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I need a needle!

D

dpost

New Member
I have a McDonald BSR 5500 TT (I know, I know, not the greatest) and I am looking for anyone who knows where I could get a needle. I don't know a lot about TT's, so I can only assume that needles are specific to the brand and that there aren't universal needles.

Maybe I am making my plea in the wrong place, but I have looked in a ton of different places and, apparently, McDonald wasn't a very big name for TT's.
 
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First, welcome to AK!:thmbsp:

You may not know much about turntables now, but hang around here for a while and that will change quickly.:yes:

First, they aren't called needles any more, the correct name is stylus. Second, the stylus is specific to the cartridge, not the turntable.

So, we need to know what cartridge your turntable currently has. It's the small boxy thing mounted underneath the end of the tonearm. It's what the broken or missing stylus would be attached to. It should have a name and/or model number on it.

Pics are always helpful, too!
 
50MediumToneNeedles.jpg
 
272, 273 & 274 looks familiar.

As for the catridge, how do I remove it? Usually, when I try to remove something without actually knowing what I am doing doesn't end good.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks guys.
 
I could be wrong, but you need to remove the headshell from the tonearm, the cartridge is attached to the underside of the headshell, and the only way to reach the screws is to remove the headshell.
Good luck.
 
rotate lever and pull

If it looks like the needle numbers you've indicated - it's a ceramic cartridge. Assuming the stub of the needle is left - rotate the turnover lever ( most of these had a tip on each side of the "needles" shaft ) - once rotated to the point where the lever is pointing straight down from the tonearm - pull gently forward and down - it will snap out. The new one will go in by simply reversing this process.
Ceramic cartridges are both equalised in the cart's body and have sufficient output to not need a RIAA phono stage (won't work if you hook it up to one - will be too loud and the entire thing will sound bass heavy and treble non-existent). Feed a ceramic cart into a tape or aux or even CD input and it will work fine.
If you've actually got anyone in the neighbourhood who still services this era of TT's - you might want to take the needle in to them to see if they can match from their stock or maybe order it for you. If not ( and most service centers quit servicing this kind of turntable a decade or two back) - you may well need to remove the cart to see what's written on the top ( yah - this has always seemed pretty stupid to me too!) - if you can get the cart's model number and maybe manufacturer (BSR or Astatic ?) - you should be able to get a relatively inexpensive replacement needle (stylus) for your table. Most tables of this sort aren't terribly adjustable - so once you get a new needle in - you should be ready to go.
It's worth mentioning that ceramic cart's generally track in the 3 gram plus Vertical tracking Force (VTF) range - this is not going to be particularly gentle or wear free on your records. Remember - there are better TT's out there - your records are irreplaceable.
 
I was going to be a smart donkey and reply to your thread, " I need a needle" with "we don't do that kind of stuff around here". Good luck finding what you need.
 
I figured I wouldn't actually find someone with a needle, but at least I am learning how to remove the catridge and what I need to look for to get a new one.

thanks for the help, and advice, stonedeaf. I would like to get a new TT, but cost is always an issue. Plus, there again, I run into the problem of what is a good name. I will look into both options. Thanks again!
 
Well, I did what I expected. I tried to remove the catridge and I think I broke something.

Oh well, I guess it's an excuse to buy a better one.
 
dpost said:
Well, I did what I expected. I tried to remove the catridge and I think I broke something.

Oh well, I guess it's an excuse to buy a better one.
Click to expand...



Well, let's remain optomistic, and hope that turns out to be a blessing in disguise.


Got a budget you're aiming for?

And where are you located?
 
Almost two weeks later, here are some pics. The third one is what I pulled out of the end of the tone arm.

Like I said before, I think its broken. Or, at least, broken to the point where I can't fix it.
 

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