Zeroing in SL1400 speed

[asilker]

My SL1400 spins at a regular speed. I've cleaned all pots and trimpots with deoxit and lubricated the spindle. But I recognize a very slight pitch shift on tracks like Zeppelin's In the Light which have sustained synth notes. When I look at the platter speed indicator, the dots aren't moving, but they're just a little blurry.

Selling an old Gemini turntable this week, so I plugged it in to see how things worked. The dots on this Technics-style platter are solidly not moving, not blurry at all.

I know that there are a number of threads on Technics speed, but I'm wondering if anyone would like to jump in again and suggest how I can go about perfecting the speed on my table. I'm considering a recap to make sure the power source is steady.

Any experience or suggestion?

 

[kermit z]

A recap won't hurt. But they can take a lot of cleaning to clear up 40 years of dust and dirt. My 1400 has been spot on for years now, but it took 3 cleaning to get it that way.

 

[asilker]

A recap won't hurt. But they can take a lot of cleaning to clear up 40 years of dust and dirt. My 1400 has been spot on for years now, but it took 3 cleaning to get it that way.

Very interesting. So just another serious deoxit bath?

And I'm hitting both top mounted speed pots as well as the trimpots. Is there anything I should spray?

I'll also note that stationary but blurry dots are at both 33 and 45

 

[jeffpaletz]

Any chance the record hole is not exactly punched in the center?

 

[asilker]

Any chance the record hole is not exactly punched in the center?

That's a very creative idea. I don't think so, but I'll go back and check later today. I suspect it's not the case because I hear the pitch variance at the end of just about all my records and the small dots are blurry on the speed indicator. I got a few badly punched bootlegs a few years ago and after that I watch for off center records.