Zenith Turntable Model - Please help.
- Thread starter Steve VB
- Start date
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- zenith y960
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johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I don't recognize that turntable at all. Interesting. Can you take and post a pic of the cartridge ?
beat_truck
Addicted Member
I could be wrong, but unfortunately, that looks like a later BSR that's not original to the console.
Send pictures of the cartridge to https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/
They will know what you need and likely have it. They are great to deal with and usually have great prices, too.
Send pictures of the cartridge to https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/
They will know what you need and likely have it. They are great to deal with and usually have great prices, too.
beat_truck
Addicted Member
Even Magnavox used BSRs in their crappy particle board and plastic last-gasp consoles. I had one here not that long ago. How the mighty had fallen.....
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
Really. Ugh. I liked Collaro(used by Magnavox). Didn't Zenith usually use V-M except the TOTL where/when they used the inhouse model ?
Built inhouse best Zenith changer:
beat_truck
Addicted Member
They did most of the time. I'm not exactly sure when, but from what I've seen, it seems like early to mid 70s is when they started using BSRs too.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I always thought their built inhouse changer was really cool. When I was a kid, a friends parents had a Zenith console stereo. The changer was older but I remember the built in 45 rpm stacker spindle. That was something as some many stacker spindles that you slid onto the regular spindle made noise or affected wow and flutter.
beat_truck
Addicted Member
They were pretty neat. I had two consoles with those changers over the years. One was old enough that it still had the cobra tonearm and the other had the slim tubular tonearm and 2g cartridge.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
That's what it was when I was a kid !! The one with the cobra tonearm.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I don't recognize that one. Is it mounted wrong, or is it just the pic that makes it look like it is way off center ?
beat_truck
Addicted Member
That's a Tetrad cartridge. VERY popular on BSRs, and other record changers.
Looks like it's played a few dusty records too.
Looks like it's played a few dusty records too.
1964??
Now THAT looks like a nice changer! Nice diet that Zenith put that changer on. Slim and light weight.
Compare to the 1964 Garrard Model 50:
vwestlife
Super Member
After Zenith phased out their Micro-Touch 2G tonearm they also used Garrard record changer mechanisms. Some were pretty decent -- I restored one from 1979 which had a Shure M75 cartridge on it, the MC9020:
https://reverb.com/item/4647768-vin...tomatic-turntable-very-good-working-condition
https://reverb.com/item/4647768-vin...tomatic-turntable-very-good-working-condition
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
That's a Tetrad cartridge. VERY popular on BSRs, and other record changers.
Looks like it's played a few dusty records too.
Is that thing mounted right ? Or left ? LOL. Doesn't look centered at all.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I'll take the Garrard any day.
beat_truck
Addicted Member
It's probably just the picture. It looks OK to me.
beat_truck
Addicted Member
There were good and bad models from BSR, Garrard, etc.
The last BSR I worked on was one of the later cheapies with the plastic platter. It was a total piece of ****. It ran way fast, and the WOW and flutter were off the charts. I've had others with steel platters, and they were OK. The upscale models with alloy platters, A/S, and MM cartridges are supposed to be fairly competent.
I had a Garrard 40B, and it was decent for a low end machine. Easy to service, too. I had a Model 70, and it looked nice, like it should have been fairly good, but it was a piece of junk. I could not make the auto mechanism behave, and I scrapped it. There are other Garrards that are known to be crap and a pain to service. Maybe that was one of them? I am not an expert on them.
Going by the few I have messed with, Magnavox / Collaro seemed to be decent and not too hard to work on.
The last BSR I worked on was one of the later cheapies with the plastic platter. It was a total piece of ****. It ran way fast, and the WOW and flutter were off the charts. I've had others with steel platters, and they were OK. The upscale models with alloy platters, A/S, and MM cartridges are supposed to be fairly competent.
I had a Garrard 40B, and it was decent for a low end machine. Easy to service, too. I had a Model 70, and it looked nice, like it should have been fairly good, but it was a piece of junk. I could not make the auto mechanism behave, and I scrapped it. There are other Garrards that are known to be crap and a pain to service. Maybe that was one of them? I am not an expert on them.
Going by the few I have messed with, Magnavox / Collaro seemed to be decent and not too hard to work on.
johnjhazel
PhxJohn
I liked the older BSR's. The original BSR McDonald's were nice. Later so many brands became plastic junk. One of the big reasons that CD's became so popular was that so many turntables that the general public was exposed to were absolute crap. Instead for form following function, function followed form.
