• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Rek-O-Kut Turntables - ROK

Looking at that arm , I kind of doubt that arm was EVER designed to be tracked at 1.5 grams.

Sure, you could "make it" track at whatever you wanted, but if it was designed for heavy tracking force, then you will screw up the compliance of the arm. Doing that will damage your records even more than tracking at higher than the recommended force.

What does the manufacturer say is the recommended tracking force for that arm? Cant be 1.5.....
 
Actually the Grado is a very light arm and can track easliy down to .5 grams. I removed the original ROK arm which did require heavy tracking.
 
I would really like to try and keep this thread pretty related to ROKs. It's great discussion to talk about the merits of various vintage TAs, and tracking forces but it might best be explored as a separate topic. Thanks.
 
Pictures as requested

Here are pictures of a Rek-O-Kut L34H project I did as requested by jcmrt.

I picked up the L34H at the De Anza swap meet in Mountain View, CA. It was $35 for the table, two arms, one pick-up, and the makeshift plinth. A relative bargain. The table itself was in excellent shape.

I rebuilt this table as a gift to a friend. The plinth is a standard birch ply heavy plinth. The top is 3/4" thick piece of zebrawood that I hand planed and joined together into the top board. The sides are 3/4" paduak.

For comparison purposes, I have a picture of the finished table next to my Shindo Garrard 301.

The last picture is the table in its new home.

I'm going to make one last mod to the table. The arm base is sitting a bit high and needs to be 2mm closer to the spindle. So I'm working on a 4" diameter wenge wood arm board.
 

Attachments

  • pic1.jpg
    pic1.jpg
    93.5 KB · Views: 697
  • pic2.jpg
    pic2.jpg
    102 KB · Views: 675
  • pic3.jpg
    pic3.jpg
    116.9 KB · Views: 674
  • pic4.jpg
    pic4.jpg
    111 KB · Views: 866
  • pic5.jpg
    pic5.jpg
    90.8 KB · Views: 638
Rick C said:
Here are pictures of a Rek-O-Kut L34H project I did as requested by jcmrt.

I picked up the L34H at the De Anza swap meet in Mountain View, CA. It was $35 for the table, two arms, one pick-up, and the makeshift plinth. A relative bargain. The table itself was in excellent shape.

I rebuilt this table as a gift to a friend. The plinth is a standard birch ply heavy plinth. The top is 3/4" thick piece of zebrawood that I hand planed and joined together into the top board. The sides are 3/4" paduak.

For comparison purposes, I have a picture of the finished table next to my Shindo Garrard 301.

The last picture is the table in its new home.

I'm going to make one last mod to the table. The arm base is sitting a bit high and needs to be 2mm closer to the spindle. So I'm working on a 4" diameter wenge wood arm board.
Click to expand...

Having never heard a real good idler drive TT,my curiosity is aroused.
Aside from the beautiful cabinetwork/choice of timber,how does the ROK compare to the Shindo/Garrard? :scratch2:
Price notwithstanding.
 
Not much a comparison. The idler tables are known for their dynamics, liveliness, and PRAT. That is true of the ROK. The ROK is a very good table and better than most of high-end tables out there. I like far more than my old Nottingham even with the EMT JSD5 cartidge.

However, the Shindo table is a complete system with a specific arm and cartridge. The Shindo has more weight, finesse, and refinement. It also has the Shindo characteristics-tone, dynamics, naturalness. I've heard the Shindo arm and cart on other tables and the Shindo table with other arms. All far short of the complete system.
 
One more thing.

The Garrard on the Shindo is heavily modified in the Shindo system. It has a totally new bearing assembly, spindle, platter and mat. Only the motor and idler assmebly is stock.
 
I love the contrast of the zebrawood top with the padauk sides. Is there any isolation between the top and sides? Very nice and thanks for the pics.

I take it that other than the plinth, the ROK was basically a clean and lube...re-rubber the idler may but no mods...or...?

BTW, the Shindo is a beautiful table too. I've heard 301s before but not the Shindo which is pretty legendary.
 
Rick,
Thank you for your thoughtful replies to my question. :yes: :thmbsp:
 
jcmjrt said:
I love the contrast of the zebrawood top with the padauk sides. Is there any isolation between the top and sides? Very nice and thanks for the pics.

I take it that other than the plinth, the ROK was basically a clean and lube...re-rubber the idler may but no mods...or...?

BTW, the Shindo is a beautiful table too. I've heard 301s before but not the Shindo which is pretty legendary.
Click to expand...

The top and sides are glued to the birch ply core. The core was smooth on all sides and made true before gluing the sides.

The ROK table itself required very little work. It was in near mint state. I cleaned the mechanism and reworked some of the wiring. Other than that it needed little else. At one point, I was thinking of repainting the platter but decided against it. I did consider changing the bearing assembly and/or the platter but I'll save that for another project.
 
Rick C said:
Here are pictures of a Rek-O-Kut L34H project I did as requested by jcmrt.

I picked up the L34H at the De Anza swap meet in Mountain View, CA. It was $35 for the table, two arms, one pick-up, and the makeshift plinth. A relative bargain. The table itself was in excellent shape.

I rebuilt this table as a gift to a friend. The plinth is a standard birch ply heavy plinth. The top is 3/4" thick piece of zebrawood that I hand planed and joined together into the top board. The sides are 3/4" paduak.

For comparison purposes, I have a picture of the finished table next to my Shindo Garrard 301.

The last picture is the table in its new home.

I'm going to make one last mod to the table. The arm base is sitting a bit high and needs to be 2mm closer to the spindle. So I'm working on a 4" diameter wenge wood arm board.
Click to expand...

Beautiful work!
 
It seems that motor attitude (its three dimensional relationship to the idler wheel(s)) plays a vital part in speed constants on Rek-O-Kuts as well as other American grommet suspended cranks. You can see this for yourself by reaching under a spinning ROK and playing with the motor’s attitude and watch the pitch change on a strobe disc. Without human intervention, there are only three ways to affect this attitude. 1- The spindle height on the motor shaft: 2- Spacers on idler wheel shafts: 3- The condition of the grommet hang.
As you’ve probably guessed, the most variably conditional, and therefore the weakest link on maintaining attitude are the grommets or bushings. Supple or firm… prefabricated or stock, the condition of these rubber jobbies can be a make or break proposition – especially on multiple speed registrations.
One can make adjustments to the spindle or idler wheel height to accommodate bushing condition/motor attitude and more often than not get a speed to lock on. What I’ve experienced, with two ROKs and a Presto is that while the targeted speed is locked, once I change to 45 or 78, those speed are often off.
Short of a new set of bushings, it occurred to that an “on-the-fly”, fine speed pitch control can be added via a plastic threaded shaft and dowel that passes through the front of the plinth and actually changes the motor’s attitude by adjustment. (Think of a “C”-clamp with free wheeling nub attached to the motor face and you’ll see what I mean). I plan to use this on another “Big American Idler” later this summer – but since it’s also applicable to ROKs, I thought I’d put it out there for anybody to pick up on this building season.

All best,
Mario
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom