How did you end up with an Elac?

[vinyl master]

Hello--

It seems like these turntables are receiving their due in recent years.

Here is my 40H that my parents bought brand new just before my time in the mid-1960s. Even though they were of the big band generation, they did have copies of "Sgt Pepper's" and "Yesterday and Today" that I would listen to and draw on the covers of in crayon as a little kid in the 1970s. The turntable fell into disrepair over the years but still I dragged it with me throughout my various moves. I was about to finally toss it when I stumbled upon an inspirational and truly genius turntable repairer named Joel Thorner about 10 years back; he told me that it was absolutely worth saving and that it would be telling stories for another 40 years after he fixed it up. Sure enough it arrived back better than ever with spares presumably taken off of his parts units as well as a brand new Shure M55e cartridge. I never got to thank him for reviving my heirloom though: sadly, Mr Thorner died while the ELAC was en-route back to me.

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That's a heartbreaking, beautiful and bittersweet story there, Sliptmickey! :( Mr. Thorner must have been quite a man, and your specimen may have been the VERY LAST turntable he worked on before he passed, so definitely all the more reason to keep this one in good service...Make sure you play some music in Mr. Thorner's honor sometime as a thank you! :D

Did yours come with a dust cover, too? :-k

[Spinner45]

And that's the thing, Spinner...COMPLETELY SERVICED and IN FLAWLESS CONDITION are key here! I'll bet that 46 you sold was a beauty and absolutely worth every penny of that $200, with all the added extras...I wish I would have gotten a multi-stack spindle with mine, but that's something for another time...A lot of EBay sellers think they can sell a turntable that is slightly damaged, missing some parts or that has been gathering dust for decades for the same price as one in better condition that has been cleaned and lubricated...The bad thing about EBay is that the sellers dictate the prices and you can't really dicker back and forth on price face to face like in the old days...Craigslist makes this a little easier, but some sellers refuse to budge...The ones that refuse to budge (especially on those rough condition models) are the ones I refuse to buy from!

You have to understand that ebay is home to hoardes of non-educated sellers with no professional selling practices, and just there to make a buck.
Like shysters, they aquire stuff, and try to unload it for various reasons.
It's no different than setting up a table at flea markets.
Same goes for Craigslist in my opinion.

Ignorance, playing stupid, whether feigned or real, seems to be the excuse tool to keep these people safe from liability or critisism - thus the common statement of "untested" or other excuses.

You never really know for sure what you're going to wind up with, until it shows up on your doorstep.
The shipping box, flimsy packing, all translate to lack of care and ignorance.
The bottom line is "I got your money, sucker, you got my junk, thanks".

[cafe_liegeois]

There's a Miraphon 17H on ebay.de. Really nice, quite rare but looks like it'll be going for serious money, tomorrow.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/182746545766

Ralf

[vinyl master]

There's a Miraphon 17H on ebay.de. Really nice, quite rare but looks like it'll be going for serious money, tomorrow.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/182746545766

Ralf

I don't know about the 17, but I do like the record clamp and that lovely wooden lid & plinth! The plinth be a thought for my 40a one day... :-k

Anyone know the base/plinth model and dust cover? AZ6 plinth with an AH6 cover, perhaps?

[cafe_liegeois]

The record clamp is not part of the deal. Besides, I'm a certified hater of record clamps, especially on vintage turntables. They're putting a lot of stress on a platter bearing that wasn't designed for this load.

But I'm fully aware that I'm walking straight into a minefield. Maybe we should discuss this elsewhere instead of ruining this wonderful thread.

Ralf

[JoeE SP9]

I believe you are confusing a clamp and a weight. A clamp does not put any extra stress on the thrust bearing whereas a weight does.

FWIW: I use a VPI Reflex clamp on my HW-19 and a Planax clamp on my Micro Sekai DQ-43.

[Harpo Marx]

I wanted a dedicated 78 turntable, so based on advice from this forum here's what I ended up with:

ELAC Miracord 50H (ebay)
Grado Prestige 78E (http://www.esotericsound.com/index2.htm)
Rek-O-Kut Archival Preamp MKII (same)

I'm very pleased with all components, sound is excellent. The preamp is a major enhancement on clean 78s, and it has the added benefit of reducing noise on scratchy ones by switching to the 33/RIAA curve.

[vinyl master]

Wow, Garry! That looks like a stellar example, and I'll just bet she sounds fantastic! That's a drool-worthy addition to anyone's collection and she looks so clean and shiny! Hope you got a good deal on her, too...Whatever the case, she's worth every penny! :mrgreen:

[SteveSchiavone]

When my Dad was in the service he ordered a 770H from the PACEX catalogue. I was 15 and a junior in High School at the time. Still have it, Shure M91E cartridge too.
There must be a maintenance issue I need to figure out: Recently it's getting a noticeable degree of flutter in piano and clarinet solos. What do I need to fix?
Thanks any for advice!
Steve Schiavone

[cafe_liegeois]

Try cleaning the inside of the platter - where the idler wheel touches it - with a piece of cloth and some alcohol or white spirit.

Could it be that the turntable has been sitting for a longer period without mains power but with the drive mechanics engaged? In this case, the pressure of the idler wheel against the motor axis could have caused a slight dent in the idler wheel.

Another suspect would be the platter bearing wanting some grease after so many years. VE has no service manual for the 770H online but that for the 50H should be close enough:

https://www.vinylengine.com/ve_download ... ice_en.pdf

Ralf

[Bill_Ashton]

Old thread, I know...

Ralf, the cartridge shot of your Miracord shows a chrome bodied cart with a 344-17 stylus...the STS 344E or 17 was white in color, the next one up the range, the STS 444 had the chrome body. That said, the corners on the cartridge body seem a little more "squared" than the 344 I have in service now, or the 244 that was in my old 620. That may be a more modern ELAC cart with the wrong stylus.

My 344 replaced the 244 in my 620 in about 1971 through 1980, then hopped over to my Hitachi turntable which was in service until late 2014...happily, she is now in service again (though with an aftermarket stylus) in my new Rega Planar P3 and she and I are loving each other.

I have a good amount of data on the 344, which if I knew where to send would have it put up into the database...

[Bill_Ashton]

A little more info...

I worked for Radio Schack from 1968 though 1974. At the time I started, the Miracord 40A was the top of the line, and came with a wood base, a Sure M3D cartridge and had an outboard cueing device. Eventually, this changed to the on board (single lever) cueing, a Shure M75-clone cartridge, and sadly, a plastic base. Close to the time I left, the Miracord 45 became the top of the line, as I remember the upgrades were a lighter tracking M75 cart, larger wood base (allowing the accessory spindles to be mounted on it, to the side) and a dust cover with wood handles. Eventually a renamed 620 replaced the 40A, and the 46 replaced the 45.

The 620 I owned (1970/71) came from the old Tech Hi Fi chain, and at that time, no one really knew what a 620 (or 620U) was...I am guessing they bought a large lot of a closed out model.

[cafe_liegeois]

Ralf, the cartridge shot of your Miracord shows a chrome bodied cart with a 344-17 stylus...the STS 344E or 17 was white in color, the next one up the range, the STS 444 had the chrome body.

You're quite right, of course. The cartridge is indeed a 444, as is clearly indicated on the underside of the body. It just came with the 'wrong' stylus. Didn't seem to be a real prob, though. Still worked fine considering that the stylus was well worn.

It has been given a new third-party elliptical stylus in the meantime and I'm very happy with it. So much so that my V15-III has been sitting idle ever since.

Ralf

[Bill_Ashton]

:-D \:D/

[SteveSchiavone]

Ralf - Thanks very much for the quick advice on the 770. Will give it all a try. It does get used fairly regularly - so hopefully I don't have the dented idler wheel you referred to. But I will for sure be clearing my dining table and turning it into a "workbench" for a day or two!
Thanks again,
Steve