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
Dear members,
I recently got a Beogram 42 VF. Unfortunately with broken lid. Can anybody tell me something about this particular model? What tonearm and cartridge are mounted? Seems to work perfectly after all those years and doesn't sound bad at all...
Greetings,
Kai
Another pic
Last one
At the bottom sticker it says serial number: 766037 and in red letters you find: S.122, then handwritte PT and another letter or number I can't identify. Maybe an S?
Thanks for help!
Not sure, why the pictures are so large. Any information would be much appreciated.
I have a few of these turntables. What exactly do you want to know?
They're lovely machines. Really excellent build quality. The lid is very rare and was an option.
Ben
Hallo Ben!Have you ever seen the cleaning device to the left? What sort of tonearm is installed? Lengthwise it seems to be the L version. Which cartridge is mounted? SP2? I guess it is all original since it's never been touched and only used little by the original owner. Shame that the lid broke... I'm still surprised that it seems to be all working without a restoration...
No, cleaning device is not original.
SP2 is the correct cartridge. Yours seems to have the optional M tone arm lift as well. One of mine has this and the other does not.
Tone arm likely to be ST/M but I believe you could have had the ST/L as well. Does your have the pre-amp in? Not all do even if they are labelled as V/F models.
Both of mine have been restored and sound fantastic.
Thanks again. I don't know about the cleaning device. But the Beogram is untouched. Therefore I wouldn't be too surprised if it was an original. Yes, the tonearmlift is installed. It's definitely not a M tonearm. Much too long. Must be L. RIAA is mounted. Don't know about the cartridge though. Nothing written on it.
That record cleaning device was an optional, 3rd party product available back in the heyday of records. I can't remember the manufacturer but there were several versions around. You could buy them in stereo stores and record stores.
-sonavor
Thanks very much! That is good information. Still don't know about pick-up and tonearm though. I guess both have not been replaced. Works really well and sounds beautiful!
Looks like a Dust Bug - very common - had a couple - the only problem was that at the time I had ridiculously good hearing and I could hear the front brush which tracks the device playing the record very quietly but obviously out of sync!! Deaf as a post now so wouldn't be a problem!
On the SP2, Frede had a special SP2 made for me with an elliptical stylus which is fantastic - I think Axel actually made it.
Peter
On another note, I had a bespoke lid made for my Beogram 3000 and had one made for Frede. They were ok but he then commissioned rather better ones and very kindly sent me one. These were designed so that one could play records with the lid on - I have an ST/P arm so there is a cut out on one side of the lid, hence the bespoke nature of the lid. Mine was not quite as good as Frede's - I think the plastic he specified was slightly thicker and it looks great. This is a picture of my original one from the old site.
Thanks, Peter! I have now figured out that tonearm is the ST/L 15, which is different from the regular ST/L? Anybody now anything about this? Thanks!
Remains to be clarified what the cartridge is.
The original ST/L arm used an SP2 which had a tracking angle of 25 degrees. The standard for stereo cartridges changed to 15 degrees some time after this and if that is the case with your arm, you need either the basic SP7 or the higher specified SP9.
There were a couple of versions of those 2nd tonearm looking record brushes. Most were pretty benign and some worked if you had very dusty records (though you should never let them get that dirty!). There was one I remember that was designed to wet play the record, it laid down a special fluid/water mix that allegedly cut friction and reduced record wear. In practice, if you played a record with it, even once, and tried to play it dry/normally afterwards it sounded awful, all manner of noise, you had to use the stuff forever after as otherwise the record was pretty much ruined. Was a shock to a lot of people as it sounded like a good idea in theory.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Does the cartridge have B&O labelling on the underside?
I haven't seen a label, no. That's why I was guessing it would be a SP2, which doesn't seem to have a label as a standard. Kai
There were third party styluses available for this range which had no identifying markers. The SP2 is really quite a different shape to the later cartridges with a much rounder body and the flattened area only on the black stylus guard rather than the silver sleeve.