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Dual 1229 Thrift Find

Navy_Goat

Navy_Goat

Active Member
As the title implies my wife returned from a thrift store today with a Dual 1229 that she paid $6 for. It does not function. Some reading here and elsewhere tells me: it is a great TT when working. Repairs are not simple or cheap. Some parts are made from unobtanium. I do not have the time for an in depth resto project and I am not looking to store this TT for who know how long. It did have a decent cartridge (Shure V15 type III) and the needle looks good under a microscope. I figured it was a good buy just for the cartridge.

The wood case is damaged and scratches around the spindle indicate someone else has at least removed the platter.

Anyone care to talk me out of getting rid of this table?
 
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KEEPER!!!! Even if you send it off for reconditioning, it's still a great deal, especially with the cart.
 
jcamero said:
KEEPER!!!! Even if you send it off for reconditioning, it's still a great deal, especially with the cart.
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You are not helping the situation.... although I don't know that I should have expected any different. :rflmao:

The cart is staying for sure. I have a Technics SL-1710 and a SL-Q2 already. Both work flawlessly. In a new plinth I can see that the Dual would be a real looker.

Damn it, now you got me talking myself into this. Must resist....
 
Save it for a boring night....

these things are mechanical wonders. My first Dual was 1209 and I was able to get it up and running with a bunch q-tips / rubbing alcohol , grease and 3-1 oil in a few hours.

I'm not a mechanical genius either.... since you have so little in to it I think it's worth a shot to get this up and running, plenty of documentation on how these tables can be serviced.

Just don't force any of the switches!
 
Navy_Goat said:
As the title implies my wife returned from a thrift store today with a Dual 1229 that she paid $6 for. It does not function. Some reading here and elsewhere tells me: it is a great TT when working. Repairs are not simple or cheap. Some parts are made from unobtanium. I do not have the time for an in depth resto project and I am not looking to store this TT for who know how long. It did have a decent cartridge (Shure V15 type III) and the needle looks good under a microscope. I figured it was a good buy just for the cartridge.

The wood case is damaged and scratches around the spindle indicate someone else has at least removed the platter.

Anyone care to talk me out of getting rid of this table?
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Navy, you have to give the group more details. What is it or isn't it doing? The fix might be simpler than you imagine, it's worth the effort.
 
Navy_Goat said:
Assuming I can find a place local enough to transport it my self, what would you estimate the range of investment to be?
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It all depends what there is to do. A guy totally refurbished my Dual 1225 for like 225$ CAD. Also, it's gonna be a hassle finding someone who's at ease with repairing Duals.
 
Here are some pictures. I have not opened it up , but I did notice that it does not have a bottom cover. Some marks near the spindle lead me to believe that the platter has been removed in the past.

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Hajidub said:
Navy, you have to give the group more details. What is it or isn't it doing? The fix might be simpler than you imagine, it's worth the effort.
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The platter does not spin when it is plugged in and the arm is moved over the platter. I can hear something "clicking". I can hear a slight hum coming from the motor, but nothing is moving. All the switches seem frozen in place. I did not apply very much force because every thread I looked at said I would break something made from unicorn bones.

Other than removing the cartridge I didn't mess with it much.
 
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Nice score!
On those duals the idler wheel sits on a pivot that swings it against the motor pulley when activated.
My guess that mechanism is jammed up by old hardened lubrication so it doesn't moves enough to pressure against the pulley.

So you're hearing the motor run but it doesn't engage the platter.

It can of course be other stuff to sort out too.

And very important: don't touch the single/multi switch. If jammed and force you can get tonearm failure due to broken dearing ring.

Good luck!
 
Navy_Goat said:
The platter does not spin when it is plugged in and the arm is moved over the platter. I can hear something "clicking". I can hear a slight hum coming from the motor, but nothing is moving. All the switches seem frozen in place. I did not apply very much force because every thread I looked at said I would break something made from unicorn bones.

Other than removing the cartridge I didn't mess with it much.
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The frozen switches are from hardened grease. I had one and sprayed the problem areas with WD-40 to dissolve the grease. you could use a different solvent also. gently work the switches back and forth, be patient and let the solvent work!
Then I re-lubed with silicone grease. works great now.
 
I picked up a 1019 and 1209 a few years ago, both with M55E carts and had them running in a few hours. My daughter has the 1209 and we use the 1019 in a second system. It is a very musical sounding turntable and the full auto features are convenient.
 
I think I had WD-40. I have some good oil to use. I am not as sure about grease. I have a bunch of automotive stuff in the garage. What should I be looking for? Or do I need to go find something specific. I have deoxit around here somewhere too.
 
:lurk:
Wonderful score and Wife!!!
I vote for restoring it even if you have to ship it off. You will get your money back should you later sell it.
The 12xx DUALs are complicated and finicky to clean and lube. Heed the warning and do NOT move the levers. The resto guide is well written and you can get plenty of advice here or on other sites. The crushed corners on the plinth are fixable should you choose.
(we are not gonna discuss the value of parting it out, nor will we mention intact dustcovers are getting rare. Nope, we are just NOT gonna do that).
 
kryten79 said:
:lurk:
Wonderful score and Wife!!!
I vote for restoring it even if you have to ship it off. You will get your money back should you later sell it.
The 12xx DUALs are complicated and finicky to clean and lube. Heed the warning and do NOT move the levers. The resto guide is well written and you can get plenty of advice here or on other sites. The crushed corners on the plinth are fixable should you choose.
(we are not gonna discuss the value of parting it out, nor will we mention intact dustcovers are getting rare. Nope, we are just NOT gonna do that).
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Thanks! Honestly I have no interest in parting it out. In my initial post I was trying to ask if there was anything worth removing for others that have this table. I would have sent these parts to new home for the cost of shipping. I have been the recipient of plenty of good luck and even better karma so I would have been paying it forward. I will investigate getting it working at this point. IF that goes well I may have a new plinth built by a buddy who is trying to start a custom wood working business as he transitions out of the Navy.
 
Those Duals do require a bit of work to get right, enough that I did one 1219 and decided that was enough. I follower that link listed above and it is excellent, but as you can see, there's a lot to do.

As mentioned earlier, the grease gets hard and clogs things up. Common issues are the cam travel on the speed selector, and a hardened detent ball on the Multi/Single lever on the tonearm; don't force either. Rather than repair the tables and have to possibly deal with customers who might need future service, I do part them. The usual parts in demand are tonearms w/o broken tabs from forcing the levers, the speed cam assembly, the motor, the headshell carrier, spindles, single and multi-play, the assorted levers, and of course, carts in good shape w/ or w/o good styli. Nice plinths/bases, your's is pretty worn on the front right corner, and clean, unbroken/chipped dustcovers have value too.
In fact, I think I'll list a couple iffy dustcovers to see if they will sell this week.

Good luck if you opt to restore. I played my 1219 for many years, even modded a base for more mass, but it fell into 3rd place after I acquired an AR-XA which has become my main table.
 
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