ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I acquired a Beogram 3300 via eBay recently. It is in a fair condition, still looks good, and functionality seems to be fine in general. The only problem is that once the tonearm is lowered to the record, it seems like it cannot find the grooves, slides over the record from start to end and then return. On close inspection of the MMC4 cartridge it seems as if the tip is quite worn. The best tool/scope I have access to, has 8x magnification. To the bare eye, the tip (needle?) is barely visible. Under the scope, it appears to be very blunt. Could this be the reason for the problem or should I also check other areas before acquiring a replacement stylus? I did check the setting of the weight for this cartridge on the tonearm as well. The product was advertised as used with the Stylus as "still have some life left", though I sort-of did not expect too much in this regard! Any thoughts?
First check the tracking force setting (slider at the side of the tonearm), set it to f.e. 1.2 grams.Next clean the stylus tip carefully.If none of this makes it track, and you are sure that the needle actually touches ther record, the fault mustbe a worn cartridge.Retip'ing cartridges is possible.
Martin
The needle should look like this (new)
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Thanks for feedback.
I did set the tracking force correctly, but only after the first time when it was completely positioned at the 0 setting. It does bother me a bit that even though the tonearm lowers, it does not seem to "release" completely. It just touch the record and almost, as if automatically "moves" away from the RPM indicator arm causing the complete assembly to move along and then return when it reach the end of the record.
I have a Beogram 4002 as well, and you can clearly see how the needle "lever" slightly bends as the tonearm comes in contact with the record. I do not see this happen on the Beogram 3300.
Also, the player was shipped upside down - maybe to prevent the tonearm hitting the metal surface and damaging the stylus. The Transport screws were properly tighten though. Could something have happened to the tonearm assembly by any chance?
To what extent can the stylus tip be cleaned and what kind of dirt can there be to remove other than dust?
Thanks for this photo. My player's stylus does not nearly look like this!
Or rather ... the needle itself does not look like this (from what I can see)
There are TWO adjustments to ensure that the needle (assuming that it is fine , which your's appears not to be) tracks correctly.
You understand about the tracking weight, but there is also the adjustment of the height of the platter.
However, I would not recommend making any more adjustments until you have a good needle.
You can send the cartridge to Axel Schurholz in Germany for a rebuild, or buy a new Soundsmith cartridge.
Menahem
Thanks for your reply Menahem.
As mentioned, the needle on my MMC4 cartridge appears to be blunt from what I can make out under the scope. It is almost as if the diamond is not there anymore - fell off or broke out.
I think I'll get the cartridge re-build or replaced before fiddling with the mechanism as it seems to be quite in order.
Regards.