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Is Philips GF 504 a good starting turntable?

F

fabiopires10

New Member
My father just gave me his turntable from the 70s. It is a Phillips GF 504.

Is this a good starting turntable?

I have a few questions:

  • Will it scratch my records if I use it, or is it safe to play them freely?
  • Is it capable of playing 180g records without issues?
  • Since the plate is small will my discs warp?
  • It is dirty. How can I clean it?
  • The manual says this "Needle contact pressure: 4-6 p adjustable". I noticed a red lever on the beginning of the arm. It has two positions, + and - . Is this the counterweight pressure? What setting should I use?



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short answer : no
a bit more info cartridge most likely ceramic , the stylus old , replacement potentially unobtanium .
Will it play records , likely , will it damage them also probable .
I would not let this near my records .
Cleaning ; soapy water but why bother , unless you want to display it .
Hope this helps and please don't take this the wrong way , regards F.
 
cannext said:
short answer : no
a bit more info cartridge most likely ceramic , the stylus old , replacement potentially unobtanium .
Will it play records , likely , will it damage them also probable .
I would not let this near my records .
Cleaning ; soapy water but why bother , unless you want to display it .
Hope this helps and please don't take this the wrong way , regards F.
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I played some records on it and the sound seemed good.
Two of the records were new brand ones, two of them second hand ones I bought and the rest were some old records my father had. Any risk I damaged them?
Also, I am a very casual listener, so is the upgrade to a better one worth or should I keep this one? I was thinking on getting the Audio technica LP60X
 
The 60x will last you a while in your vinyl adventure. And offer better capabilities than the one you posted here.
 
ra7c7er said:
The 60x will last you a while in your vinyl adventure. And offer better capabilities than the one you posted here.
Click to expand...
For 160 euros, should I invest in one? I still need some speakers, right? Can I use some cheap ones so that I don't spend too much at once?
I was thinking on buying this speakers:
Edifier R980T (~80-90€), Mackie CR3-X (~90-100€) or Creative Pebble V3 (~50-60€)
 
fabiopires10 said:
For 160 euros, should I invest in one? I still need some speakers, right? Can I use some cheap ones so that I don't spend too much at once?
I was thinking on buying this speakers:
Edifier R980T (~80-90€), Mackie CR3-X (~90-100€) or Creative Pebble V3 (~50-60€)
Click to expand...

I would say get the 70X but it has issues. So yeah in the situation you are describing of a casual listener get a 60x and some powered speakers and enjoy it till you figure out if you want to invest more.

I personally have no direct knowledge of the powered speakers you listed but I know a couple people that have edifier speakers and they like them. Plus they have bass and treble controls.
 
fabiopires10 said:
For 160 euros, should I invest in one? I
Click to expand...

If your budget is 160€ I suggest that you find a vintage idler drive Lenco. L75, L78 are the model# to look out for. You should be able to buy it and the little bit of spare parts like V blocks all together around 160€. That turntable is a massive upgrade over the AT and is almost high end even in the standard guise. Lot of upgrades are possible later. That table shall give you the real taste of vinyl playback. There is a whole forum dedicated to it , I suggest that you pay that one a visit. www.lencoheaven.net

Regards,

.
 
Keep an eye out for something like a Dual CS-505-2 . They made lots of these in the early 80s and they make a very nice beginner turntable. The tend to need *high compliance* cartridges such as the Ortofon OM-5E , but the ULM arm has dynamic tracking force ( basically downforce adjusted using a spring ) and I've had this turntable at an angle of 45 degrees still able to play a warped record without skipping. Slightly earlier ,and still a bombproof design, is the legendary Pioneer PL-12D. Again, these were best sellers in the 70s and with good reason. Easy to set up , well made , with a half decent semi-suspended design , and, the tonearm is actually nicely constructed and capable of handling a decent cartridge in the medium compliance range. A Pioneer PL-12D and something like the original Audio Technica AT-95E (obsessively aligned to Baerwald null points) is a lot of performace for very little money.
 
Most lower grade Philips TT's I run across (and there are many available here in the Netherlands as you can imagine) are absolutely to be avoided.

Availability of used models will vary per location, over here something like a Technics SL-D2 can always be found for not too much money. It's a nice and hassle free model when you're getting into vinyl I think.
 
ra7c7er said:
I would say get the 70X but it has issues. So yeah in the situation you are describing of a casual listener get a 60x and some powered speakers and enjoy it till you figure out if you want to invest more.

I personally have no direct knowledge of the powered speakers you listed but I know a couple people that have edifier speakers and they like them. Plus they have bass and treble controls.
Click to expand...
Got the 60X. It arrives Saturday.
I saw a setup video and it says to turn the plate 10 times manually. Is it really necessary? The video in question is this
 
The thread and the video... I want to play records now!!! But it's 3 a.m. and kiddo is asleep. :mad:

Hope you enjoy that new Audio Technica, be sure to clean your records and stylus :)
 
Chad Michael said:
The thread and the video... I want to play records now!!! But it's 3 a.m. and kiddo is asleep. :mad:

Hope you enjoy that new Audio Technica, be sure to clean your records and stylus :)
Click to expand...
I have an anti static brush for the records. Can I use it also on the stylus or do I need a specific one?
Also is there any product or something to clean the records? I saw some people spraying something on the brush
 
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