BIC Turntables

[sregor]

In retrospect, it is VERY UPSETTING to think more manufacturers do not provide similar setup jigs.

Although not the same quality, just about every manufacturer does supply alignment jigs. However, my own opinion is best to learn how to use some of the protractors (like the ones at vinylengine) and find out which alignment sounds best with that cartridge and turntable. My 2 cents.

 

[Dale Murray]

I understand and have used protractors, pain in the butt iterative process. While I understand some want to dink around with various protractor options - Simple, Stevenson, Leogropheren (sp?) - some of us don't.

I am not going to have one headshell for new vinyl and one for old.

Providing a jig for setup (not protractor) would not negate the ability to use protractors but would expedite the process for others who dont want to bother.

 

[sregor]

I understand and have used protractors, pain in the butt iterative process. While I understand some want to dink around with various protractor options - Simple, Stevenson, Leogropheren (sp?) - some of us don't.

I am not going to have one headshell for new vinyl and one for old.

Providing a jig for setup (not protractor) would not negate the ability to use protractors but would expedite the process for others who dont want to bother.

Use of protractors was nearly a suggestion. My point was all good manufacturers supplied alignment jigs for setting overhang. I think the problem is most people have lost the jigs....except Miracords - they built it into the turntable.

 

[Dale Murray]

UMy point was all good manufacturers supplied alignment jigs for setting overhang.

I curious, what other manufacturers have provided similar tools with their turntables?
Any current manufacturers do this?
I am honestly at a loss to find reference to similar tools being supplies with purchase.
My google game may be off.

 

[sregor]

I curious, what other manufacturers have provided similar tools with their turntables?
Any current manufacturers do this?

From the BIC manual


All duals had them. Any tp4 type turntable doesn't use them because they don't need them. All early philips turntables had them. Many Japanese turntables had them. Miracord had an alignment spike built into the base, with a cleaning brush on top of it. All these were included with the table.Best source of information is in the Owner's manuals, it is hit or miss with the service manuals. The most recent table I have looked at is Denon DP-15F, which did come with an overhang gauge, but I don't have it.
Denon parts list:

Technics:

Dual:

Thorens:

 

[Dale Murray]

Thanks for the information.
The only one I have ever known of, FOR SURE, was BIC. It would make sense for others to include them.

I'm wondering how many manufacturers currently have them included with turntable.

I am not trying to be argumentative, nor am I assigning homework. I appreciate the information.

 

[Doug G.]

Many users probably weren't/aren't even aware of the importance of stylus tip positioning and find the gauge of insignificance and lose track of it. I'm sure that's why the vast majority of them get lost and are never included with a turntable at resale. It's either that or a user gets the table, installs one cartridge on it using the gauge and never installs another cartridge, losing the gauge.

Doug

 

[K3vin]

Deleted

 

[Wolfie62]

Deleted

$150 is not a bad price for a serviced 960.

 

[oldvinyldude]

K3vin:

You may have received this information already, but generally, all questions about pricing should be posted in the Dollars and Sense forum here in AK, and not in other threads. No harm done, but now you know.

Welcome to AK-and hope you get a nice TT, whether you are returning to vinyl playback, or are new to the pleasures of analogue playback.

 

[Swaler61]

Hey, an old thread but thought I'd throw in my former and recent BIC experiences, FWIW...

Have never seen or used a stylus/cartridge positioning gauge with any of my turntables, so can't add much to that.

However, I recently came across a BIC 960 at a garage sale that I was able to rehab, and with a new belt, lubrication and stylus, it's working great.

Working on this jarred my memory, as I had owned a BIC turntable back in high school (in the late 70's). However, my BIC was nowhere near the quality of this 960, but as a record collector and struggling guitarist, I played a TON of records on it. I played it for years until the belt stretched out and fell off. I had no good way to get a new belt at the time so I replaced it with a direct drive Techics for a good price, as I was in college by then and impoverished!

As much as I had used that BIC back then, I cannot remember what model it was! I do know my old BIC had a smaller sized stamped platter, not the nice cast one like on this 960. I had a hard time finding one that looked like mine, and I now have to conclude that it must have been a 920. Based on Vinyl Engine, you wouldn't even think there was a BIC 920. Very little information about them online for some reason. Once again, ebay turned out to be a good source for research. A couple 920's on there, and deja vu all over again.

Anyway, that's what I know about BIC's. Like many TT's of that era the grease has turned to tar, so redo that, get a new belt, and rock on!

Take care, all!

Scottie

 

[Doug G.]

Yes, your old, original BIC was a 920. It was the only BIC with a 10" stamped steel platter. Its successor, the 20Z had an aluminum 10" platter with angled sides.

Doug

 

[jrtrent]

. . . Working on this jarred my memory, as I had owned a BIC turntable back in high school (in the late 70's). However, my BIC was nowhere near the quality of this 960, but as a record collector and struggling guitarist, I played a TON of records on it.

I had a lot of fun with the BIC 920 I picked up. I already had a 960, but a local store was closing out their stock of 920's without bases. I had some wooden blocks from a toy train set that were just the right size to place under the springs and lift it clear of the shelf I had it on, and with an ADC QLM 30 Mk III mounted up, I thought it sounded very good. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the 920 made its way into the console hifi owned by a friend's grandmother. She didn't want to replace her old console because it was "such a nice piece of furniture" (and it really did look nice and suited her room well!), and she was delighted to once again be able to play records on it.

 

[Swaler61]

She didn't want to replace her old console because it was "such a nice piece of furniture" (and it really did look nice and suited her room well!), and she was delighted to once again be able to play records on it.

jr,

That's really nice to hear, that you were able to make use of it and that she could appreciate it within her console!

Scottie

 

[onwardjames]

Coming back to this thread, as I scored, for the princely sum of 5 bucks, a BIC 1000. Formerly owned a 940 and a 960, sold because I was dumb and needed cash.

The stylus was hockey sticked, but I bent it back to even, best i could. Why not get a new stylus?? It's an original, low miles Shure V15 with original supertrack stylus.

The clunky stuff underneath the platter is cagey and sometimes returns the arm, but it's working. Gave an old battered Santana record a spin, it just keeps improving.

Stock belt, which I might drop in boiling water if it gets fussy, but right now, working great. Poor table was slammed on the ground at some hipster's junk shop. He proudly told me, when i asked price, that "it's broken, so 5 bucks?"

God, I love this hobby. Even got the table cover, but the table has no plinth, so that's going to be another project.

The arm gets within 1 inch of return, then is stuck in "changer" mode, and the ground needs resoldering at the arm, but I'm playing music, having fun.

Is there an easy way to refill the drop fluid? I got a bottle of that most viscous stuff.

 

[Bruno Primas]

Put the tonearm in "cued up" postion and use a toothpick to put your damping fluid of choice (300k works well) around the lifting piece. It will manage to work itself into the shaft housing below. (Cheating, but it works.)

You will need to clean off the dried-up grease underneath where the size selector and program levers are. You should remove the platter and clean and relube the platter shaft as well.

 

[Doug G.]

Yes, the official way to replenish the tonearm damping fluid is to disassemble the mechanism, remove all the old fluid and replace with new but I discovered, quite a few years ago now, that just applying the fluid to the lift pin right above the casting where the pin exits, works fine. I figured, unless the old fluid is contaminated with oil or whatever, there's no reason the much shorter method wouldn't work. Usually, the only reason the fluid needs to be replenished is it eventually runs down the pin out of the bore and down the red lift piece.

As to your second issue, do you mean the stylus gets to within an inch of the runout, rejects and then continuously cycles or do you mean the arm gets to within an inch of the rest post and returns to the record or...?

Doug

 

[onwardjames]

As to your second issue, do you mean the stylus gets to within an inch of the runout, rejects and then continuously cycles or do you mean the arm gets to within an inch of the rest post and returns to the record or...?

Hey Doug, thanks for replying.

The arm struggles to return to the cradle, gets within an inch, and then there is clinking and movement, but the change light never goes out.

 

[Doug G.]

OK, on the 1000, the arm movement is controlled by the separate motor from the platter drive motor, of course but is otherwise similar to the other models where the red cam/arm movement is driven off the gear on the platter bearing. The motor drives some gears in an assembly which then turns the red cam gear so if there is hesitation in arm movement, it's always a possibility there is a problem with these gears or the motor, itself.

As a 1000 cycles you will hear five clicks and this is various micro switches and relays operating. The cycle light is operated by one of the two relays on the cycle control board at the front left of the base plate, underneath so something isn't happening there or the arm is not getting to the point where the relay is operated to shut it off.

There is a leaf switch assembly mounted underneath which is operated by the arm lever, underneath, as the tonearm swings near the arm rest to turn the platter drive motor on and off , on for normal record play and off when the tonearm is over or on the arm rest. This has to be adjusted so the arm lever just contacts it or it can otherwise interfere with arm movement.

Check these things out for now.

Doug

 

[onwardjames]

@Doug G. I shall check these in the a.m. By manipulating those blue switches, I got the pitch back to true.

I have to say, a surprise is finding large clumps of dust bunnies on the stylus. These records were ultrasonically cleaned. Only thing I know is that maybe when I did it (last week, very cold) the humidity was low, and maybe they had a static charge and gathered lint?

I've not had this issue in years.