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Russco Studio Pro Plinth Build

wer_ginestar said:
I like your idea of having the tonearm top left, because that moves the cartridge away from the motor as far as possible, however, i find it a pain to use the arm from this position. I made one TT with two arms, one of them mounted top left, and after trying my luck twice i have never used it again. A "conventional" turntable could be turned by 90 degrees, but with the gearshift of these tables this is not really an option.
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Thanks, I’ve tried front left and that works but prefer the rear left, just takes some getting use to, now I don’t even think about where it’s at….

Make sure you load some pictures of your new project,

Andy
 
Rear left is where the armboard placement for my two arm Victor plinth is. I keep a Audio Technics ATP-12T back there with a Denon DL-103 cart mounted and I have gotten quite used to it. I do use a cuing device though, hand cuing from back there would be tough.

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BillWojo
 
Probably it would be better if it had an arm lift?

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But then, that Thorens arm is best suited for medium to high compliance carts, and i no longer have any use for them.
(Andy, sorry for the O/T)
 
adnick said:
Ok, to finish this one out, added some acoustic caulk to the seems around the layers, it also gets the caulk in the corners and seems between the Walnut and plywood.

Also installed some adjustable feet, the sky’s the limit when it comes to feet so :dunno: bu I like these because they are adjustable and they come apart.

Next task, wrapping it up, literally;) and sending it out to it’s new owner, enjoy Bill…

For those paying attention it’s twin is sitting on the bench :naughty: It’s always fun to do one that you’ve never done….

View attachment 2325929 View attachment 2325931
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Andy, where and how is the chassis actually attached to the plinth. There is a hole in each corner, do you just screw it to that plywood frame?
 
My pleasure :thumbsup:

I’ve also “captured” the shaft well on a few builds, it adds a great deal of complexity without much gain, at least in my experience (-:

Andy
 
Nice project, thanks to Bill for sending me here. There were a couple of questions I had for rebuilding one of these concerning the motor, although I believe you have a Japanese motor instead of the Bodine, correct? Bill, do you have for sale those motor mounts and the Delrin spindle thingy, would love to kit out my current Pro Studio with those parts. Thanks!
 
The motor mounts I purchased from a distributor down in MD I believe. All the information is either in this post or on the post in Lenco Heaven. I included the model numbers of the mounts as well.
I don't have a shop and have limited access to one these days so I'm afraid your on your own with the bearing pad. I can tell you I started with a brass set screw 1/2-13 x 1.25 long that I machined a flat bottomed pocket into. I think the pocket was about 0.340 in diameter. I than machined a Delrin bar down to 0.341 diameter and parted a piece off about 1/8" thick to fit in the pocket. The Delrin just sticks out of the set screw about 1/32".
As far as lube I just used hydraulic oil, AW32 and put enough so that it floods up into the top bushing without making a mess.
Next time I have it apart I might go up a grade in viscosity, something like AW46 hydraulic oil.

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Couple of pictures of the inside of the Bodine motor. This motor was in good shape so I just cleaned it up, added a little grease in the bearing area and oiled the bushings well. Make sure you mark the end bells so they go back on in the same orientation meaning they are not turned 90 or 180 degrees out. When assembling keep checking that the shaft doesn't bind. Also keep track of any washers, fiber or steel on the motor armature.

BillWojo
 
I ended up using the Japanese Nidec motor on my build, it just seemed to be a hair bit smoother than the Bodine motor.
It seems these Russco turntables multiply when your not looking. I started with one, kind of lusted over the Russco Studio Pro for years and when one became available I jumped on it. Than another and another. Eventually I had 4 total but early on when I got my second table I sent it to Andy so he could use it to build my plinth. Didn't take long before I realized that Andy like the Russco a lot to so we worked out a deal.
Glad I did as Andy really got into his build and did a lot of testing, coming up with some great ideas. He also verified that my new bearing design was a total success. Werner in Germany was building a table at the same time as well and all three of us were able to compare ideas. Andy's testing also showed were improvements were measurable and not just subjective "sounds better" type of reporting.
Between this thread and Werners thread on Lenco Haven there is a lot of good information on building a world class Russco turntable. I started out wanting to build something that would compete with the big dogs in the idler world, the Garrard 301/401 and Thorens TD124 tables. Think we got pretty close, I'll let Andy speak on this. Either way, restoring and hot rodding a Russco is much more affordable that those tables mentioned.
Andy's plinth build is just fabulous, provides lots of damping for any vibrations to sink into while looking like the fine piece of furniture that it is. Absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Andy!

BillWojo
 
@gkargreen yes mine has the Japanese motor and use ISO 46 oil in it because that’s what I use in some other tables.

Appreciate Bill’s comments, but he kinda put me on the spot to compare tables :whip:

The Russco Studio Pro is a massively well built table, a little maintenance along with few upgrades brings it up to top tier performance, it can hold its own with the big name idlers.

Comparing it to my TD124 it’s important to remember that my TD also has hundreds of dollars in maintenance and upgrades along with a custom plinth. The TD has a bit better W&F numbers tested at the RCA output with and actual original tube W&F machine, however I can’t tell or hear the difference.

For number freaks, or to obtain the utmost from the big motors, both tables would produce better numbers with a power control device like is sold for the Garrard 301s, but that’s really not necessary.

Each machine is extremely quiet, way below the noise floor of LPs and as Bill said, that’s not speculative, testing was done with a silent track and oscilloscope at the RCA outputs of the table.

I’d say the TD is a bit more detailed, but the Russco has more “slam” bass comes through with a bit more oomph’, but those statements are subjective based on listening sessions side by side, with comparable arms and carts.

Obviously the Thorens command more money in the current market but I’d have a very difficult time picking one over the other based on performance and/or aesthetics.

When finished you’ll have a gorgeous piece of audio equipment that preforms beyond your aural abilities, and can be passed on to the next several generations.

They are extremely satisfying to listen to, look at and interact with, a real world example of form and function…..


VR
Andy
 
adnick said:
BTW

Should have mentioned that for anyone with a Studio Pro I’d be glad to share a template with you, should work for a Cue Master also. Would probably save someone considerable time :dunno:

Went through several design iterations, even vertical :blah: but it’s certainly not rocket science ;)

If you’re interested just let me know.

VR
Andy
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Hi Andy!

Just wondering if that offer for a template is still good.. :)

-Duane
 
adnick said:
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After I get the next couple of plinths built I’ll tear this test Russco down, clean it up and replace some parts, including that idler ;)

You’ll have a fine, heavy piece of turntable history :) BTW was talking with the lumber provider and it’s possible that the Black Walnut was cut over 100 years ago!

I’m still listening to it :naughty:
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Nice job Andy, that turned out great and provides me with great inspiration. I can hardly wait to get at my wood supply to start building mine. And great choice of listening material, :music: she's my cousin, always nice to see her get some more publicity.

Cheers
 
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ve7kilohertz said:
Nice job Andy, that turned out great provides me with great inspiration. I can hardly wait to get at my wood supply to start building mine. And great choice of listening material, :music: she's my cousin, always nice to see her get some more publicity.

Cheers
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Thanks for your comments and sharing the family relationship :thumbsup: Really enjoy her LPs only have a few so She’s on my list to procure more;)

Andy
 
BillWojo said:
So at big family birthday partys is she the one that sings "Happy Birthday"?
That's pretty cool to have her as a family member, she is an awesome singer.

BillWojo
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Ha, no, not anymore. Last time we sang Christmas tunes around the piano was years ago before her parents passed. The good old days. Actually, that's not true, her and Elvis attended our big family reunion in 2014 and I ended playing guitar and singing with Elvis Costello, was a lot of fun. CCR Bad Moon a Risin', but he didn't know the words so I had to lead. :music::rflmao:

Cheers
 
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