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Technics SL- 1300MK2

harleyrider

harleyrider

Super Member
Just wanted to hear some opinoins on this Quartz Direct Drive TT. I just bought this really cheap $20, it ways a ton and is in very clean condition . The stylus (needle ) i have questions on replacements. I believe its AudioTechnica (Universal) on the guard. Can i just get the stylus for this or do i need to replace the cartridge ? I cant find anything on this so any help would be very much appreciated. Also how does this compare (good and bad) to my Realistic Lab 400 which is in very good condition ? I really like the way the Technics looks with my gear over the Realistic , but sound is more important. Thanks
 

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I run a 1300MK2 in my main system. It is by far my favorite table. And that is with the cueing not working. There is a auto defeat button towards the back of the table which is needed to keep the tonearm from returning at the end of the record. Do not hit start or stop or it will drag the stylus across the record. I would remove the cart from the headshell to see what the model number is on the cart. I do not have experience with the Lab 400, maybe someone else can help with a comparo :)
 
Audio Technica AT15Sa is on the cartridge , thanks . Looking to replace the stylus hopefully . This Cartridge seems to be expensive ? Is this a good quality piece?
 
I have read some good reviews on that cart. And the stylus alone is over 100.00 on LP Gear. I'd get it :)
 
Just found it part # 203- DEQ (stylus) $155.95 at ttneedles .com. Wow that high , but on the good note i was in there changing out head shells and my other works from the Realistic but i was looking closer at the original and to my suprise it is good .I reinstalled it and it works, now idf i can just figure out how to use this TT correctly ? And set the correct weight for the head ? My lever that raises and lowers the tone arm doesnt seem to work though ? There is a small thimble type screw on the back of the tonearm at the base (inside facing the platter) looks to be some sort of an adjustment ? What does that do .
 
It's on the same quality level as the LAB-400 (both top of line), so the sound quality will be close, but in the end it's a personal call. But the SL-1300MK2 and 1400MK2 suffered from cueing failure that is very difficult to repair, so if yours suffers from that too (and almost every unit succumbs to it after 35 years) you may prefer to stick with the LAB-400. Member Sasi developed a fix--you can search in the archives for that thread.
 
Go to Vinylengine.com and sign up. Its free and they have the owners manual and the service manual and a cool brochure for the MK2. Click on the SL-1300 link and you will find it. Unfortunatly, the cue lever on this model breaks. Poorly designed, Panasonic never were able to figure out a fix. There was a guy who used to rebuld these and get it to work. He sadly passed away a few years ago, and I don't believe his son has taken any new orders in. Sasi developed a fix, you can find his stuff here on AK. Its not easy but it seems to work. I just use mine as a manual table and I'm good. My favorite feature is the pitch adjustment :) Speed up the songs a little or slow them down a little. Too much fun. The knurled screw is an adjustment for the tonearm. You can raise or lower the tonearm which adjusts the angle of the stylus on the record. It's a great feature to have. There are many threads that discuss this on AK :)

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-1300.shtml

Edit: What Howard said :D
 
Wow, what a deal. Recently picked up one on e-bay for 10x your cost and am very happy. BTW, the AT15Sa should be a very good cartridge. (I have a AT13Ea that I bought in the late 70's. I would have liked a AT15Sa, but that was outside of the price range of a high school student.)

I need to attempt the cue repair, but need to find the time.

Did some research before buying and my opinion is that this is probably one of the nicest turntables Technics ever made from a form and function standpoint.
 
If you want the auto return fixed, John at the Turntable Factory still does these repairs. He just did my 1400MK2 and it works great. $200 for the fix includes return shipping, new RCA's, clean up, and he mounted and aligned my Ortofon 2M Red. You can reach him at theturntablefactory@yahoo.com.
 
harleyrider said:
Audio Technica AT15Sa is on the cartridge , thanks . Looking to replace the stylus hopefully . This Cartridge seems to be expensive ? Is this a good quality piece?
Click to expand...

Whatever, keep the cartridge :yes:
Here's an excellent linky of info I gathered with a similar query.
I love it :thmbsp:

Roger
 
kmulkey said:
If you want the auto return fixed, John at the Turntable Factory still does these repairs. He just did my 1400MK2 and it works great. $200 for the fix includes return shipping, new RCA's, clean up, and he mounted and aligned my Ortofon 2M Red. You can reach him at theturntablefactory@yahoo.com.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I will attempt to follow SaSi's instructions http://mail.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=213631 even if they are not for the faint of heart.
 
Good luck! I saw Sasi's post on that and it looked like that job/fix required much patience, which I (unfortunately) do not have.
They are great turntables and you can always use it in fully manual mode. Enjoy!
 
i have an SL1300 dedicated to my record ripping station. i really like it and have had plenty of "oh wow" moments sitting there listening to records on that table. $20 has got me beat. i paid $40 for mine at a thrift and am very happy with it.
 
kmulkey said:
Good luck! I saw Sasi's post on that and it looked like that job/fix required much patience, which I (unfortunately) do not have.
They are great turntables and you can always use it in fully manual mode. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

I took quite a few pics and elaborated on the process so that it all became clearer to all (including myself). When I took the thing apart and took the first pics, I wasn't sure what the problem was and what was causing it.

It took me 15 minutes to take the second SL-1300MkII apart, remove the tonearm, and put the rest back together. That tonearm still looks me in the eye waiting to be fixed. It really is half an hour's work plus the time to wait for the glue to set. But currently I'm more in the mood of restoring loudspeakers and sitting by the fireplace.

If I was any closer to you all, I'd have no problem fixing a few arms just for the return postage but two way USPS to Athens might buy you not a new arm but probably a bargain SL-1200MkII.
 
Well, so far so good. Got the piece off. Removing the bushing it slips over was problematic. Now for some slow drying epoxy over night. Would have been lost without the pictures SaSi. Thanks.
 
toups said:
Well, so far so good. Got the piece off. Removing the bushing it slips over was problematic. Now for some slow drying epoxy over night. Would have been lost without the pictures SaSi. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Please let us know how yours goes as I have a 1500MKII with the same dam problem, but the good thing is not as many parts to remove to get to that bad part.
 
toups said:
Well, so far so good. Got the piece off. Removing the bushing it slips over was problematic. Now for some slow drying epoxy over night. Would have been lost without the pictures SaSi. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Well, my high sheer strength epoxy doesn't seem to stick to it very well at all. The initial glue job didn't hold when I tried to reassemble.

The other problem is that when putting a clip to hold it together when letting the epoxy dry, it slipped and broke the ear that activates the muting switch.:tears: However the epoxy job I did for it using some nylon for to reinforce it seems to be working for now. Although I am concerned about the adhesion to this plastic.

Now I need rethink how to glue the original problem.:scratch2: I need to add some sort of mechanical reinforcement. A wire would be nice, but I am leery of drilling the needed holes. Probably won't have time to work on it until tonight.

Hopefully the muting switch tab will hold up as is.
 
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