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Pioneer PL-71 tonearm issue

Jazzguy54

Jazzguy54

New Member
Recently acquired this turntable, seller said it was in good working condition. After hooking it up, I got a loud hum (yes it was grounded). To make a long story short, I discovered that one of the spring loaded pins in the head of the tonearm is down in the hole. Never seen this issue before (broken or dislodged spring?) Is there any way to remove this assembly from the tonearm to possibly repair it? I removed the tiny screw on the underside of the tonearm and gently pulled on one of the pins with needlenose pliers, but the assembly wouldn't budge.
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Yes there is a way to remove it. Seems more force and special care are necessary. You can replace that chunk of the tonearm with a part from some vendors or a bay offering.

Don’t know what is keeping you connector stuck in the tonearm tube, maybe a glue or something.
 
Sometimes a good screwdriver can be wedged between the tube and the connector and twisted. You need some way so that you are not tugging on the tonearm pivot.

Probably best to contact the seller first, as it is not working as described.
 
Well, I was finally able to loosen the headshell connector socket from the tonearm. I wasn't able to pull it out far enough to disconnect it, but far enough to see that it appears to be a sealed unit, so probably not repairable. As far as contacting the seller, it was a private party, so I'm most likely out of luck there, too.
 
Jazzguy54 said:
Well, I was finally able to loosen the headshell connector socket from the tonearm. I wasn't able to pull it out far enough to disconnect it, but far enough to see that it appears to be a sealed unit, so probably not repairable. As far as contacting the seller, it was a private party, so I'm most likely out of luck there, too.
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Desolder the tonearm wires and attach a fishing line (to pull the wires back through when finished). Pull them out far enough to see if the pin can be repaired or if you need a new connector.

i have installed a doner connector from a parts table and in other instances just added pin connectors to the tone arm wires and wired it directly to the cart similar to what is found on fancier tonearms.

You may have to get creative. All is not lost.
 
Not sure if this is a practical solution, but right now there is a replacement arm on the auction site:

Pioneer PL-1400 PL-71 Vintage Turntable For parts original Tonearm From Japan​

 
sound hound said:
Not sure if this is a practical solution, but right now there is a replacement arm on the auction site:

Pioneer PL-1400 PL-71 Vintage Turntable For parts original Tonearm From Japan​

Click to expand...

@Jazzguy54

Actually a practical solution. The best solution, because:

1. removing the heashell connector is tricky, and to do it without damaging the bearings, you need to disassemble most of the arm.

2. if the replacement connector is not the exact one, it will not fit snugly and arm performance will be terrible (mistracking, sibilance, etc)

3. all of this takes time and work
 
If it's a ground (-) connection on the cartridge pin, you can connect to the other ground (-) at the headshell/cartridge terminals. You really only need three wires from the cart- L+, R+ and a common ground for both.

Getting the collet/connector out is easy enough on most Japanese arms.

Yes, remove the entire arm and associated wiring from the TT.
You don't need to remove the arm from the pivot/bearing in most cases as you'll have enough wire to play with.
Undo the tiny screw/s under the arm for securing the collet. They will be glued/lock-tited, so use some pure acetone to soften the thread adhesive and heat (with a heat gun/hairdryer) to loosen the collet.
Put an old headshell (or empty headshell) into the collet and use the headshell to carefully slightly twist and pull out the terminal/collet.
I've done it many, many times.
Then re-wire, replace spring pins whatever.
Reassemble and you're done.

It's not a difficult job and make sure you mark the position (with a pen) on any parts attached to the arm that are grub-screwed into position so you have a rough reference when re-assembling before aligning it all to the SM specs.
 
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