All time hero, thx !! I can tell You the secret about this ring clip. I broke mine while I tried to put it back on and afterwards I realized, that this ring clip is actually the "Stop-Function" of the high adjustment of the tonearm-socket...!
Bro, this really helped me out! I just went to my local record shop and the owner has a near mint Sl1200 MKII that he sold me for $325 USD! The VTA was seized just as yours was and this video was just what I needed! thank you
Dude, you are my new hero! Mine was SOLID seized up and now it's smoother than silk. Seeing you take the deck apart really helps to eliminate any doubt, so thanks for putting in the time. p.s. that retaining clip on the post under the tone arm does have a purpose! It's the upper height limiter.
Just a note to tell you that ten years after you've put up this video, it's still doing a lot of good to a lot of people, including myself. My SL1210Mk2 hadn't been used for years from new, and the height adjustment was jammed. I live in Malta, so getting a Technics turntable repaired isn't so easy as in the UK. I'm sure I wouldn't have had any idea how to go about it if it wasn't for you. Same goes for the other vids about anti-skating, weight adjusting, etc. I checked out others' videos but you're the best! Thanks once again.
This video is 12 years old but helped me today. Done a pair of 1210's and from completley seized to freely moving. Thank you. Also i used a toothpick in the threads to clean out some of the green gunk in there.
First rate guide. My SL-1210 MK2 tonearm height adjustment was seized solid, couldn't turn it with maximum hand force with the unit assembled. I followed your guide, got the arm out, the arm height adjustment was a little tight to undo but it came undone right away. I got all the nasty old grease out that was green and had turned to stiff gel / wax, I used a thin cloth and Tamiya brand Acrylic Thinner X20A (IsoButanol / IsoPropanol mix) to dissolve the grease / clean the threads, and relubricated it with Tamiya Ceramic grease. Worked perfectly, now I have a smooth working tone arm height adjustment. Excellent work Sir.
Real helpful video this! Solved my issues today, obvs you’ve prob learned that the C clamp is to prevent the tone arm form over heightening, the unit will hit the C clamp to prevent it continually lifting. (I found this out the hard way) also when screwing on the ring with the number dial on to ensure you get the correct line up you gotta line up the no.1 on the adjusting ring when screwing on to tone arm, again found this out the hard way.. Really great tutorial, Doing gods work son!
It's been a long time, but I have to thank you and at the same time show my greatest respect, it's an excellent or perhaps the best tutorial I've seen in my life, thank you very much! my Technics 1200 will be grateful to you!
I really love all these videos. I followed all these steps to fix my MK2. But i did not calibrate it correctly (based on these steps). The problem was one small detail (that makes the deference) and it is not mentioned on this video. Well when you start to screw the adjusting ring (the one with the numbers on it)... well.. first see where the "arrow" is ..and line up the arrow (from the tonearm base) ..with number 1 from the adjusting ring...and then start to screw it all the way up 'till it stops!! Now... when you start to screw the "donut".. (make sure the arrow and the zero are on the same spot!)... screw the donut all the way up till is stops ..and when id does.. un-screw it 2 full rounds and line up the lock mech. And you're done!
I'm glad i helped@@elmowedgewood and @techno1972 . As i said i really like @viperfrank 's videos about the Technics MK2. I tried to calibrate mine based on this video and something was wrong. Then i asked another guy for some help and he told me the right way to do it. So i thought to help other people with this comment. Enjoy the music guys !!
@viperfrank If there's one thing I've just learnt: A good tutorial never gets old! Thank you very much for your videos about the Technics turntable. Recently I wanted to fit a new cartridge to my SL 1210 MK2 after years and therefore had to adjust the tonearm height. But oh shock, nothing moved! As if the whole unit had been fixed with superglue. Thanks to your two-part guide, I plucked up the courage to carry out the necessary service myself and I was successful! I'm really very happy about that ...
This was one of the most informative videos i have ever watched. My tonearm was seized up. I could have Never figured all this out without you. So THANK you!
Thanks for this - my decks were completely seized up and I was all ready to go ahead and follow it, but it inspired me, along with something else I read online, to very carefully spray a bit of WD40 into a couple of places around the tonearm base. It didn't have an immediate effect but a few hours later it moved quite freely! Now I've avoided the need for the disassembly.
This was awesome, only issue I had was when putting the adjustment ring back on the tonearm - when i backed off to 0, it was a few mm higher and this mean it didn't adjust properly when back in - the whole thing was about 1/3 of a turn off. There's a few points the threads can go on, trying to get the threads started when the 0 mark is roughly at 1 on the dial seemed to be the right spot, all good after that.
Every video you've done is just bloody excellent. By far and away the best technics servicing/setup/repair videos on RUclips - still all these years later. Top man. Thanks!
Man I can't tell you how much I appreciate your DIY videos on the Technics. They really have saved me a lot of money and taught me about my own turntable.
just got a used sl1200 mk2 and everything is in working condition except for the height adjustment. it doesn't move at all! and i'm glad you made a video how to fix it. i'm going to try your steps. I hope it works!
James one of mine is siezed, the new one too, and must have been that way for years, and i have watched this video, twice, and will do this operation to free it up, after Xmas when i get back. Cheers mate, you are the 1210 Oracle.
Dude, you don't understand how glad I was to find your video. I bought a SL-1200 M3D for $250 USD. I realized after I got home that I could not adjust the hight of this thing and I was pissed. After watching your video, I knew there was hope so I watched the video, followed step by step and vualá! Fixed and ready to go.. Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!
@matthewjones1982 hi there, there are 2 things you can try 1: spray some WD40 or some other type of penetrating fluid in the gap were the two parts meet, leave it a good five minutes for the fluid to do its work... if not 2: try getting a hair dryer and heat the out side ring (the bit you turn with your fingers) this will melt the grease and the heat will expand the metal and should free it up. hope this helped and thanks for your comment. nice one!!!
Im sure that people who charge a arm and leg for simlpe repairs and services must HATE your guts VIPERFRANK because thanks to you and your videos alot of people myself included are now confident enough to try and do alot of these repairs and general services ourselves thank you verrrrrrrrrrrrrry much VIPERFRANK.
I bought my turntables back in 93 and after all these years I finally decided to set them up properly. Well, the height adjustment of course was completely stuck. Thanks to your video I was able to fix it, it's like new! I'm a technical idiot who couldn't have pulled it off without this. So thanks man!
Mate! thanks for the simple tutorial explanation. I just did mine and whilst i was kinda scared, watching you doing it and following everything step by step, I accomplished it. Thank you - RESPECT!
Frank, just finished this maintenance! EXCELLENT instruction. Worked like a charm. The height adjustment wouldn't budge and I knew I needed to get to that height of 3. After I was done.....BUTTA, BABY!!! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for these clear step by step instructions. Today i managed to restore my brand new second hand with the help of your video. It was in fact easy and fun to do!
Even though I have a service manual for the SL1200 MK2, this saved me a lot of time. Oh the purpose of the "extra" E-clip is to prevent someone from turning the height ring way past "6". Without it, one could just keep rotating the height ring clockwise until it unthreaded.
m8 thanks for making these vids.they gave me the drive to repair/service my 1210's,both of them.i fixed the both stuck height adjustments with the WD40 like u shown,set my weights right,get the arms all flat,and calibrated and set the pitch with a multimeter.all sunshine here again and was an interesting experience.cheers and ride on =)
I've just watched your video and now will give this a go, my 1210 is about 27 years old and only used for home listening but the height adjustment is very stiff, thank you for this video👍🙂
I simply squirted a little 91% isopropyl alcohol into the space between the adjusting ring and the tonearm platform, heated it a little with a hair dryer, and then applied steady pressure using my hand to the adjusting ring. It moved a little then a little more, until it was turning fairly easily using just normal finger pressure. I turned it back and forth a dozen times, until I was satisfied, then set it to the correct hight and did the rest of the setup for my cartridge. Now I'm listening to some old Rolling Stones, Get Off My Cloud. Thanks for the take-apart. It showed be what was going on underneath! I wouldn't have attempted my method without your take-apart.
@Tha1AndOnlyDJT no its not too bad the only reason i say don't use lithium grease is because over time it can become quite sticky and make it hard to turn, as for stripping it back down, if it seems OK and you have no issues with it that i would just leave it, it wont harm your deck. also is your grease "lithium based" or "pure lithium grease" pure lithium grease is normally white and quite sticky. if you have lithium based (the one i used) thats fine to use. hope this helped. nice one!!!
this just took me 4 hours lol, as i treated is very careful and cleaned it too. It looks like that washer actually is used to stop the height adjuster from poping the tonearm out the base when you adjust the height. thx for the video.
Hi there! Congratulations, what a nice and useful tutorial on how to fix a turntable and save a lot of money. Really appreciate your video! Cheers from Brazil Antonio
Thanks for the best instructional video I've found for this problem. I'll save myself the $600 cdn for both decks that this relatively simple repair would have cost.
@ViperFrank Your video helped me a lot. Thank you for the super good instructions. Tutorials like this are the reason why I still like to use RUclips despite all the crap around it. Thank you from Berlin/ Germany
Great tutorial. Really helpful and well explained, thank you :) I thought I’d nailed it but then realised that the circular plastic guide had come away from the brass thread section. What would you recommend I use to glue it back on? There’s a dimple that will help me line it up properly. Looks like I just need to make sure it’s the right way round.
Hi James.Amazing really.I´ve had a 1210 now 25 years and never knew that there were so many items to adjust.I did nothing up to now until I found out that my Hi fi sound could be better.It seems that this Arm adjusting screw seems to be a problem with Technics when not used.As you say the Grease orinally from Technics siez up.But u do seem to be a clever chap.All the best Ian.
Hi James, I'm a bit late to the party so have just seen your vid(s). I'd say it's helped a fair few people since you posted it. Nice easy to follow tutorial for anyone with a screwdriver. Just wanted to point out a couple of things. 1. The LM in LM grease is not low melting point. It is in fact a lithium based general purpose grease. I know you said don't use lithium grease but this is ok. Pure lithium grease is usually or often white. Maybe I'm being a bit pedantic. Second point is about the pin underneath the arm with the circlip and washer. There is indeed a purpose for it. It is the height limiter. Without the washer and clip, when the arm is in place you would be able to adjust the ring so far that the whole arm section comes away from the main body. Must now go watch some more of your vids! Cheers.
Hi James. I'd just like to say you are a star mate!!! :o) I bought a Technics SL1210 MK2 and checked the tone arm settings but found my height adjuster was siezed. Did a search on google by chance and found your videos. A while later i had an arm which adjusted.Top Man!! I also spent about an hour watching your other videos as i need to replace the phono cable too and see if i can get the pop up light to work. Just like to say thanks for sharing your knowledge mate.Nice Work!!! :o)
@eliyag1 I also managed to sort it out - the key factor is like you say where the marker is when you begin to thread the screw - once you figure out what number to use it was quite easy
Thanks for this. I followed this process and freed up mine. However, follow the service manual to do the calibration, which differs from the method here. The service manual also contains a chart translating the adjustment ring settings into cartridge heights. These are - 0 = 15mm up to 6 = 21mm. Don't forget, these are with the original 6mm rubber mat. With a 3mm felt slipmat, these will be 0 = 18mm up to 6 = 24mm.
You are a killer of technician man, I see you have firm hands, expertise and extremely deep knowledge of this unit. Many thanks for the instructions, I'll (sadly) have to replace the arm on mine and fix pitch i'll follow your teaching and i'm confident in success. But this part if the height mechanism looks a bit tough, so mine is stiff but it works and i guess i won't go that far. Again, many thanks, great style and professional approach.
Thanks for posting this video. Mine is now sitting on the dining room table soaked in WD40... but still stuck solid! LOL I managed to buy some helical grease which is designed for relubricating manual camera lenses and ideal between aluminium and brass. If only I could get them apart though. :D
Just one thing, to calibrate it, I noticed there are many starting points when screwing inner ring, so if you start in the right thread, you're calibrated correctly, for me your way didn't work til I figured it out, maybe sl1200mk2 are different????
No, you're dead right - this is why he says if it doesn't set to zero (and also wind all the way up the scale without coming completely unscrewed when you try it) remove the ring and try again - you need to catch a different start to the screw thread.
@viperfrank I have only just found your videos on here. Absolutely quality 👌 Thank you. I have a pair of Technics 1200's and a pair of Technics 1210's that potentially both need servicing. I know both 1200's and one of the 1210's tone arms are stuck solid including the locking mechanism. I will go through these videos Step by step on one of the 1200's and see if I can get it to budge. Thank you so much 👍
hi there, thank you very much for your kind words and your comment it is greatly appreciated. the lift lever and the anti skate are quite complex things but fairly straightforward to fix, i will hopefully have a video on both uploaded very soon. thank you agin for your comment, all the best. nice one!!!
@pong38 thank you very much for your comment, im glad the video was helpful. as for your question. i have seen the lift lever become loose a few times but it still works fine, if this is what your having than its quite simple to put right, and one of my video requests is how to replace the lever so i could integrate it into that video. hope this is helpful and thanks again for your comment. nice one!!!
hi there, it looks quite severe when that happens, but normally its just the ring clips come off, basically the bit i take off at 6:28 of part one of the video, make sure that is on there otherwise there is nothing to stop it when it get to high. just be careful when you take the bottom plate off because it likely to be ratlin around in there. if it was missing in the first place you should be able to go down to any hardware store and get something to go on there. hope this helped. nice one!!!
Great video and I appreciated how well you articulated everything, however one has to be a real cheap skate if you intend to put a man to do " Technical Work " for less than £60.00 . If you think the price is too high then do it yourself just like you did but don't complain about the quote because time is valuable for everyone + your local shop most likely have expenses such as rent taxes and other bills to pay . If you were in America you would probably pay about $200 depending on where you are located and that would still be a good deal .
HI. Thx for your detailed instructions! I followed it step by step. Unfortunately on my tonearm i could not turn the outer ring clockwise away. It still stuck together. I tried to put a bit of WD-40 on the thread and warm the metal pieces a little up. But no way. Is there another way to loosen these two metal pieces? Thx alot!
FYI the small C clip removed with a plyers from the lock lever dowel rod is a stop to keep you from completely backing out the height adjustment bezel flange.
The ring clip is to stop the main section completely unscrewing once you reassemble it. If you don't put that back on it doesn't stop at the top and would come right out. So definitely don't forget it.
Great video - had to perform this fix on a “virtually new” M5G (great job on the seller letting me know that the height adjustment was completely stuck). Had to use a special tool with a rubber grip to untwist the adjustment ring from the base. Why exactly can we not use copper or lithium grease?
thank you @viperfrank for the great tutorial. my tonearm was seized so hard that the plastic part with the mm height scale came off. Can you recommend a glue to use to put it back on ? Just regular super glue maybe ?
thanks for your help with this, but do you have any videos or information about the barrings in the tonearm assembly. the left to right action of the tonearm is stiff how do i go about fixing this
I got the tonarm out and the height adjustment knob is spinning but I can’t for the life of me free the black metal bottom piece to access the threads. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Great video...however, I looked up the specific grease you use in the video...description of item identifies it as lithium based...FYI. Also, what is the other clear bottle stuff?
Hi Frank, in Part 1 [8:13] you unscrew both parts very easely. But unfortunately mine doesnt. Isn't moving at all. What is best to do now? Could you please advise how to split this parts so I can clean and callibrate it. thanks a lot for your help in adcvance.
Hi james, Thanks so much for your great videos, they are extremely helpful and your instructions are concise and easy to follow. My question and I guess you answer it in the above when you talk about lining up point with 0 /calibrating… I watched your video about setting the height of the tone arm, one deck was easily adjusted but the other I had to lower way past 0 and is still 2mm to high. Do i need to just follow the above video and recalibrate. My decks were bought new, have never done a thing to them however they are 10yrs old. Apologize for the longwinded message. Cheers
@pauljohnlane Thanks. I actually figured out how to do it. It actually depends how you screw in the ring. That is, you need to pay attention to what number the little arrow/mark is pointing at when the threads start locking together as you screw the ring. Once I realized that, I tried playing with it, and I think it ended up pointing at 3 when the threads locked in together. So pay attention to that. It took me maybe 5 times of screwing the thing together until I figured out what was the problem
Hi James. Been doin this to mine today.Just thought id let you and everyone else know the top circlip on that post is what stops the adjuster goin way past number 6 on the adjuster gauge.Stops it from continuing going round :o) Nice work mate. Mick.
this. this is why I love youtube. because of wonderful people like you.
I agree. He's a diamond of a bloke. Got same issue with mine and use this vid later on to help guide me
All time hero, thx !!
I can tell You the secret about this ring clip. I broke mine while I tried to put it back on and afterwards I realized, that this ring clip is actually the "Stop-Function" of the high adjustment of the tonearm-socket...!
Bro, this really helped me out! I just went to my local record shop and the owner has a near mint Sl1200 MKII that he sold me for $325 USD! The VTA was seized just as yours was and this video was just what I needed! thank you
Hey Jay! 🖖🏼
@morrisonagen4222 hey Morrison 👋
Dude, you are my new hero! Mine was SOLID seized up and now it's smoother than silk. Seeing you take the deck apart really helps to eliminate any doubt, so thanks for putting in the time.
p.s. that retaining clip on the post under the tone arm does have a purpose! It's the upper height limiter.
Just a note to tell you that ten years after you've put up this video, it's still doing a lot of good to a lot of people, including myself. My SL1210Mk2 hadn't been used for years from new, and the height adjustment was jammed. I live in Malta, so getting a Technics turntable repaired isn't so easy as in the UK. I'm sure I wouldn't have had any idea how to go about it if it wasn't for you. Same goes for the other vids about anti-skating, weight adjusting, etc. I checked out others' videos but you're the best! Thanks once again.
Dude, 11 years later, you hooked me up....thank you!
This video is 12 years old but helped me today. Done a pair of 1210's and from completley seized to freely moving. Thank you. Also i used a toothpick in the threads to clean out some of the green gunk in there.
First rate guide. My SL-1210 MK2 tonearm height adjustment was seized solid, couldn't turn it with maximum hand force with the unit assembled. I followed your guide, got the arm out, the arm height adjustment was a little tight to undo but it came undone right away. I got all the nasty old grease out that was green and had turned to stiff gel / wax, I used a thin cloth and Tamiya brand Acrylic Thinner X20A (IsoButanol / IsoPropanol mix) to dissolve the grease / clean the threads, and relubricated it with Tamiya Ceramic grease. Worked perfectly, now I have a smooth working tone arm height adjustment. Excellent work Sir.
Real helpful video this! Solved my issues today, obvs you’ve prob learned that the C clamp is to prevent the tone arm form over heightening, the unit will hit the C clamp to prevent it continually lifting. (I found this out the hard way) also when screwing on the ring with the number dial on to ensure you get the correct line up you gotta line up the no.1 on the adjusting ring when screwing on to tone arm, again found this out the hard way..
Really great tutorial, Doing gods work son!
It's been a long time, but I have to thank you and at the same time show my greatest respect, it's an excellent or perhaps the best tutorial I've seen in my life, thank you very much!
my Technics 1200 will be grateful to you!
I really love all these videos. I followed all these steps to fix my MK2. But i did not calibrate it correctly (based on these steps). The problem was one small detail (that makes the deference) and it is not mentioned on this video. Well when you start to screw the adjusting ring (the one with the numbers on it)... well.. first see where the "arrow" is ..and line up the arrow (from the tonearm base) ..with number 1 from the adjusting ring...and then start to screw it all the way up 'till it stops!! Now... when you start to screw the "donut".. (make sure the arrow and the zero are on the same spot!)... screw the donut all the way up till is stops ..and when id does.. un-screw it 2 full rounds and line up the lock mech. And you're done!
Mine wouldn't calibrate correctly either but I tried your method and it seemed to work 👍
Thanks, this extra step works perfectly. the rest of viperfrank's video is fantastic, but this really helps the calibration of the rings.
I'm glad i helped@@elmowedgewood and @techno1972 . As i said i really like @viperfrank 's videos about the Technics MK2. I tried to calibrate mine based on this video and something was wrong. Then i asked another guy for some help and he told me the right way to do it. So i thought to help other people with this comment.
Enjoy the music guys !!
@viperfrank If there's one thing I've just learnt: A good tutorial never gets old! Thank you very much for your videos about the Technics turntable.
Recently I wanted to fit a new cartridge to my SL 1210 MK2 after years and therefore had to adjust the tonearm height. But oh shock, nothing moved! As if the whole unit had been fixed with superglue.
Thanks to your two-part guide, I plucked up the courage to carry out the necessary service myself and I was successful! I'm really very happy about that ...
This was one of the most informative videos i have ever watched. My tonearm was seized up. I could have Never figured all this out without you. So THANK you!
Thanks for this - my decks were completely seized up and I was all ready to go ahead and follow it, but it inspired me, along with something else I read online, to very carefully spray a bit of WD40 into a couple of places around the tonearm base. It didn't have an immediate effect but a few hours later it moved quite freely! Now I've avoided the need for the disassembly.
it's a temporary work - it will seize again possibly even harder with the added chemicals. Quick fix only. cheers
Iiuu
This was awesome, only issue I had was when putting the adjustment ring back on the tonearm - when i backed off to 0, it was a few mm higher and this mean it didn't adjust properly when back in - the whole thing was about 1/3 of a turn off. There's a few points the threads can go on, trying to get the threads started when the 0 mark is roughly at 1 on the dial seemed to be the right spot, all good after that.
This comment saved me... couldn't figure out wtf was going on 😅😅😅 this should go to the top
Every video you've done is just bloody excellent. By far and away the best technics servicing/setup/repair videos on RUclips - still all these years later.
Top man. Thanks!
Thanks a lot for this video.
I fixed my 30 year old turntable today and this video helped me a lot!
Man I can't tell you how much I appreciate your DIY videos on the Technics. They really have saved me a lot of money and taught me about my own turntable.
just got a used sl1200 mk2 and everything is in working condition except for the height adjustment. it doesn't move at all! and i'm glad you made a video how to fix it. i'm going to try your steps. I hope it works!
My height adjuster was totally jammed after 15 yrs non use, not anymore thanks to this great vid. Thanks for putting it together all those years ago.
James one of mine is siezed, the new one too, and must have been that way for years, and i have watched this video, twice, and will do this operation to free it up, after Xmas when i get back. Cheers mate, you are the 1210 Oracle.
13 Years later and this is exactly what I was looking for, and so well explained.
Thanks from the future...
Dude, you don't understand how glad I was to find your video. I bought a SL-1200 M3D for $250 USD. I realized after I got home that I could not adjust the hight of this thing and I was pissed. After watching your video, I knew there was hope so I watched the video, followed step by step and vualá! Fixed and ready to go.. Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!
@matthewjones1982 hi there, there are 2 things you can try 1: spray some WD40 or some other type of penetrating fluid in the gap were the two parts meet, leave it a good five minutes for the fluid to do its work... if not
2: try getting a hair dryer and heat the out side ring (the bit you turn with your fingers) this will melt the grease and the heat will expand the metal and should free it up.
hope this helped and thanks for your comment.
nice one!!!
the hair dryer technique worked like a charm here
Im sure that people who charge a arm and leg for simlpe repairs and services must HATE your guts VIPERFRANK because thanks to you and your videos alot of people myself included are now confident enough to try and do alot of these repairs and general services ourselves thank you verrrrrrrrrrrrrry much VIPERFRANK.
Both my 1210 ‘s have seized, been in attics for years but after watching your vids I’ll probably give it a go myself.
I bought my turntables back in 93 and after all these years I finally decided to set them up properly. Well, the height adjustment of course was completely stuck. Thanks to your video I was able to fix it, it's like new! I'm a technical idiot who couldn't have pulled it off without this. So thanks man!
So funny. That’s exactly the situation I found myself in. Same timing and everything. His videos are awesome.
Mate! thanks for the simple tutorial explanation. I just did mine and whilst i was kinda scared, watching you doing it and following everything step by step, I accomplished it. Thank you - RESPECT!
excellent videos, chuffed as i can now move my tone arm up for the first time in 22 years! Many Thanks
Frank, just finished this maintenance! EXCELLENT instruction. Worked like a charm. The height adjustment wouldn't budge and I knew I needed to get to that height of 3. After I was done.....BUTTA, BABY!!! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for these clear step by step instructions. Today i managed to restore my brand new second hand with the help of your video. It was in fact easy and fun to do!
Even though I have a service manual for the SL1200 MK2, this saved me a lot of time. Oh the purpose of the "extra" E-clip is to prevent someone from turning the height ring way past "6". Without it, one could just keep rotating the height ring clockwise until it unthreaded.
Thank you, I'm glad the video was a help, hopefully some more videos on the way soon.
Thank you for your comment.
Nice One ; )
m8 thanks for making these vids.they gave me the drive to repair/service my 1210's,both of them.i fixed the both stuck height adjustments with the WD40 like u shown,set my weights right,get the arms all flat,and calibrated and set the pitch with a multimeter.all sunshine here again and was an interesting experience.cheers and ride on =)
Your videos are incredibly helpful and detailed--this one especially! I cannot thank you enough for the effort you put into this. Cheers.
I've just watched your video and now will give this a go, my 1210 is about 27 years old and only used for home listening but the height adjustment is very stiff, thank you for this video👍🙂
Thank you for these videos! I've now successfully unseized the tonearm height on one of my tables. It was incredibly helpful to have this!
New subscriber! You are THE authority on technics decks!! Thanks for going to the trouble of doing these videos! I've learnt a lot.
I simply squirted a little 91% isopropyl alcohol into the space between the adjusting ring and the tonearm platform, heated it a little with a hair dryer, and then applied steady pressure using my hand to the adjusting ring. It moved a little then a little more, until it was turning fairly easily using just normal finger pressure. I turned it back and forth a dozen times, until I was satisfied, then set it to the correct hight and did the rest of the setup for my cartridge. Now I'm listening to some old Rolling Stones, Get Off My Cloud.
Thanks for the take-apart. It showed be what was going on underneath! I wouldn't have attempted my method without your take-apart.
The next day it was tight again, so it looks like I'll be taking it apart to grease it properly.
@Tha1AndOnlyDJT no its not too bad the only reason i say don't use lithium grease is because over time it can become quite sticky and make it hard to turn, as for stripping it back down, if it seems OK and you have no issues with it that i would just leave it, it wont harm your deck.
also is your grease "lithium based" or "pure lithium grease" pure lithium grease is normally white and quite sticky. if you have lithium based (the one i used) thats fine to use.
hope this helped.
nice one!!!
this just took me 4 hours lol, as i treated is very careful and cleaned it too. It looks like that washer actually is used to stop the height adjuster from poping the tonearm out the base when you adjust the height. thx for the video.
that's great, I'm glad the video helped you.
thank you for your input and your comment.
Hi there! Congratulations, what a nice and useful tutorial on how to fix a turntable and save a lot of money. Really appreciate your video!
Cheers from Brazil
Antonio
This is a great guide, thanks! I'm normally shit at this kind of thing but with the help of these videos I've got my height adjustment sorted!
Viperfrank you are the MAN. Thanks so much for all the great videos, absolutely brilliant instructions and so helpful
Thanks for the best instructional video I've found for this problem. I'll save myself the $600 cdn for both decks that this relatively simple repair would have cost.
Amazing video man, like all the rest about technics restoration. Thanks a lot.
@ViperFrank
Your video helped me a lot.
Thank you for the super good instructions.
Tutorials like this are the reason why I still like to use RUclips despite all the crap around it.
Thank you from Berlin/ Germany
Fantastic videos again. Me and my Technics are eternally grateful. Tip: follow thraswar's extra step below to get the ring calibration right.
Fantastic, mine was completely stuck, works like its brand new now. Thanks man.
Thanks so much for the vids. Really practical and helpful. Sorted my deck! Never attempted anything like this before. 🙏🏻
Great tutorial. Really helpful and well explained, thank you :)
I thought I’d nailed it but then realised that the circular plastic guide had come away from the brass thread section. What would you recommend I use to glue it back on?
There’s a dimple that will help me line it up properly. Looks like I just need to make sure it’s the right way round.
Hi James.Amazing really.I´ve had a 1210 now 25 years and never knew that there were so many items to adjust.I did nothing up to now until I found out that my Hi fi sound could be better.It seems that this Arm adjusting screw seems to be a problem with Technics when not used.As you say the Grease orinally from Technics siez up.But u do seem to be a clever chap.All the best Ian.
Hi James, I'm a bit late to the party so have just seen your vid(s). I'd say it's helped a fair few people since you posted it. Nice easy to follow tutorial for anyone with a screwdriver. Just wanted to point out a couple of things. 1. The LM in LM grease is not low melting point. It is in fact a lithium based general purpose grease. I know you said don't use lithium grease but this is ok. Pure lithium grease is usually or often white. Maybe I'm being a bit pedantic. Second point is about the pin underneath the arm with the circlip and washer. There is indeed a purpose for it. It is the height limiter. Without the washer and clip, when the arm is in place you would be able to adjust the ring so far that the whole arm section comes away from the main body. Must now go watch some more of your vids! Cheers.
I’m quite confused of which grease should I use.
Hi James. I'd just like to say you are a star mate!!! :o)
I bought a Technics SL1210 MK2 and checked the tone arm settings but found my height adjuster was siezed. Did a search on google by chance and found your videos. A while later i had an arm which adjusted.Top Man!!
I also spent about an hour watching your other videos as i need to replace the phono cable too and see if i can get the pop up light to work.
Just like to say thanks for sharing your knowledge mate.Nice Work!!! :o)
I can't really appreciate enough the effort you put into this video to enlighten us :). Peace man.
Thanks a lot, just fixed my 30+ year old SL 1210 MK2 following your instructions.
Thank you Viperfrank, I am going to service the old girl myself thanks to your vid's. Thanks again! Harry
@eliyag1 I also managed to sort it out - the key factor is like you say where the marker is when you begin to thread the screw - once you figure out what number to use it was quite easy
@minimalism3012 thats what i like to hear, thats wicked, im glad the video was helpful and thanks for your comment and your feed back.
nice one!!!
Thanks for this. I followed this process and freed up mine. However, follow the service manual to do the calibration, which differs from the method here. The service manual also contains a chart translating the adjustment ring settings into cartridge heights. These are - 0 = 15mm up to 6 = 21mm. Don't forget, these are with the original 6mm rubber mat. With a 3mm felt slipmat, these will be 0 = 18mm up to 6 = 24mm.
@MusicalCopernicus no problem, thank you for your comment and your kind words.
i'm glad you like the video.
nice one!!!
Thanks a lot viperfrank! Very educational and thorough video's (perfect in details) you post. Respect!
Watching this in 2021! Brilliant video and has given me the confidence to try and fix it myself
You are a killer of technician man, I see you have firm hands, expertise and extremely deep knowledge of this unit. Many thanks for the instructions, I'll (sadly) have to replace the arm on mine and fix pitch i'll follow your teaching and i'm confident in success. But this part if the height mechanism looks a bit tough, so mine is stiff but it works and i guess i won't go that far. Again, many thanks, great style and professional approach.
Thanks for posting this video. Mine is now sitting on the dining room table soaked in WD40... but still stuck solid! LOL
I managed to buy some helical grease which is designed for relubricating manual camera lenses and ideal between aluminium and brass. If only I could get them apart though. :D
By the way, I found that spraying the WD40 into the lid and then applying it with a cotton bud helps to stop it going everywhere.
This worked great. Thanks for the detailed steps. Finally I can adjust the height again on my turntables.
Just an outstanding visual tutorial all the way around. Both part 1 and 2. Ready to tackle my problem now. Best regards.
The little C clip and washer are for the height adjustment lock. Thank you for the video.
Mission completed! First one done! Thank you, very helpful vid!
Brilliant! Thank you so much for posting these videos. Perfect amount of detail, very easy to follow.
Just one thing, to calibrate it, I noticed there are many starting points when screwing inner ring, so if you start in the right thread, you're calibrated correctly, for me your way didn't work til I figured it out, maybe sl1200mk2 are different????
No, you're dead right - this is why he says if it doesn't set to zero (and also wind all the way up the scale without coming completely unscrewed when you try it) remove the ring and try again - you need to catch a different start to the screw thread.
@viperfrank I have only just found your videos on here. Absolutely quality 👌 Thank you. I have a pair of Technics 1200's and a pair of Technics 1210's that potentially both need servicing. I know both 1200's and one of the 1210's tone arms are stuck solid including the locking mechanism. I will go through these videos Step by step on one of the 1200's and see if I can get it to budge. Thank you so much 👍
@onestella Thank you, I'm glad you like the video.
Thank you for your comment and feedback, its greatly appreciated.
Nice One ; )
Thanks for this!!! need to do this someday, my height adjustment has completely seized up!
Great video! I was completely apprehensive about doing this myself, but not now. Thanks!!
hi there, thank you very much for your kind words and your comment it is greatly appreciated.
the lift lever and the anti skate are quite complex things but fairly straightforward to fix, i will hopefully have a video on both uploaded very soon.
thank you agin for your comment, all the best.
nice one!!!
I made it following your instructions.
Thank you very much !
Thank you so much. Great detail and not long winded at all. Cheers
no worries, I'm glad you like the video.
thank you for your comment.
I followed this to a T and fixed my old 1200. Much obliged! :)
@pong38 thank you very much for your comment, im glad the video was helpful.
as for your question. i have seen the lift lever become loose a few times but it still works fine, if this is what your having than its quite simple to put right, and one of my video requests is how to replace the lever so i could integrate it into that video.
hope this is helpful and thanks again for your comment.
nice one!!!
Your video still gets a thumbs up because it was well done .
Big Thanks,i saved 80€! :D all ur video about technics MK2 is Awesome!!
thanks so much for your tutorial!!
hi there, it looks quite severe when that happens, but normally its just the ring clips come off, basically the bit i take off at 6:28 of part one of the video, make sure that is on there otherwise there is nothing to stop it when it get to high. just be careful when you take the bottom plate off because it likely to be ratlin around in there. if it was missing in the first place you should be able to go down to any hardware store and get something to go on there.
hope this helped.
nice one!!!
Great video and I appreciated how well you articulated everything, however one has to be a real cheap skate if you intend to put a man to do " Technical Work " for less than £60.00 . If you think the price is too high then do it yourself just like you did but don't complain about the quote because time is valuable for everyone + your local shop most likely have expenses such as rent taxes and other bills to pay . If you were in America you would probably pay about $200 depending on where you are located and that would still be a good deal .
Awesome video series. Thank you so much!
HI. Thx for your detailed instructions! I followed it step by step. Unfortunately on my tonearm i could not turn the outer ring clockwise away. It still stuck together. I tried to put a bit of WD-40 on the thread and warm the metal pieces a little up. But no way. Is there another way to loosen these two metal pieces?
Thx alot!
try heating it with a hairdryer - dont overheat though, just above body temp.
Thank you very much viperfrank the video is very helpful for me.with your instructions i fixed mine turntable sl 1200mk2.
I love your videos. They are a great help to everyone. Keep up the good work.
Great videos, thanks.
Curious though, how do you remove your platter so easily?
FYI the small C clip removed with a plyers from the lock lever dowel rod is a stop to keep you from completely backing out the height adjustment bezel flange.
The ring clip is to stop the main section completely unscrewing once you reassemble it. If you don't put that back on it doesn't stop at the top and would come right out. So definitely don't forget it.
Had that exact problem! I had neglected it at first.
Great video - had to perform this fix on a “virtually new” M5G (great job on the seller letting me know that the height adjustment was completely stuck). Had to use a special tool with a rubber grip to untwist the adjustment ring from the base. Why exactly can we not use copper or lithium grease?
thank you @viperfrank for the great tutorial. my tonearm was seized so hard that the plastic part with the mm height scale came off. Can you recommend a glue to use to put it back on ? Just regular super glue maybe ?
thanks for your help with this, but do you have any videos or information about the barrings in the tonearm assembly. the left to right action of the tonearm is stiff how do i go about fixing this
I got the tonarm out and the height adjustment knob is spinning but I can’t for the life of me free the black metal bottom piece to access the threads.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
UPDATE - Hit it with a hair dryer for a minute and was then able to unscrew!
Great video...however, I looked up the specific grease you use in the video...description of item identifies it as lithium based...FYI.
Also, what is the other clear bottle stuff?
Hi Frank, in Part 1 [8:13] you unscrew both parts very easely. But unfortunately mine doesnt. Isn't moving at all. What is best to do now? Could you please advise how to split this parts so I can clean and callibrate it. thanks a lot for your help in adcvance.
Hi james, Thanks so much for your great videos, they are extremely helpful and your instructions are concise and easy to follow.
My question and I guess you answer it in the above when you talk about lining up point with 0 /calibrating… I watched your video about setting the height of the tone arm, one deck was easily adjusted but the other I had to lower way past 0 and is still 2mm to high. Do i need to just follow the above video and recalibrate. My decks were bought new, have never done a thing to them however they are 10yrs old.
Apologize for the longwinded message. Cheers
@pauljohnlane Thanks. I actually figured out how to do it. It actually depends how you screw in the ring. That is, you need to pay attention to what number the little arrow/mark is pointing at when the threads start locking together as you screw the ring. Once I realized that, I tried playing with it, and I think it ended up pointing at 3 when the threads locked in together. So pay attention to that. It took me maybe 5 times of screwing the thing together until I figured out what was the problem
Hi James. Been doin this to mine today.Just thought id let you and everyone else know the top circlip on that post is what stops the adjuster goin way past number 6 on the adjuster gauge.Stops it from continuing going round :o)
Nice work mate.
Mick.