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Pioneer PL-560 Problem

kapohoguy

kapohoguy

Active Member
I'm new to AK and really appreciate willingness of this community to share knowledge. I have a problem with a Pioneer PL-560 turntable I recently acquired via Craigs List. I knew it had a couple of minor issues I could see before I bought it--broken tonearm rest, broken rubber feet, & minor scuffs on the dust cover. Otherwise it looked very clean & even had a decent cartridge & stylus (more on that later). Tested before buying and the mechanics and electronics seemed fine. Back at home used Shoe Goo to repair the rubber feet, replaced the tonearm rest with one I had in the workshop parts bin, and polished out the dust cover scuffs. (see photos attahced). Unfortunately, it has a new problem that didn't emerged until I started playing records. In automatic mode the tone arm set down point is erratic. Sometimes it hits the lead-in groove perfectly. Other times it sets down about a half inch from the edge of the record. Other times comes up short of the record by a quarter inch. The next time it might set down about an inch from the record edge. It is erratic and unpredictable. This is with the Record Size selector knob set to 12". I've tried the 7" and 10" settings with similar erratic results. Every thing else seems to be functioning correctly. It cues up and down perfectly. The auto-off function and Cut button return the tonearm to the rest and turns off the power exactly as it should. I've tried turning the stylus descent-position adjusting screw, but it has very little to no effect on this problem. I've read through other posts about this and similar Pioneer models and have already replaced the foam pad that seems to deteriorate on these models. That had no noticible effect on the problem. One person suggested I remove and replace the old lubricant, but the lube grease seems fine to me. I may try that if I don't get other ideas.

Has anyone else had this problem or know a solution? Any help would be deeply appreciated.

Also, does anyone have info or opinions on the Emprie model 2010 cart?

Thanks.
 

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P1080281.JPG I have a similar TT
With a fully tuneable 4 point suspension i have felt for years it's worth improving.
My poor mans Thorens i call it until i can get the real deal.
Old school Toyota and Honda engineering, simplicity and durability|
With a great sound, It certainly Beats the Tech. SL1600, Dual 721 and Sony X60 for sound with every cartridge, whatever Pioneer did.
But horrible for bass noise isolation
So 2 questions.......
Where can i find a real hardwood plinth for it?
And can ANYBODY tip me to how to make an initial post for these things on AK?
I spent my evening tuning up my PL-115.
It's my favorite warm sounding table now...
 
I wish I could help you with your set-down problem but you've already tried everything I would have recommended. As to your Empire, I can help you there. The 2010 is one of a number of identical cartridges Empire sold based on the 2000 Series (except for the 2000T and 2000Z which are different). The stylus you have, the S917E, is where the magic resides and is, for all intents and purposes, irreplaceable so if it's in good shape, you have a real find there. (It's a 0.2 x 0.7 mil elliptical with a recommended tracking force of from 0.75 to 1.5g.

Note: Empire cartridge identification is a challenging undertaking. They made a lot of cartridges which appear to be the same but aren't and lot which appear to be different but aren't. They're good cartridges though and worth the effort required to identify them. There is a thread here, 117 pages worth, devoted to them.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/anyone-else-running-vintage-empire-carts.468129/

John
 
Thanks John (boreas) for the info on the Empire 2010. I had a feeling it might be somewhat special. I'll try to look at the stylus under high magnification to further assess. I've been fortunate finding interesting carts in turntables I've bought from CL. Today I bought a Yamaha YP-D4 in decent condition but it has a pristine B&O MMC20EN cart that look like new. I'm excited to try it, but need to tackle the PL-560 tonight. I'm planning to try cleaning and relubing.
 
432HzBob said:
View attachment 834329 I have a similar TT
With a fully tuneable 4 point suspension i have felt for years it's worth improving.
My poor mans Thorens i call it until i can get the real deal.
Old school Toyota and Honda engineering, simplicity and durability|
With a great sound, It certainly Beats the Tech. SL1600, Dual 721 and Sony X60 for sound with every cartridge, whatever Pioneer did.
But horrible for bass noise isolation
So 2 questions.......
Where can i find a real hardwood plinth for it?
And can ANYBODY tip me to how to make an initial post for these things on AK?
I spent my evening tuning up my PL-115.
It's my favorite warm sounding table now...
Click to expand...

Hey Bob,
1. You may find someone on AK who makes custom plinths.
2. If you go back to the Turntables forum (or any other forum on AK) look on the upper right hand side of the forum's main page for a blue button that says "Post New Thread".
 
Problem solved. Thanks to Jeff over on the Pioneer Audio forum who suggested the problem was gummed up lube. Mostly the lube seemed fine, however, I dove in with alcohol and cotton swabs and did find one tiny part that was gummed up. Cleaned and relubed and now it works like a charm every time. I love it when the problem is something so basic that even I can accomplish it.
 
kapohoguy said:
Hey Bob,
1. You may find someone on AK who makes custom plinths.
2. If you go back to the Turntables forum (or any other forum on AK) look on the upper right hand side of the forum's main page for a blue button that says "Post New Thread".
Click to expand...

A custom plinth will not solve your issue. You will need some type of isolation platform or wall shelf. Seems to me you have a feedback issue from your system.

I hope this will be of some help.
 
I've found a new problem with the PL-560. It sounds great until it gets near the end of the record. On the final track it tends to skip backward a groove and repeat this action until I cue up or push the cut button. You would think the anti-skate is set too high, but it does the same thing even with anti-skate set to zero. This might be another gummed up lube problem that I missed. Arrgh!
 
Shame you are having problems. I am sure that the 560 is worth fixing. If you Google "Pioneer PL-560" and read the reviews, you will find what I'm saying is true. I have a PL-518 that is the same level of quality as the Dual. They are considered an entry level turntable. However, they are built like a tank and will last forever, which is one reason why I have two of them, one idler and one direct drive. Once you get it fixed, you will reap your reward by enjoying it every time you spin vinyl.
 
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