sugarsquare
New Member
Hi all. I admittedly have no clue what I am doing. I bought this RCA VMP 38 online for $30. Figured it was worth a risk if it was junk. How do I figure out the cartridge. Am I missing a piece because it won’t stay in?
Complete newbie: RCA VMP 38
- Thread starter sugarsquare
- Start date
Hi all. I admittedly have no clue what I am doing. I bought this RCA VMP 38 online for $30. Figured it was worth a risk if it was junk. How do I figure out the cartridge. Am I missing a piece because it won’t stay in?
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sugarsquare
New Member
[QUOTE
Honestly? Not worth the risk and not just junk but a fire hazard too, so I suggest you don't leave it plugged-in unattended.
They all meant to keep little sticky hands and prying fingers away from dad's home stereo. Not vintage, just old and wasn't worth $30 new.
Now, 45 - 50 years later, this low end consumer grade electrical appliance can also burn down your home.[/QUOTE]
I actually heard rattling and took it apart. I found the missing piece that hold the cartridge in so I just need another needle since I accidentally destroyed it. Oops. I plan on changing the power cord. It is not in good condition and I would never leave it plugged in, even after I changed the cord. I know it wasn’t worth anything but I wanted something to hold me over until I can find an actual turntable and setup. I am just starting out so I want to learn more before I invest in something. Thanks for the suggestions.
Honestly? Not worth the risk and not just junk but a fire hazard too, so I suggest you don't leave it plugged-in unattended.
They all meant to keep little sticky hands and prying fingers away from dad's home stereo. Not vintage, just old and wasn't worth $30 new.
Now, 45 - 50 years later, this low end consumer grade electrical appliance can also burn down your home.[/QUOTE]
Welcome to AK!
If the needle reacts audibly to a gentle touch and if the tip (that's suppose to be embedded in the red painted part) is still there, you can try to crazy glue the top of the cart back into the press-fit plastic headshell. Otherwise, IMO, not worth any additional investment.
Honestly? Not worth the risk and not just junk but a fire hazard too, so I suggest you don't leave it plugged-in unattended.
In the late 60's/early 70's if you were 3 - 5 y/o - you had this:
then, you'd *upgrade* to this:
later, happy teenagers likely had one of the dozens of *portables* like this:
They all meant to keep little sticky hands and prying fingers away from dad's home stereo. Not vintage, just old and wasn't worth $30 new.
Now, 45 - 50 years later, this low end consumer grade electrical appliance can also burn down your home.
I actually heard rattling and took it apart. I found the missing piece that hold the cartridge in so I just need another needle since I accidentally destroyed it. Oops. I plan on changing the power cord. It is not in good condition and I would never leave it plugged in, even after I changed the cord. I know it wasn’t worth anything but I wanted something to hold me over until I can find an actual turntable and setup. I am just starting out so I want to learn more before I invest in something. Thanks for the suggestions.
sugarsquare
New Member
Ok good to know. I am looking around our area for real turntables, receivers and speakers. I am trying to research to see what I want. I just have thrift store vinyls and I don’t want to spend a fortune but I want something that sounds decent and is going to last. Thanks again for your help!
beat_truck
Addicted Member
sugarsquare
New Member
Lol ok thanks!
monkboughtlunch
Super Member
Hi sugarsquare:
What is your price range? Hard to find something with reasonable quality for $30.
For a high quality record changer with vintage style on a budget that will treat your records well and sound great, I would recommend an Elac 50H, 50HII, 40H, 10H or 770H. These were among the finest mechanical changers ever made (circa 1960s and 1970s).
The Elacs used quality grease on the moving parts underneath that doesn't turn into cement so they typically still work properly after all this time without maintenance. The "H" models used an ultra high quality motor that runs at precise speed (so there are no wow and flutter speed fluctuations that make your records sound like they are "warbling"). Typically, all you need to do is change out the stylus by plugging a new one into your existing cartridge. And the cartridges you will find in an Elac will be much higher quality than in your RCA.
If you are patient and find a mint example on ebay, you might be able to snag an Elac for $150 bucks. Condition is everything. Find one that is mint and not abused or rusted. Then just replace the old stylus by plugging a new one into the existing cartridge on the Elac (easy to do). Then plug the left and right audio cables from your Elac into the audio inputs on the back of your receiver and you are good to go.
Here are a few example videos:
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