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Some Empire Turntable History

bolero said:
I hope you can restore the arm with some donor/replacement parts. Frank had his grubby hands all over that tonearm, it needs to be preserved :rockon:
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I want to keep it original as possible but some changes will be necessary. I now have all the parts I need except for a counterweight so I'm going to try to make my own.
As I stated above, my neighbor is a retired machinist and I consulted with him on the project. He thinks it should be fairly easy to replicate with brass and just use a set screw to secure it.
 
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Not sure if I should start a new thread, but will try here first:

one day I heard a metallic *plink* as something fell down inside the 990 arm on my 598 TT: I looked over and the little arm lift riser inside the pillar was gone.

So the arm lift lever doesn't have anything to push up/down.

I looked under the table & there are no loose parts. Under the arm platform, the lift lever spins that piece but it doesn't hook into anything else. That small internal arm lift platform is nowhere to be seen.

Has anyone had this happen to them, or repaired it? I wasn't even using the TT it was an act of Gravity/God!
 
I searched the forums but didn't find anything. This thread is useful reference for the 990 arm though:

Empire 990 Tonearm Referbisment

Well this last Friday morning I picked up an Empire 598 (https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/picked-up-an-empire-today.959188/) Anyway it needed some work especially on the Tonearm. The anti skate didn't work (Spring was off) The queuing didn't work (Grease hardened) and someone...
audiokarma.org
 
basplin said:
I just wanted to share my 398 restoration with the group (this thread has become one big Empire party!)
About 18 months ago, I had the hare-brained idea of "refreshing" my 398. Give it a quick polish, make it shiny again. No problem...

Big mistake.

I grossly underestimated what I got myself into. After removing the original clear coat on the top plate, I tried polishing around the original logo, but couldn't get a consistent finish. The clear coat I used had a blue hue. Sanding the clear coat smooth between coats ended up damaging parts of the brushed finish. I even looked into getting the top plate re-brushed, but after calling several machine shops in my area, it was clear that no one wanted anything to do with this thing. I was so disgusted with my work on it, as my compounded mistakes had, in my eyes, caused irreversible damage. So it sat for months, in pieces.

Since this is the turntable of my dreams - probably the last one I'll ever own - I had to get this right. I got lucky and found another top plate for sale online. The original finish was in rough shape, so I stripped it off (and original screen printed logo) and painstakingly polished it over the next month and a half, taking my time to preserve the brushing pattern and ensure an even, consistent finish. I lightly polished the platter, tonearm, and hardware, and wiped on a couple coats of Wolfgang Metallwerk Metal Sealant. Additionally, I sourced a place that was able to take the logo and turn it into a borderless sticker. I added O-rings inside the platter for dampening. I ordered a brand new tonearm cable to replace the cracked original. I got a new belt from Esoteric Sound. Finally, I put on my Stanton 681 with a conical stylus. It sounds wonderful, and I'm absolutely thrilled with the result. For the second time in its life, it's brand new.

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Absolutely inspiring
 
bolero said:
Not sure if I should start a new thread, but will try here first:

one day I heard a metallic *plink* as something fell down inside the 990 arm on my 598 TT: I looked over and the little arm lift riser inside the pillar was gone.

So the arm lift lever doesn't have anything to push up/down.

I looked under the table & there are no loose parts. Under the arm platform, the lift lever spins that piece but it doesn't hook into anything else. That small internal arm lift platform is nowhere to be seen.

Has anyone had this happen to them, or repaired it? I wasn't even using the TT it was an act of Gravity/God!
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this was the only info i could find on line re: the tonearm on the 598; it may be of some assistance:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/preliminary-thoughts-on-an-empire-598-iii.442159
i'd start in post #10 for cuing info...

here's another thread w/detailed dissection pics of the tonearm:
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/empire-990-tonearm-referbisment.959657

hth,

doug s.
 
thanks! funny I'd posted in that thread a long time ago when I first got this 598

I'll look for that threaded post it must have fallen out
 
I have a better idea of what's going on now: I'm so used to my 698 ( been using it for years ) that I forgot the 598 cue is completely different. You can't actually SEE the cuing mechanism when the arm is in the rest. You need to rotate the arm over the platter first, then you can see the post/screw. On the 698 you can see everything, it's out in the open.

So when I looked over at the 598 & didn't see the cue paraphenalia, I thought it fell down into the arm base! lol

I'm not sure the falling *plink* noise was. It is missing that rubber piece underneath the platform though. Maybe that's all it needs.

I saw something in the manual about a cue height adjustment. Other than the height of the arm on it's mounting post, I think. Will investigate.

Thanks!
 
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I had been wrongfully blaming a faint hum on my empire 398, probably because I once had a noisy Pabst motor that did make noise. However, I recently discovered that the real culprit was my Dynaco Mark III’s, which have a noisy mechanical hum from the vibrating transformers. They are poorly isolated from the turntable, and the cartridge is picking up on the vibrations. I took the Dynacos off-line for some repairs and went back to running my Harman Kardon A500 integrated amplifier, and now there is no hum whatsoever.
 
Congrats!

Another Q for 598 owners:

I seem to remember my 598 lever being able to lift the arm up from the armrest area?

then I would rotate the arm & use the lever to drop it down on the record.

Is this not the case?

Right now the lever doesn't do anything unless the arm is rotated over the record. Which seems strange to me.
 
bolero said:
Congrats!

Another Q for 598 owners:

I seem to remember my 598 lever being able to lift the arm up from the armrest area?

then I would rotate the arm & use the lever to drop it down on the record.

Is this not the case?

Right now the lever doesn't do anything unless the arm is rotated over the record. Which seems strange to me.
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if you look at the disassembled pics, it seems pretty clear that, when properly aligned, the lifter will lift the arm up from the tonearm rest.

doug s.
 
I must be losing it...

I got a better view inside with a light & you are correct.

There is a big gap between the lift screw & the arm platform piece though: I have yet to replace the rubber underneath it.

I think I'll take a break on this until I fix that, plus I don't have a cart on it either :whip:


Meanwhile I found an easy fix for the sagging plexiglass lid: I stuck a ~1/16" cork bumper on the middle of the back piece & the lid now sits nice & flat when closed.
 
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Old and long thread but does anyone happen to know someone in the metro nyc area or hudson valley or CT who could tweak my 598. I dont need a full resto but im not very handy and need the speed, and motor checked....Thanks
 
kbuzz said:
Old and long thread but does anyone happen to know someone in the metro nyc area or hudson valley or CT who could tweak my 598. I dont need a full resto but im not very handy and need the speed, and motor checked....Thanks
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Don't know if this will help you but my friend used a tech in Hopewell Junction which is a little north of Interstate 84 near the Taconic Parkway. don't know the techs name unfortunately
 
bolero said:
I can't see how that is happening: I have a plastic spacer between headshell & cart, those 2 black plastic sliders on top are plastic, and I separated the LR ground wires. So none of that appears to be in contact.

Someone mentioned a ground strap on the cart, I'll check that out
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Did you ever solve the hum issue? Experiencing something very similar...
 
When I sold hi-fi back in the 70's, my store got in the "new" Empire 698. I was personally all about high compliance tonearms and direct drive. I saw it as recreating the Checker Cab. in a "new" version.

I've learned a thing or two since then. I'd love to have one now. But that was my take back then. I considered it old and obsolete tech for people that also worshiped "tube warmth" in their amplifiers.;)
 
empirelvr said:
***UPDATED****UPDATED***UPDATED***UPDATED****

Updated November 19, 2010

I posted a version of this in another thread on Empire turntables and the response I received encouraged me to flesh it out even more and post it under a new topic. As my username implies, I’m a big fan of these turntables. I was exposed to them at a very early age, and have owned at one time or another a 298, 598 and 698. I currently own two 598III’s. One pretty much stock, the other mounted with a SME 3009 II (which I really had to alter to get it to work) and a custom wood base and dust cover I had built to replace the one that came with the unit. (It was in bad shape.)...
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Are you by any chance affiliated with VinylEngine? https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=25198
 
Last lap said:
When I sold hi-fi back in the 70's, my store got in the "new" Empire 698. I was personally all about high compliance tonearms and direct drive. I saw it as recreating the Checker Cab. in a "new" version.

I've learned a thing or two since then. I'd love to have one now. But that was my take back then. I considered it old and obsolete tech for people that also worshiped "tube warmth" in their amplifiers.;)
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Considering Empire pretty much disintegrated soon after the launch of the 698 it might have not been a bad thing you ignored it. You don't know the pain of trying to find headshells or other parts for that arm!
 
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