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BIC 960 vs new sub $300 turntable - Which is better?

Your tonearm/set down problems are all caused by the two cam followers being stuck with old, congealed, lubricant. They need to be removed, completely cleaned, and relubed with an appropriate lube. I have used automotive wheel bearing grease for many years with excellent results. It never congeals or even gets stiff.

Doug
 
@Doug. Every single piece from under the unit has been disassembled and meticulously cleaned. I re-lubed (30 weight machine oil) or greased (vaseline) per Adam at Turntable Experts instruction following the attached guide (click on it to expand) from the service manual.

The only thing I have yet to take apart -- under or above the unit -- is the tone arm assembly ... which means the "lifting pin" is the only thing from that lubrication attachment that I haven't touched, as I was kind of hoping not to have to mess with the tone arm. I am able to swing the tone arm freely so, to this point, I was assuming it was probably OK.
lube.jpg
 
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I posted a picture of the bottom of mine. The spring that you see in the upper left of the pic has to be in place. also the arm that it is connected to has to be able to move back and forth with the tension of the spring. The 2 moon shaped pieces below that ( flat pieces ) are what index where the arm drops. those moon shaped pieces should be almost completely dry. The small "L" shaped insid the red gear also should be dry and be free to move without hardly any force, that is what starts the cycle at the end of the record.P1010014.JPG
 
I liked the sound of my 960, but couldn't get the return to work right, and tone-arm to set down softly. Do you have the cartridge alignment tool?
 
The return is the little "L" shaped piece in the red gear. If that binds it will not return. As far as the setting down softly, that is because the damping fluid has leaked out. And I still have the alignment tool.
 
@Hunted11 @Jonny Ramone ... I don't have the cartridge alignment tool. I guess I'm going to need to track one of these down too at some point.

Here is a picture of my underside, oriented the same way as Hunted's. Looks right to me. If you note the poorly drawn green arrow towards the bottom left. That arm is a little sticky. It's not terrible really. You'll see how it moves in the video ... but if I can't figure something else out, I guess trying to take that apart and cleaning it is my next step.

IMG_3251.jpg

Vids:


 
I just uploaded a video of the 960 in operation. All the pivot points of the mechanism that I point out in the video should have little to no lube on them. I hope this helps you.
 
Zigzagger said:
@Doug. Every single piece from under the unit has been disassembled and meticulously cleaned. I re-lubed (30 weight machine oil) or greased (vaseline) per Adam at Turntable Experts instruction following the attached guide (click on it to expand) from the service manual.

The only thing I have yet to take apart -- under or above the unit -- is the tone arm assembly ... which means the "lifting pin" is the only thing from that lubrication attachment that I haven't touched, as I was kind of hoping not to have to mess with the tone arm. I am able to swing the tone arm freely so, to this point, I was assuming it was probably OK.
View attachment 1168630
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I'm sorry, I forgot to remember the earlier posts. :D

The tonearm is moved up and down and in and out by the lever that follows the track in the big red cam. It moves the arm up and down by pushing up on the red pin to the cuing pin assembly. It moves the arm in and out by acting on that black stud or pin that sticks down from the tonearm lever. The pin shows in the gap between the unsprung and sprung parts of the lever. If the arm isn't moving correctly (I see it moves a little bit) and all the parts are there and not broken (which is how it appears), something must be blocking the arm. During cycle, look to see if the sprung part moves too early. That would be an indication of the arm being blocked because it moves so the mechanism isn't damaged.

The video Provided by Hunted11 shows the action very well. Note how the unsprung part of the lever moves the arm out and the sprung part moves it in.

This is all independent of the end-of-record trip mechanism and should work regardless of whether the trip works or not. Also, the rod going to the cam with the teeth in it indexes how many records are left to play before shut off. It moves down a tooth each cycle and when it reaches the larger, angled part of the cam opening, the cam is allowed to move all the way over and operates the on/off switch.

The two grayish, flat levers or cam followers, with the springs attached to the ends, are what determine where the arm sets down for different record sizes and cycle conditions. The tab on the arm lever strikes the steps on either the 7" - 12" follower to stop the arm at the correct set-down point or the other lever which is to keep the arm at the rest.

You need to check to be sure the cuing brake is releasing too. This is the smaller pin in the cuing mechanism and bears against a cork pad during cuing to keep the arm from moving out (due to the anti-skate or other forces). It should completely release from the pad after cuing is completed. It will keep the arm from moving freely if it doesn't, of course. Make sure the hex head adjusting screw for cuing rate isn't turned too far and striking any of the other parts of the mechanism too.

Doug
 
beatcomber said:
Well, wouldn't you know it, as a result of this post a local AK'er has offered me a very clean BIC 960 at a price I can't refuse. It looks just like the one I had 40 years ago... I get misty-eyed just looking at it!

I need another turntable like I need a hole in the head, but sometimes you just have to say YES. :deal:

We're still working out a time when we can meet up, but I look forward to revisiting my audio past.

View attachment 1166747
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I've had the 960 here for a few weeks, and it needed some minor work but it's working perfectly now. It's a helluva lot better than one might think, in fact it's an excellent turntable.
 
beatcomber said:
I've had the 960 here for a few weeks, and it needed some minor work but it's working perfectly now. It's a helluva lot better than one might think, in fact it's an excellent turntable.
Click to expand...

The BIC 960 was a good turntable. You are comparing it to your other turntables which are real good. Had several 960s here several years ago. I liked how they worked. Should have kept one like I did with my Garrard Zero 100. My was mint. Will keep looking.
 
By the way - to the OP - WELCOME TO AK! I'v read most of the replies to your post looking for help, and this thread is a great example of the generous spirit of the Audiokarma community!

And FWIW, I think refurbing a good vintage turntable is WAY more bang for your buck than any modern offering. My long ago-sold Pro-ject was no match whatsoever for a 35+ year old dime a dozen Technics SL-D2.
 
I know this is an old post, but in case someone has this problem, here is my opinion. I bought a new BIC 960 back in '77 or '78, moved on after a few years Anyway, about a year ago I found a
Bic 960 in beautiful cosmetic condition but didn't rotate. The owner was asking $10 and because of the memories I bought it. I downloaded the service manual from vinyl engine and started disassembly. The platter was locked up solid. I avoided the heat suggestions and went with WD-40. I took off the snap ring wrapped a rag around the spindle to mask off the possible over spray and hit it with a short squirt. Checked it in about 15 minutes, still tight, hit it two more times and it worked free. The total mechanism of this tt is so straight forward I disassembled everything and cleaned off all the old grease relubed. Disassembled the motor cleaned and relubed. I would agree, get the BIC and with a little work, it should be a good table for many years.
 
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