Hey fellas, check out my new ROK!
- Thread starter GarethJones
- Start date
GarethJones
Active Member
yeah that last one was for you greg... ill take inside and out pictures with less blur if you want em!
GarethJones
Active Member
redboy - bought it at a local hifi shop, its an electrohome model 700, which youd normally see in a different incarnation - http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/electrohom_stereo_amplifier_pa_700_s.html - mine doesnt have the push buttons... and also has a matching tuner, and fm multiplex, which you cant see in the pics.
Oh and btw, im getting an sme 3009II to mount in place of the esl2000 arm on there, and someone in the chat suggested i ask you about it, as i have no real knowledge of what im up against. it seems like pretty straightforward logical type stuff, but maybe youve got some input. i dunno.
Oh and btw, im getting an sme 3009II to mount in place of the esl2000 arm on there, and someone in the chat suggested i ask you about it, as i have no real knowledge of what im up against. it seems like pretty straightforward logical type stuff, but maybe youve got some input. i dunno.
Nice acquisition ! I've collected a number of Rek O Kuts and modded a couple
the 33 is unique for a ROK being a belt drive, those 33's are excellent for modding
the heavy CLD plinth isn't required like the rim drive ROK's, but you're still dealing with a big powerful motor which does require a little taming, some folks have even made separate weighted motor pods with dental floss or silk thread drives which can place one of these tables in serious high end territory.
You'll find removing the aluminum pulley / belt cover really improves the sonics
those covers ring and resonate, if you love the aesthetics you could dampen it.
I'd pitch the official Rek O Kut lube, it wouldn't make muster even compared to Chinese counterfeit oils, drain and flush the platter well with aerosol brake cleaner
like Brak-Kleen, then refill with synthetic motor oil it'll seriously improve the background blackness by obviating just about all the friction.
That ESL arm is nicer than you assume, check the Vinyl Asylum archive
for the cartridges that sing on the ESL.
Regards fredJ
Redboy
a few good watts
Gareth, I think fred's got you headed down the right path with that table. It seems like a great candidate for an overhaul and though it may not need it the way other ROKs do, I'd love to hear what a heavy plinth would do for it.
The tonearm looks sweet, too! If you were to build a new plinth for it, you could look for a way to accomodate two arms, maybe.
Oh, and when I was asking about the tube amp, I was actually wondering more about the homebrew amp in this picture - SE 6BQ5s? What driver tube? Very intriguing to me...
The tonearm looks sweet, too! If you were to build a new plinth for it, you could look for a way to accomodate two arms, maybe.
Oh, and when I was asking about the tube amp, I was actually wondering more about the homebrew amp in this picture - SE 6BQ5s? What driver tube? Very intriguing to me...
GarethJones
Active Member
Fred - would you care to explain the string drive mod?
i recall reading about it but im not clear on exactly what is done. wouldnt the capstan need to be thicker for a string to drop in?
Im keen on modding this table to get teh best out of it i can, as it stands i was planning on making a concrete plinth for it and changing the tonearm.
Redboy- I bought that amp off an older fellow in town, its a homebrew 6bq5, as you said, the driver tube is a 6sn7. unfortunately it does have a problem, there a bit of mechanical hum audible coming from somewhere on the chassis, and it sounds like (to me) its coming from the trafo. from what i understand it could be loose windings, which i MIGHT be able to fix, but more likely, id have to replace the transformer. Being that its a hammond model that shouldnt be to hard, but for now ive taken it out of my main system and use it to drive my electrostatic headphones, because i cant hear the buzz anyways. it sure sounds sweet though.
i recall reading about it but im not clear on exactly what is done. wouldnt the capstan need to be thicker for a string to drop in?
Im keen on modding this table to get teh best out of it i can, as it stands i was planning on making a concrete plinth for it and changing the tonearm.
Redboy- I bought that amp off an older fellow in town, its a homebrew 6bq5, as you said, the driver tube is a 6sn7. unfortunately it does have a problem, there a bit of mechanical hum audible coming from somewhere on the chassis, and it sounds like (to me) its coming from the trafo. from what i understand it could be loose windings, which i MIGHT be able to fix, but more likely, id have to replace the transformer. Being that its a hammond model that shouldnt be to hard, but for now ive taken it out of my main system and use it to drive my electrostatic headphones, because i cant hear the buzz anyways. it sure sounds sweet though.
GarethJones
Active Member
oh and fred. the issue ive had with the arm is that when you dial in your settings, because the counterweight is held by a cantilevered stirrup on two coil springs, it slowly tries to loosen and change antiskate and things like that. maybe if i applied one of those liquids for locking nuts in place once i dial the setting just right...
Redboy
a few good watts
Gareth, it could be a simple matter of tightening the bolts that run through the transformers. Give it a shot!
Mounting the arm
What cartridge are you using?
When buying an arm, you want to look for one that matches the compliance of the cart. For example, a lot of MM carts have a very high compliance and will work best with a lighter arm. MC carts more commonly have a low compliance and work best with heavier arms.
When you say SME 3009 II, do you know if it's the original or the improved? Removable headshell or not?
If you don't know, take a look here:
http://www.analogue-classics.com/html/sme_3009___3012.html
Also, for mounting the SME, take a look here:
http://www.vinylengine.com/tonearm_...=&mdlo=&mdhi=&ohlo=&ohhi=&amlo=&amhi=&cw=&mp=
Vinyl Engine has a tonearm database to figure out the mounting distance, etc that you need. It aslo has a PDF of the actual manual for the arm, which fully describes how to properly mount it.
You'll also want to use the manual to look over your arm and make sure that it has also the requisite bits & pieces. If not, take a look at ebay for the various little things you might be missing.
BTW, while you might not have intended to, the orientation of your table probably moved the motor farther away from the cartridge, which is a good thing.
Also, there's lots of good info & pics on Vinyl Asylum from folks who have resuscitated ROKs. Definitely take a look over there.
Jeff
What cartridge are you using?
When buying an arm, you want to look for one that matches the compliance of the cart. For example, a lot of MM carts have a very high compliance and will work best with a lighter arm. MC carts more commonly have a low compliance and work best with heavier arms.
When you say SME 3009 II, do you know if it's the original or the improved? Removable headshell or not?
If you don't know, take a look here:
http://www.analogue-classics.com/html/sme_3009___3012.html
Also, for mounting the SME, take a look here:
http://www.vinylengine.com/tonearm_...=&mdlo=&mdhi=&ohlo=&ohhi=&amlo=&amhi=&cw=&mp=
Vinyl Engine has a tonearm database to figure out the mounting distance, etc that you need. It aslo has a PDF of the actual manual for the arm, which fully describes how to properly mount it.
You'll also want to use the manual to look over your arm and make sure that it has also the requisite bits & pieces. If not, take a look at ebay for the various little things you might be missing.
BTW, while you might not have intended to, the orientation of your table probably moved the motor farther away from the cartridge, which is a good thing.
Also, there's lots of good info & pics on Vinyl Asylum from folks who have resuscitated ROKs. Definitely take a look over there.
Jeff
GarethJones
Active Member
willie - my cartridge will be a v15 type 4, as thats what I've got at home, but it does need a new stylus and i have been considering jsut purchasing something else, should a more suitable recommendation come along
Good match for later 3009
That would be a very good match for the 3009 II Improved....
Also, if you would like to get a new stylus, take a look here:
http://www.export-japan.com/marketing/stylus/sas.php
Haven't tried the one for the V-15 IV, but they are very well thought of on Vinyl Asylum. I did order a replacement stylus for another cart there and it shipped quickly and was nicely made.
BTW, as you look around for ways to improve your ROK, take a look at what people do with their Empires, Thorens, Lencos, and Garrards. That will give you some ideas to help you along. For example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Turntable-Empir...ptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item2a05697fdd
No affiliation with seller, just showing what you can do with one of these old tables...
But, in your case, I would get the platter polished and run out, the bearing micro polished (check the thrust surface (the part that rides on the bearing) for flatness and mirror polish it) and replace the ball bearing with a silicon nitride equivalent. Those are easy fixes that are described in depth w/pics on vinyl asylum.
Next, would be the plinth....a bit more work.
Finally, I would look at thread drive.
Jeff
That would be a very good match for the 3009 II Improved....
Also, if you would like to get a new stylus, take a look here:
http://www.export-japan.com/marketing/stylus/sas.php
Haven't tried the one for the V-15 IV, but they are very well thought of on Vinyl Asylum. I did order a replacement stylus for another cart there and it shipped quickly and was nicely made.
BTW, as you look around for ways to improve your ROK, take a look at what people do with their Empires, Thorens, Lencos, and Garrards. That will give you some ideas to help you along. For example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Turntable-Empir...ptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item2a05697fdd
No affiliation with seller, just showing what you can do with one of these old tables...
But, in your case, I would get the platter polished and run out, the bearing micro polished (check the thrust surface (the part that rides on the bearing) for flatness and mirror polish it) and replace the ball bearing with a silicon nitride equivalent. Those are easy fixes that are described in depth w/pics on vinyl asylum.
Next, would be the plinth....a bit more work.
Finally, I would look at thread drive.
Jeff
GarethJones
Active Member
the plinth is right up my alley, the onyl thing im stuck on is the colour.
i actually went out this morning and bought some brake cleaner to redo the bearing, what weight motor oil should i use? does it matter?
can i do the polishing myself?
so many questions!!
i actually went out this morning and bought some brake cleaner to redo the bearing, what weight motor oil should i use? does it matter?
can i do the polishing myself?
so many questions!!
Redboy
a few good watts
Gareth, you should be able to polish the platter edge yourself, but probably not the bearing thrust surface.
I've had pretty good luck polishing ROK platters with very fine sandpaper. The key is to wet polish with a very fine grit and work to even finer stuff. You don't want to start too coarse because you'll hate working the scratches out later, so start super fine and go a step backward (coarser) if needed. I finish with a 2000 grit paper and then use a buffing compound and lots of elbow grease to get as close to mirror as possible.
I've had pretty good luck polishing ROK platters with very fine sandpaper. The key is to wet polish with a very fine grit and work to even finer stuff. You don't want to start too coarse because you'll hate working the scratches out later, so start super fine and go a step backward (coarser) if needed. I finish with a 2000 grit paper and then use a buffing compound and lots of elbow grease to get as close to mirror as possible.
GarethJones
Active Member
to what sort of a proffession would i bring my thrust plate to have it polished?
According to one website (http://members.myactv.net/~je2a3/roktips.htm):
"According to the manual, SAE 20 motor oil is the recommended viscosity for the main bearing. I use 5W-30 and you only need to pour in enough oil to cover the top of the ball bearing and then rubbing some to the spindle before inserting the platter into the bearing well."
Some folks recommend synthetic oil because of the stuff found in regular oil...your call.
Look here for what someone did to their bearing when polishing it:
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=804816&highlight=ROK+platter+and+bearing&r=
He had some specialized tools for the job....
I am looking for a machinist in my area to do something similar.
Jeff
"According to the manual, SAE 20 motor oil is the recommended viscosity for the main bearing. I use 5W-30 and you only need to pour in enough oil to cover the top of the ball bearing and then rubbing some to the spindle before inserting the platter into the bearing well."
Some folks recommend synthetic oil because of the stuff found in regular oil...your call.
Look here for what someone did to their bearing when polishing it:
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=804816&highlight=ROK+platter+and+bearing&r=
He had some specialized tools for the job....
I am looking for a machinist in my area to do something similar.
Jeff