Yamaha P-(X)50 Turntable DIY Maintenance Thread P-350, P-450, P-550, P-750, P-751, P-10, P-20

[Doforres]

Yes, looks like i had the whole assembly up a bit. I don't think it was fully detached though, just picked up a bit. I remember pushing the arm a bit and being able to pull the lifter up. Then I think the next piece was removed from below.

It's hard to remember the steps, but I was successful!

Hi Loudnoises, I actually found on eBay someone selling a removed tonearm assembly with base and they had photos of the underside. Yes it appears there is a C clip and washer and spring. I bet if I remove those the damping rod comes out from below. I’d love to post one of their photos here for others to reference but I don’t want to put someone else’s photo without permission. Having very little space to work in concerns me as those tonearm wires are delicate but that seems to be how it’s done. Thank you again!

 

[joshski]

I recently encountered a problem with my P-550. I switched my cart to an AT VM95C (set overhang to 31.5mm), but then when i hit play the arm would only reach this far and slip off the record when it dropped. After switching back to the cart in the picture, it does the same thing. On 45's it is short by the same amount. Is there an adjustment for the cue-in?

 

[loudnoises]

Pretty sure there is a lead in adjustment. Please confirm with the manual but I believe it's by the arm pivot.

The arm lift bar also gets dirty and will affect set down a bit, sometimes causing it to shift to the side. Make sure that's clean too.

 

[joshski]

Pretty sure there is a lead in adjustment. Please confirm with the manual but I believe it's by the arm pivot.

The arm lift bar also gets dirty and will affect set down a bit, sometimes causing it to shift to the side. Make sure that's clean too.

Thanks for the quick reply. Nothing in the owners manual (i dont have access to a service manual at this time) but like you said, theres some kind of adjustment by the arm pivot. 2 holes, inside one of which there is a slotted plastic screw (best picture i could get):



It wont budge. When i try to rotate it either way, the arm wants to move but returns to the same spot.

 

[loudnoises]

From the p751 service manual.

 

[joshski]

View attachment 3730657
From the p751 service manual.

thank you sir

 

[Viriatusrex]

Hello, I bought a P 750, everything works except the start button, when i press it, there's no "click" that will start the automechanism. The button also doesnt return to its original position easily. Everything else works, if i place the arm on the record and press "repeat" it will even repeat the cicle. Just the initial first step after "start" button is pressed isnt working. Could this be an easy fix? Or should I return the turntable (huge hassle packaging it well, etc) ? Thanks in advance for any help with this!

 

[loudnoises]

It could be. Iirc it is a separate board with the switches, maybe you've lost some of the mechanism. They're not super complex so if the switch itself is the issue it should be an easy fix, even if you need a new part but if the button isn't returning then it's got a physical issue and you may not be activating the actual switch.

Just be sure to remove the platter and tie the arm to the post before you flip it upside down.

Again, don't forget to remove the platter! It's just pressed on the post. Fingers in the holes, thumb on the spindle and pull. If you don't it will really Crack your lid and mangle the arm.

Returning is up to you. If it's not as advertised contact the seller, a partial refund might make you both happier.

 

[Beobloke]

I had exactly the same issue on a P-20 I bought last year and it was simply that the mechanical linkage to the Start button had popped off. I clipped it back on and all was well.

 

[Viriatusrex]

I had exactly the same issue on a P-20 I bought last year and it was simply that the mechanical linkage to the Start button had popped off. I clipped it back on and all was well.

Hello, Loudnoises and Beobloke! Thank you so much! I managed to solve the problem thanks to you both! I reversed the turntable carefully, took off the bottom lid and found out that the start lever had popped out of another lever linkage that made the whole thing work (check photos, please)! Now it cicles perfectly! Have a great day!

 

[loudnoises]

Hello, Loudnoises and Beobloke! Thank you so much! I managed to solve the problem thanks to you both! I reversed the turntable carefully, took off the bottom lid and found out that the start lever had popped out of another lever linkage that made the whole thing work (check photos, please)! Now it cicles perfectly! Have a great day!

Glad to help! These are great tables and it's awesome to see another brought back.

It's actually frighteningly common to find physically broken internals on these, things that should not break somehow do!

 

[hhabibolah]

Hi everyone,


I have a Yamaha YP-7100 with an issue in the auto-start mechanism. When I press Start, the tonearm lifts normally and makes the small initial movement away from the platter, as it should. However, it then seems to get stuck and won’t continue moving toward the record. The turntable then shuts off and the arm returns to its rest.


If I give the tonearm a very slight push—or even just place my finger behind it so it has something to push against during that initial backward movement—it then moves toward the record normally and completes the auto-start sequence.


Manual operation and auto-return otherwise work. Here is a video showing the problem:

Watch Yp7100 issue | Streamable

Watch "Yp7100 issue" on Streamable.

streamable.com

Any ideas what part of the mechanism could be causing this? I’d appreciate any help before I start taking things apart again. Thanks!

 

[Caseymou]

Followed along with the tonearm lube instructions on my p550 and they were great. I did flip it over and clean/degrease the moving parts of auto system. Couple questions though. Is the platter mat hard and attached to the platter or is mine just missing. Also, I think this was covered but the motor bearings aren’t serviceable, correct?

 

[loudnoises]

Followed along with the tonearm lube instructions on my p550 and they were great. I did flip it over and clean/degrease the moving parts of auto system. Couple questions though. Is the platter mat hard and attached to the platter or is mine just missing. Also, I think this was covered but the motor bearings aren’t serviceable, correct?View attachment 3806201

No regular service on the bearings.

That black mat is the platter mat. They're not floppy like a Technics but they do bend. Not sure what they were like 40 years ago. Most of them have leeched oil at this point, getting harder and sticking to the platter. Should be able to peel it up, they were not glued originally it's just oil from the rubber.

 

[Caseymou]

Getting excited to give this a listen. Previously had P-220 and liked it but gifted away. This particular table came with Grace F-9 installed, unfortunately the stylus was bent. I have a black diamond replacement arriving tomorrow.

 

[redfoxiii]

Hello there! I read through the thread and am having an issue I did not see with a P-750.

Basically, when the arm lifter drops away, the tone arm is drifting off the record before the needle makes contact.

I can stop this behavior by setting the anti-skating at zero. However, it had been set to 2g and working completely fine. Not sure what changed, but apparently the anti-skating force went up by a factor of 10 all the sudden. Even 0.5g anti-skating makes the tone arm behave strangely.

 

[loudnoises]

Hello there! I read through the thread and am having an issue I did not see with a P-750.

Basically, when the arm lifter drops away, the tone arm is drifting off the record before the needle makes contact.

I can stop this behavior by setting the anti-skating at zero. However, it had been set to 2g and working completely fine. Not sure what changed, but apparently the anti-skating force went up by a factor of 10 all the sudden. Even 0.5g anti-skating makes the tone arm behave strangely.

So when the lifter disengages, the needle is already in the groove, but then pops out? Or is it not in the groove yet? This is auto start?

You might want to adjust the set down point so it's a bit farther in. It's also been a while but 2g antiskate is pretty high, what's your vtf? Stylus? Iirc is usually set to half vtf with an elliptical, i never found this table to need even really much.

The biggest issue with these tables is the vertical bearings in the arm. They corrode and don't roll anymore. Corrosion can build up at the extents of its normal range of movement and cause mistracking. They still can perform well with the siezed bearings (nice pivot), but they can be finicky as a result.

 

[redfoxiii]

So when the lifter disengages, the needle is already in the groove, but then pops out? Or is it not in the groove yet? This is auto start?

You might want to adjust the set down point so it's a bit farther in. It's also been a while but 2g antiskate is pretty high, what's your vtf? Stylus? Iirc is usually set to half vtf with an elliptical, i never found this table to need even really much.

The biggest issue with these tables is the vertical bearings in the arm. They corrode and don't roll anymore. Corrosion can build up at the extents of its normal range of movement and cause mistracking. They still can perform well with the siezed bearings (nice pivot), but they can be finicky as a result.

The needle is not in groove yet, the tone arm moves to the outside and falls away before hitting the groove.

This happens when I auto start OR if I move the tone arm over manually and then use the cue switch to lower the needle. Stylus is a Sumiko Rainier, elliptical, which might need to have the overhang reduced because it's a BIG cartridge and I was concerned about wire tension when I installed it. VTF is about 2g - I don't remember the precise number but I checked it with a scale and it's correct for the stylus.

Vertical motion is not an issue as far as I can tell. This is a sudden change in the horizontal pivot where the tonearm is being pulled to the outside WAY harder than before despite no change in anti-skate setting for years.

If I set anti-skating to even 0.5 grams, the needle still pulls outside and has some skipping/tracking weirdness. it's only ok turned as far down as I can.

 

[redfoxiii]

The needle is not in groove yet, the tone arm moves to the outside and falls away before hitting the groove.

This happens when I auto start OR if I move the tone arm over manually and then use the cue switch to lower the needle. Stylus is a Sumiko Rainier, elliptical, which might need to have the overhang reduced because it's a BIG cartridge and I was concerned about wire tension when I installed it. VTF is about 2g - I don't remember the precise number but I checked it with a scale and it's correct for the stylus.

Vertical motion is not an issue as far as I can tell. This is a sudden change in the horizontal pivot where the tonearm is being pulled to the outside WAY harder than before despite no change in anti-skate setting for years.

If I set anti-skating to even 0.5 grams, the needle still pulls outside and has some skipping/tracking weirdness. it's only ok turned as far down as I can.

After further inspection and resetting VTF and cartridge alignment, I think it might be the common issue: bearings having a lot of drag and causing low VTF, so the anti-skate was set too strong for the actual VTF.

Another day I’ll open up the bearings and clean/oil them. I’m just glad nothing in that plastic jigsaw in the base went bad!

 

[loudnoises]

After further inspection and resetting VTF and cartridge alignment, I think it might be the common issue: bearings having a lot of drag and causing low VTF, so the anti-skate was set too strong for the actual VTF.

Another day I’ll open up the bearings and clean/oil them. I’m just glad nothing in that plastic jigsaw in the base went bad!

The 750 is a fine table. The base is a composite, the drive is powerful and smooth. The arm is fantastic. Vtf should be spot on via the arm gauge.

The vertical bearings, not so much. I've opened a few arms and green prevails inside. A good cleaning will result in a good clean pivot at least. As best I can tell all the arms in the series will swap, 350, 550, etc will all work so a donor may be found. Years ago I did manage to identify the bearing, but was totally unable to source any. It should be an easy replacement if they can be found. It's unfortunate but so very many are corroded.