BIC turntables?

[skyote68]

Has anyone got an owner's manual and or service manual for a 912c? I'd love to get a surprise email with both attached!

[ess_bee]

Hi,

I know it's been a long time since anyone posted here, but if anyone is still around I had a question. I got a BIC 980 from my dad ('76 I think?) and it's having that seized grease issue. I was wondering if anyone had taken one apart and fixed the issue themselves. All the record repair shops in town are on a several month long wait. If anyone has done this could you let me know how difficult it was/where to get a good degreaser/what kind of modern lube to re-lube it with? I haven't taken apart a turntable before, but I'm pretty handy and was wondering if this might be something in my grasp. Thank you all!

Best,
SB

[zachgeo]

Hi,

I know it's been a long time since anyone posted here, but if anyone is still around I had a question. I got a BIC 980 from my dad ('76 I think?) and it's having that seized grease issue. I was wondering if anyone had taken one apart and fixed the issue themselves. All the record repair shops in town are on a several month long wait. If anyone has done this could you let me know how difficult it was/where to get a good degreaser/what kind of modern lube to re-lube it with? I haven't taken apart a turntable before, but I'm pretty handy and was wondering if this might be something in my grasp. Thank you all!

Best,
SB

Try CRC QD Electronic cleaner -- I find it to be an excellent degreaser. You can find it in most auto parts stores.

On the merits of the BIC, I have fond memories of the one I owned in college in the early-mid '80s. I bought it from a High School friend's father, who probably had set it all up correctly. But not knowing any better, I constantly fiddled with any and all adjustments available on that machine! Lord knows what weight I had dialed in, or what cartridge I was using, but that thing sounded sweet when pumped through the old '70s era Fisher amp/tuner that I picked up for $15 from some guy down the hall who couldn't pay his phone bill. The biggest audio regret I have ever had was tossing the BIC and Fisher combo (and no-name speakers that I had found somewhere) for some flashy, mid-level Akai amp and (whoa, separate!) tuner rig and a really crappy Technics "P-Mount" turntable that skipped and jumped like a schoolgirl... Lesson learned: Don't listen to stereo salesmen. Enjoy your BIC!

[eb2jim]

I own and love my 980. I was lucky enough to find one a few years back, and it worked, but was a bit jerky and sluggish. So I took it apart, cleaned, and re-lubed it. It runs like a champ, and has the original nuke-proof belt. I have told this before, but my main machine at the time was a Thorens 166. I didn't want to like the 980 more, but in all honesty I did. It sounded wonderful, looked cool (to me) and it was quiet. So I sold the Thorens. I don't use my BIC too much these days, which is the problem with the ease of finding cool tt's a few years back. Nothing cool lasts a half a day on Craigs List now. I use my SL-1350 more. But I keep the BIC 980 around.

Taking them down is not easy, but not impossible. If you take your time, and keep good mental notes or take pictures, you can do it. Just go back the way you came, and you should be fine. Only problem I had was the orange cam auto changer. Keep track of that!! I have since done a few orphan BICs. The later ones are batty complicated, but I can do them in two minutes now.

BIC did do one Realistic machine at least. I can't remember the LAB but I have seen it. The also did an MCS/JC Penney turntable. It is real bare bones, kind of like the 912, and when I popped it open it was all labeled BIC but was made in Mexico. So there is a fun one out there. Lord knows how they set up shop down there.

[MattM]

Just wanted to thank everyone that contributed to the "stuck platter" threads about the BIC turntables. I pulled my old BIC 981 out of mothballs and found it suffering from this affliction. Thanks to your guidance, I was able to get it apart, clean it, lube it, and reassemble. It actually works better now than I ever remember. The strobe is dead steady. So thanks everyone!

[rbbugs]

I have a question
a long time ago I had a great bic turntable but I can't remember the model number. It was not a micro x, it was black and it came from the factory with a after market low mass carbon fiber tone arm does any one remember this unit? it got great reviews in the magazines at the time it was brought out

[Doug G.]

It sounds like an 80Z (automatic) or an SP85 (manual) except they didn't have an aftermarket carbon fiber arm. The arm wand was black and removeable but was aluminum.

Did it have a digital speed readout?

Doug

[KentT]

The Achilles heel for the better BIC changers was pure and simple quality control. BIC had a high rate of out of the box defectives. Usually simple, stupid things like no lubrication or backwards wiring. My dealer in Oak Ridge, TN who sold them insisted on unboxing the changer, mounting and setting up cartridge and verifying that the changer functioned correctly before sale to the customer. Changers with issues were repaired under warranty or replaced.

[rbbugs]

It may have had a digital readout, I don't remember, it was manual not a changer, I used both a Shure v15 and a Stanton 681 eee in it and they both sounded fine and could track anything, as I recall it was a special order item because of the tonearm,Julian hirsch from Stereo Review did a review of it and gave it top marks.

[platara]

It must the BIC 918 MP manual play turntable. It was computerised with digital readout, had a carbon fibre arm with jewel bearings. Probably BIC's most advanced turntable.

here is the link to it from vinyl engine

Eddie
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/bic/918mp.shtml

[douggerash]

Does anyone know what the BIC 981 is (as opposed to the 980)? I have one. The automatic function does not appear to work so I use it manually. Very little rumble, quite smooth. Also, are there any ways to get a dust cover for it?

[pogo]

I bought a BIC 960 in 1976. The first record played fine, but when we got to the runout It dragged the the stylus a couple of inches back across the record before lifting it. Took it back and they "fixed" it. I asked for a new one and got it. I don't know what happened to it in the end, but I do know that it never did what the first one did. It played records okay.

[douggerash]

This one has a black plastic base, it has all the auto functions. I'm just wondering if the 981 is black plastic versus the wood base (the 980)? As I recall, the Turntable Guy from Ohio, provided this one instead of fixing the one I sent them. It's still a great machine, albeit all manual. Actually, it makes me feel more sophisticated this way.

[Doug G.]

The 981 is basically mechanically the same as a 980 but with model 1000 styling (different strobe setup with the markings on the perimeter of the platter.

The 980 has a plain rim on the platter and the strobe markings are underneath on a ring of cardboard and lit by a bulb underneath with a mirror to view.

The base type is a separate issue as any base could be ordered for any of the original full-sized tables (940, 960, 980, 981, 1000). There was a deluxe base available with a storage compartment at the front for the automatic spindle, 45 spindle, etc.

Your automatic problems are due to old hardened/sticky lubricant and will be fixed by disassembling, cleaning, and relubing.

Welcome to V.E.

Doug