• 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

Removing headshell from a Yamaha pf-800 turntable?

RunOutGroove

RunOutGroove

Addicted Member
So I got one of these turntables, a couple of years ago... and it's really the best turtable that I've owned (out of admittedly only a few not very high end ones though). The Denon DL-110 cart that it came with sounds great and tracks well, but now I'm wondering if after a few years of use just how worn out it is (hopefully, it's got plenty of life on it as I'm not really looking for a reason to replace it). I have a little mini microscope gizmo (with a built in light) that I figure might be good enough to see wear on that thing, if there is wear, but in order to check that I'll need to take the headshell off and I can't figure out how to do that. On the tonearm, where it meets the headshell, there's a little screw with a knurled knob that would seem to be the thing that holds the headshell on, but when I loosen that thing, the headshell doesn't seem to be coming loose and of course I don't want to force it and risk breaking the delicate mechanism of this thing. Is there some kind of trick to getting that headshell off of the tonearm?

I realize that I could unhook the wires, and unscrew the cart from the headshell and then re-calibrate everything when I put everything back together, but I really don't want to do that. I think that before I do that, I would just bring the whole thing to the hi-fi store in my neighborhood for them to deal with, but I'd really like to avoid that hassle (and expense)...
 
Register to hide this ad
You are on the right track. After making sure the screw is fully disengaged, try grasping the headshell between finger and thumb and gently wiggling it back and forth while holding tonearm with your other hand to avoid lateral stress on the tonearm bearings.

The plastic barrel of those headshells can get pretty "sticky" with time. After it's removed, you can put a small amount of light grease on it, but avoid getting on the end near the contacts. You could use dielectric grease.
 
knob screw out, good.

- arm NOT in the clasp holder, left hand holding both tubes somewhere near screw opening. At some point, this hand is going to ensure your tonearm assembly doesn’t take the brunt of the pull off. It’s your clamp.

- RH to the cartridge. The stock headshell with the finger lift NOT attached to the headshell? Do NOT be putting force on that. A non-stock where it’s all one piece is soooo much easier to deal with. The stock one I’ve got to make sure that I’m holding in such a way that I can make sure the cart body headshell all moves together w o stressing their attachment to each other.

The key now. Alternate between an outward force, an even more minute rotational force, outward, rotational, outward, minute left right, outward, etc. none of these “plays” are large all tiny attempts to break that overall bond and get one minuscule hint of progress.

There’s an ever so tiny amount of play and/or plasticness that will allow this. Sometimes I’ve re inserted the headshell deep enough that it takes maybe one or three passes at the above wiggle process.

Clearly there’s a “too much” aspect. So maybe the first few times be overly cautious.

When I brought my table out of the box for its resurrection, it had been 3 decades since I had done this.

I took it to a friend who had the headshell off in 3 seconds. I made him do it several times before I tried. “Oh, an 800! (remove) I had one years ago”

No lube in the tube. The fit is tight and snug but will comply. The hurdle is knowing/feeling the wiggle within the tolerance limit. The other key is to listen. Your left hand as much as your right hand and your ears will guide you. Not your eyes.
 
app4dstn said:
knob screw out, good.

- arm NOT in the clasp holder, left hand holding both tubes somewhere near screw opening. At some point, this hand is going to ensure your tonearm assembly doesn’t take the brunt of the pull off. It’s your clamp.

- RH to the cartridge. The stock headshell with the finger lift NOT attached to the headshell? Do NOT be putting force on that. A non-stock where it’s all one piece is soooo much easier to deal with. The stock one I’ve got to make sure that I’m holding in such a way that I can make sure the cart body headshell all moves together w o stressing their attachment to each other.

The key now. Alternate between an outward force, an even more minute rotational force, outward, rotational, outward, minute left right, outward, etc. none of these “plays” are large all tiny attempts to break that overall bond and get one minuscule hint of progress.

There’s an ever so tiny amount of play and/or plasticness that will allow this. Sometimes I’ve re inserted the headshell deep enough that it takes maybe one or three passes at the above wiggle process.

Clearly there’s a “too much” aspect. So maybe the first few times be overly cautious.

When I brought my table out of the box for its resurrection, it had been 3 decades since I had done this.

I took it to a friend who had the headshell off in 3 seconds. I made him do it several times before I tried. “Oh, an 800! (remove) I had one years ago”

No lube in the tube. The fit is tight and snug but will comply. The hurdle is knowing/feeling the wiggle within the tolerance limit. The other key is to listen. Your left hand as much as your right hand and your ears will guide you. Not your eyes.
Click to expand...
A bit of lubricant will NOT be a problem.

Otherwise, seems we agree on removal process.
 
Thanks for the ideas, folks.

Funny but when I attempted the same before I pretty much did most of what's being said here, some of which might just fall into the category of common sense. I made sure that I holding the tonearm firmly by both of those tubes so that the base of it wasn't getting pulled on and I pulled the headshell by the sturdy part of it, not the lift piece of it. I'll try it again though with more effort on the wiggling part of it...
 
Last edited:
spark1 said:
Still wondering.
Click to expand...
No, I haven't gotten around to it. Everything is working OK so I'm not in a rush to deal with it and am kind of figuring that it may be OCD that's causing me to feel that the thing is worn out. Eventually I'll get to it, though I'm kind of afraid that I'm not going to be successful in popping that thing out so I'll have to unhook it and take it to the hi-fi shop for them to deal with. Fortunately the shop is close, but I find that dealing with the unhooking/hooking back up thing to be a PIA so I generally will put that off for a while.

Everything still sounds very good, but I'd still like the piece of mind to know if that stylus is wearing down. Who knows, even though I don't have an issue with the sound, if I were to replace it with a new one of the same (there doesn't seem to be much in the class of my Denon that isn't much more expensive), it might sound so good that I'll realize just what I had been missing...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom