, is a great starting point for cartridge adjustment.

Setting that up correctly, the pressure weight and VTA made a huge improvement.

I also got a cheap used Rega a2d phono stage (from a Russian ebay seller).
It is better than the Art DJPro, but not by as much as I had anticipated/hoped. Maybe with a better cartridge/stylus the difference would be more pronounced, in any case, the Art is no slouch - at all.

Great fun.
 
TechnicsOverhangcolor1a.jpg
 
Just found this post. Glad to see it as I've just picked up a 1900 with three missing feet. @EK517 so are you saying the cones just nestle where the feet used to screw into the base ?

Mine also has a cracked lid, a broken tonearm clip and who knows what else! Just as well it was cheap.
 
rrobot said:
Just found this post. Glad to see it as I've just picked up a 1900 with three missing feet. @EK517 so are you saying the cones just nestle where the feet used to screw into the base ?

Mine also has a cracked lid, a broken tonearm clip and who knows what else! Just as well it was cheap.
Click to expand...

Congrats on your 1900. Kind of a lost in the mix table compared to the other technics but sounds great. Since it’s missing 3 feet might be a good time to upgrade feet or find some used on the bay. Most items you can find used on the bay. My lid was scratched on top pretty bad so I kept searching for a better one that wasn’t scratched as bad as mine. I found one that had a slight crack in the hinge area but without deep swirl marks. I sold my old one for half since it still was usable.
 
Yes it is somewhat lost in the pantheon of technics DD turntables. I used to DJ a bit and am familiar with the SL-1200 Mk2..those are very well built and over-engineered machines and I really admire the technics heritage. These SL-1900 decks, despite not having anywhere near the pedigree of many others in the direct drive family still share enough design cues with the DJ workhorse for me to be somewhat impressed. I'd like to restore this machine if I can and of course the automatic features are of great value to me over the 100% manual SL-1200/1210.

Living in Australia means parts are challenging - postage and exchange rate is a killer. I'd actually like to put SL1200 feet on this deck but I'm not sure if there's room under the base to fit the M8 grommet/nut and I'd have to drill out the existing holes. If someone has successfully performed this mod i'd really love to know. If I could find some original feet for a reasonable price though I'd jump at them, or buy a donor deck if I can find one...not holding my breath there. Perhaps I'll try the vibrapod cones as suggested and try to repair the cracks at the back of the lid so they don't get worse.
 
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I bought a 1900 for cheap a while back. Had to replace the feet and regrease the little white plastic gear that allows the arm to raise and lower....a common problem with these decks.

Once done, it's actually a very solid tt. Specs are better than anything today under $1000.

I think this deck is a bit of a sleeper.
 
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