You, sir, made me a hero to my family. The exact same unit. Been down for 35 years. Thanks to this video, working again. I had a few more frozen pieces than yours but I have all but the changer working now!
Sears 1975 stereo am-fm, phono with 8-track recorder console at in-laws basement is seized up solid just the same way for several decades. Exact same turntable. Thanks for the detailed video!
THANK YOU! I purchased a beautiful BSR turntable that was totally seized up. If I hadn’t found your video I would’ve garbaged it. I definitely wouldn’t have spent over an hour with WD-40 and rubbing alcohol and a heat gun trying to get the turn table off!! I followed all your steps and tonight I’m listening to it’s gorgeous sound. Thank you from Malisa in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Thanks for sharing the BSR repair. My wife as one from the’70’s and was repaired in 1999. Since the repair guy only specializes in television and video now, it is up to me to revise this unit again. Thanks for the video, this is very helpful.
He did it all wrong. The bearing need a light grease. They are noisy because they are not properly lubricated. They also need to have all that WD-40 washed completely out of the bearings. Everything should have been packed with light lithium grease.
@@josh6715 No, he does not. Anyone who lubricates bearing with WD40, which says right on the bottle that is NOT a lubricant and that it is "Water Displacement number 40" has no clue what they are doing. These old turntables were not designed with "lifetime lubrication." They were not designed with a 5 year service life. They would have included instructions calling for periodic lubrication. There are felts in the motor specifically there to hold oil. These are large heavy AC motors that require lubrication along with the spindle and the idler wheel pulley and the main center bearing. Some require machine oil, like the felts, others require light grease, like the mech and the spindle.
Thankyou so much for this, I live in the U.K. and I have a B.S.R. gramophone unit that I grew up with as a child and when my parents passed away 16 years ago it was one of the few items fom their house I wanted. Though the radio still worked, the turntable was jammed soild and hadn't worked in about thirty years I guess, but after watching your tutorial several times ( plus as I was trying to repair it ), it now plays again! It still doesn't want to play automatically so I may try to go further with it, but for now, I am very happy. One can of wd40, a small amount of grease and patience has done wonders for a piece of my childhood.
THANK YOU!! I scored a free stereo cabinet today and the turntable was completely seized. I followed your video closely and it’s working again! (Mostly)
This has been the most helpful video on BSR turntables I've found. I followed your process exactly and fixed out record player after it seized. Thank you for your time, and great work, in making this video! Again, amazing job.
You saved my 1977 my turntable! Next is tuning the 8-track. I have an old JC Penny BSR unit. AM/FM 8-track and turntable. If you have a video on the 8-track that would be awesome. Thank you so much for your excellent instructions. Really I am excited to play my records again - just like I use to!
Thank you so much! I am listening to my 1975 Sony HP-161 for the first time in 25 years -- got the platter spinning in perfect time, now just need to try and fix the auto changer!
This turntable must have been in use for a very long time, as I'm about to repair a seized one from an early 80s Panasonic all-in-one stereo (TT, cassette, AM/FM). Thanks for the intel!
The receiver sounds great. Use GC Lubriplate,phono lube and light machine oil on the mechanisms. I have the same turn table in a Truetone console. This video is a great help. For something that looks so simple, these turntables are really complicated. Thank God for RUclips! If you’ve never done one of these use heat gun or hair dryer, pay close attention as the platter is all plastic.
Thanks. Got this exact model from my father in law after he pasted away. Was glad I came across this as I was just going to donate it. Now we'll have it for a long time.
I remember the console stereo very well. This project brought back good memories. The consoles were always in the middle of the living room and looked like furniture.
Dude.. duuuuuude... Just followed your video and I now have a working player.. wish I could send you the vid of it playing.. Thanks a million. This was in a Electrophonic console with 8-track (which works) and am/fm radio..
I appreciate the time you put on this video specially the part you used soldering gun to heat up the shaft and bring so it could easily come off cause it was the most tricky part, thanks a lot
Just picked up a 60s Magnavox stereo console with this exact BSR as a replacement player to the original. I quickly found out he player was completely seized. Thought it was a total loss.. but after watching this video it now works great! Thanks for the video!
Thank you for your video. My parents deceased son had bought a console long ago. My mom wanted me to get it to work. It works except the needle keeps needing adjusting because it’s going to fast. It’s playing though! Which it hasn’t been able to for a few years.
I am collecting some Dynatrons. Here in the UK they are also in wooden cabinets or caskets. Very high end components. Goldring Lenco Decks and Japanese receivers but with the name Dynatron slapped on. They are seriously high end kit, but most have Garrad 6300 decks or 25s mk 3 or 4's. If you look in E Bay you will see how beautiful some of these are. They even have the royal insignia and were sold in Harrods. The speakers are amazing (if they haven't rotted) being Wharfedales. Thank you for this upload.
I need to work on my old 1976 Montgomery Wards Airline console with turntable, 8 track and radio. However, the turntable is in a drawer that pulls out, but only a little ways. I do not see how I could attempt to work in that small space and I am afraid to open the back as things may just start breaking. It is a large unit, about 52" long. Radio works but the knobs can be crackly. Loved your vid. I am super envious. My dad gave me this unit and it means the world to me. Wish I would have played it these past 20 years and maybe it would not have seized up. I stored it as I was afraid my cats would scratch it up.
The chassis all come out real easy. Pop the back and a few screws will allow you to remove the record player. They have plugs on the bottom to disconnect it from chassis. These were designed to be removed in the house and taken to the shop.
@@12voltvids Great!!! I will try it! I hate to have to move the entire unit to the repair shop! Also, I'm afraid to leave the whole unit with the shop. Thanks a lot!
44:48 They also made a rectangular plastic 45 adapter that clipped onto the spindle of course it limited you to only a stack of 45s. Not sure if they included them with the turntables or if they were an extra purchase.
If you want to use one of these ceramic cartridge turntables to have very good sound in a modern stereo system use a pair of guitar preamps like the EQ-7545R. These preamps provide the impedance necessary for proper bass response from a ceramic cartridge. The equalizer on these preamps is also very useful for 78s. I use my BSR record changer on a daily basis. I have a Rega as well, but the BSR gets a lot more use because I have a lot of thrift store records and don't care to wear out the non-replaceable needle on the Rega Elys2 for them.
Dear Sir, I am collecting Dynatrons. The Queen used them, they were only sold in Harrods and posh places. One I have cost £633 in 1971. I have the receipt. A mini cost about £1000, so as ridiculously expensive as what the audiophiles throw their money away on today. Inside you got a Goldring Lenco 78 or 75. You got a 33 W RMS per channel Quad capable amp and 4 Wharfedale speakers . All branded Dynatron. The Cabinets or plinths were made by craftsmen of the best wood and the wood most appropriate for the job. So it not only sounded good but looked good too. People throw them out because they think it clunky Granny Fi. They are wrong. They are Hi Fi. Just like when old Jag E Types were once just unwanted old bangers the same with these consoles today. These are going to be VERY expensive as people are now are finding out just how good they are. I would be very interested if you sourced some more of these of different makes so we can see what range of these were available in Canada. Once you refurbish them you should keep them! Thank you.
juky 2021 and this video is still helping. I tucked 2 of these (desktop) models away in the attack 30 years ago. I used some de chlorinated brake clean to remove the dry grease and then put a dab of contact grease on the slides. 3n1 oil for the bearings... Thanks for the vid.
It's kinda neat how the dual track cam works. When the arm goes over, if there are multiple albums on the arm will bump them and drop one. If there are none there the arm will just go down.
Repaired a good number of these, and by far the worst was some one had lubed the spindle with corn oil. Seized solid as the oil dried out.and I was peeling the stuff out with a needle. Fun times.
I was just 5 years old when my mom & dad purchased a 1970 General Electric console. Had the radio and turntable plus an input for auxiliary things. It had a portable speaker that was a receiver that picked up the signal from the console. Always seemed to have static on that. The record player mechanism seemed hard on the needle...it would drop it down quite hard onto the record. Had that until about 1990 when we finally donated it. It could rock the house but some of the consoles from the early to mid-60's I've seen restored on RUclips seem to be even better quality and sound quality, plus bigger speakers.
This video helped me tremendously! I just got my hands on a similar Sears console with exact same turntable and the dang thing is in fact frozen. Thought it was a lost cost at first until I figured out how to removed the platter and sure enough it is working but not as smooth. BTW I don’t have a solder gun so I heated the top of a flat head screw driver and it did the trick. Now to getting this thing working to enjoy some music!
Not too long ago, I pulled a four speed 70's BSR changer from a Morse stereo console. The turntable spins freely & everything on it works,but I assume the reason they seize up is from how long they been stored or not used.
back in the 80's when the all metal ones used to come in and were seized solid like that.. we used to take off the motor, rubber mat and tonearm and sling them in a big tank of dirty petrol that was in the yard for just that purpose.... usually left them overnight.. freed up everything lovely it did.. then the jockey wheel would need replacing.. usually had a dent in it anyhow.. half a quid new at the time.. one of the apprentices tried it with a plastic one.. only the once.............
Those old BSRs were a pretty solid and durable turntable back then. The only problem with them was the motor ran too fast. A careful and time-consuming filing of the shaft takes care of that. Also, some had cheap plastic platters that sometimes left a mark in the records. The radio sounds great!
i have owned a few bsr record changers in my time 5 to be exact one that was seized and 4 that worked. the bsr changers usually had a very high output and so if u turned up the volume to say 1 or 2 its like u turned it up to 10 or 15 on the dial. also the bsr changers usually didnt have a ground wire strangely enough.
These had bloody good sound, we had one made by Ultra, this should have a screw at the back of the tonearm to adjust the weight. these old bsr's were brill to work on, had many an awesome night listening to records on these old bsr players, usually quite drunk haha, dave you have room on the right hand side to fit a cassette deck
I had a Garrard turntable back in the mid 1980's . Was good turntable fully automatic too all four speeds as well .but the headshell cartridge sucked on it . I replaced the cartridge with a Teledyne mm cartridge not bad just cheap. Back in the day they had miles of turntable cartridges in the store . Now try too find a place like that miles of audio equipment and cartridges
Just a little note from someone who built these decks at BSR. Please don’t use either WD40 or 3 in 1 oil on these mechanisms once it gets warm WD40 starts to dry sticky and 3 in 1 just dries out. You have to use grease on the moving metal parts. This is a short term fix. Put grease on and it will run for another 50 years and it will run quietly like the day they left the factory
Is sewing machine oil or clock or watch oil any good? I use those when I am afraid the things are delicate Coa I figure if its OK for q watch it should be safe for other things. Not sure if they make special record player oil maybe
@12voltvids @: thank you for this info sir! One question. I've cleaned it and lubricated(a tiny bit of tri-flow) now: how to get the gear back on the spindle enough so I can get the retention clip back on?
Nice informative video, I didn't know Garrard were a big player too. Recently missed a Bush console system with a Garrard changer in the local auction... My Fidelity UA3 still had/has the plastic on some of the brushed alloy trim parts, it fell off the centre hub on it's own though. They look gorgeous when they've been under wraps all this time, think the Fidelity is about '73/4 going off the couple of IC's on the board.
@Mark Godfrey Haha yeh you could say that for most. I've come a ways in a year or so though, got a couple of Garrard TTs and just been gifted an AP76 in a plinth complete with original mounting template and manual! It was being thrown out at a friend's apartment!!! I think the fast playing BSR's were more down to dirt on the motor spindle, certainly my UA70 is pretty accurate after a full service and clean. Good enough for my ears anyhow lol
Garrard I think is excellent and they had some very high quality cartridges. I sold one to a buyer in Russia that never reached him, I've had them in consoles mounted in a pull-out drawer. I kept the drawer and player and ow it is at the top of my rack for playing 78's.
First. Thank you for this well made video! Second. I can’t get the Stop Start and Auto switch to work. It’s extremely tight. Any ideas what it could be? I noticed the white part that locks the arm down seems to be in the way of a lever. I don’t want to force the switch because it’s plastic and may break. Hope you can help! Thanks
Nice old unit, seems odd that despite being a Philips, it has a BSR deck, as most Philips players in Europe had their own autochanger deck. This had the pentagonal connector and usually a shiny top to the headshell. I've seen a few old mono sets with a BSR mind, the sort where you close the lid to get better bass. The speakers in your console were widely used over here too in Philips kit. The only things I do different to your BSR overhaul are both to do with bearings. Under the camwheel's the small follower that moves to operate the arm, there's a tiny little roller on that which should be free to spin on its pin. This is especially important with the later single-play decks with the S-shaped arms, as the cam on those is plastic, not ally. Then I tend to give the motor bearings some oil, as you may know there's a felt washer on some that's a sort of oil reservoir. Nice to see someone else battling the goo ! Recently I've got lazy mind, and soak all the bits without electrics/rubber in WD or cleaner overnight prior to tackling them LOL.
Thank you so much for this video. Not sure if you read the comments, but I have this exact BSR (in a suitcase), it works but needs 14g of weight on the record to keep it from wobbling. Everything seems in order except on two points: There is no longer rubber on the motor spindle, and the bearings on the center post seem slightly warped. Any ideas on what I should look at?
WD-40 is the 40th attempt that was successful for Water Displacement lubricant. So in using it means there was or is going to be Water damage. Use the right lube for the right job! There are 6 basic lubes better than WD-40. Liquid Wrench makes a good set that tells the user what each is for on the can.
I have a 1970s PYE gramophone and it has the exact same record player and its working perfectly fine but the turntable vibrates with a 7'' record player or the cabinet it vibrates again. but with bigger record its just fine. the record player was given to me by my grandmother. she got it brand new and never done work on it, she us well looked after it. I don't know if it needs to be taken part or just needs grease or something for the bearing. EDIT: fixed
Smashing repair:-D, That was a well gummed up one, it fought you all the way. I havn't seen a radiogram for years, that one looks in a good condition :-D. I've done a fair few record decks too, same problems, garrard and other makes all suffer from lube problems, and some i've had to dissasemble the underside mech. But they all perform well when cleaned and lubed :-D
Nice video. Useless piece of trivia for you: BSR stood for Birmingham Sound Reproducers. Here in the UK there actually wasn't an awful lot of love for BSR, they were perceived as inferior quality to Garrard, who offered high end decks like the 401 and 301 as well as the consumer-grade models such as the SP25 and AT6. In the 60s and 70s, many a BSR deck from radiograms such as this Philips were tossed in the trash having been replaced by an AT6 or SP25.
bones007able no it’s because when they shut themselves off , the idler wheel moves away from the motor spindle, the only times I have came across a bsr with a bad wheel, it had been stored with the switch in the on position,,, the bsr guys in my opinion made the most reliable, worry free decks out of all of the record changers ever made..
What needle does the tone arm use? I picked up a sears stereo with the same turntable in it but I can't find the needle since the unit has sears catalog numbers instead of bsr catalog numbers for the needle and cartridge
@@guscarguy I found one a few months ago. Ended up having to get a whole new cartridge kit as the one on the tone arm was missing the rubber support for the needle.
Appreciate your attention to Details! Consoles lost their attraction with the advent of better Tech! Can you imagine the PAIN of changing that TT with a modern Transcription Deck? LOL!! But Yes, we had one like this. Great carpentry - was solid (massive) Wood! Damn Man - U ran a 'stang w/o Synthetic?? NO!!! I ONLY dropped 45s! You have a good supply of Vinyl? Cheers, B&M.
It wasn't so much the improved tech that killed them, it was their sheer bulk. They had become impractical due to their size; even the 'compact' models took up as much space as the larger 25-27" CRT televisions of the era. The big thing by the mid-1970s were 'music center' stereos, where the phono, tuner, and tape deck were built into a small central unit, but it used external bookshelf speakers. The advantage was you could put the 'head unit' and the speakers in practical locations; while consoles were often limited with regard to where you could place them. And not many people wanted a big ornate box full of mostly air in their living room any more. Electronics-wise, there wasn't much difference between the music center and console stereos; in fact, some models of console had the same circuit boards as their music center counterparts. As for swapping out the changers... most people didn't worry about that. Those that did bought component or 'rack' stereos.
It's a mid 70s console. The C129R changer didn't come out until 1973-74, and the C129R1 came out around 1975. Yours is a C129R changer. The only exception is, if someone swapped the original changer for a BSR.
How times change. A few years ago, you couldn't give this kind of kit away - before the vinyl revival, nobody wanted something as big as a washing machine like this (plus with real fuddy-duddy grandma style cabinet) just to play a record on. Now, there's a lot more demand. Hopefully more usable equipment like this can be saved form landfill.
I had no problem finding this a home. One of my wife's older friends got the boot. She had been living with her daughter and son inlaw, and they seperated and she found herself homeless moving in to an apartment. The wife asked if she could have it and a TV and I said sure take em away. So I found a home for a Hitachi 39' LED TV and this big console stereo for her to play her Elvis records on.
I seen a Sony PS 77 on eBay for like 100 bucks . The seller said it needed still needed work .it has a mm cartridge on it . It needs a idler wheel replaced .but it is a changer . The second turntable I want is a Sony PS 1100 never nice table but the platter is bent .I can fix the platter and I need the anti skate weight too . I think I'm going with the Sony PS 1100 . The Sony PS 1100 looks so nice too . The other Sony is also nice as well but I have too spend 35 bucks on a idler wheel new
I don't know what the British had for glue but this grease used made a very good glue,not a good grease though. I did a lot of this repair over the years also, did not see you do anything with the cam follower roller, they usually seized up too and had to be heated to loosen them up also.
I just recently acquired a Lloyd's multiplex stereo with a BSR record changer. This one had a metal platter, and it was seized. Removing the autoplay spindle is quite labor-intensive! Are there any better lubricants besides 3-in-1 oil to soften and melt the old hard grease? I've seen the Kroil stuff, but I didn't know it was pretty expensive! Also, will a 40-watt soldering iron work better than a standard 25-watt one?
This gives me an exact information to get more deeper to maintain my BSR MA65 turntable changing the cartridge SC5M needle. Tq!!! What is your recommendation of needle model's No.? Tq!!!
I discovered this channel recently and am binge watching all your stuff - which is great. I was not trying to tell you you were doing anything wrong or that you are not super talented. Only trying to make a suggestion that I learned 45 years ago when doing electronic repairs professionally too. I will leave it to you experts but Kroil is very good at that one task. Oh. And Tecknowledgy can kiss my ass.
hearing the rumbleas you put the record on, took me back to childhood when we had a bsr turntable, ive not heard it since as i got a very good linn deck with various mods which was silent
I've never seen ball bearing lubricated with WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil before.... They need to be packed with white lithium grease. If you insist on using a liquid, at least use a high quality machine oil!
so glad i found this video, however on my system the on/off/auto switch is the main issue, for some reason its locked into off and i cannot get it to switch. the table itself spins fine but i can't seem to get the power switch to work. any idea on why that is?
All I know is this looks like nothing offered under the Magnavox name after Phillips took over. I think 8 track was big at that time. I have some sales literature from that time. Many of the console cabinets had a floor in them. Even the cheapest brands.
My '67 Magnavox Astro-Sonic has a floor, my '75 Magnavox midseries does not. I used to have an old Lloyd's console from the (mid to late 1970s, by my guess), it didn't have a floor either.
Hi there, Awesome video. I recently picked up a zenith allegro jr587w and I'm having some trouble with the platter. I cannot for the life of me get it unstuck from the center bearing. I have tried a combination of WD40, 3 in 1 oil, isopropyl alchohol, and my soldering gun. I've had it soaking in the oil for two nights now. I was wondering if there were any suggestions? thanks!
Check to make sure the turntable power switch is turned to the stop position as having the idler pulley engaged would make it difficult. Hopefully your turntable cycle cam isn't seized in the engaged position as that would also make it difficult to remove the platter
Actually, BSR was pretty much the most common changer brand throughout the 70s with Garrard being a distant second (who by the end of the 60s lost their dominance to BSR's ability to crank out cheaper changers). Dual was perhaps the least common here in the US probably because their changers were more hi-fi oriented (hence expensive) compared to the British units. By the time the 70s hit, VM was already a cooked goose.
There was a term used for bsr, and it wasn't bloody shitty rumble. ( that was used too) but the one I used to hear the most was "British shitty recordplayers". Now I know I am going to draw fire for that one but I didn't coin the phrase. In Canada the noresco units were very popular, and noresco was the importer distributor for Dual, so they marketed tons and tons of dual units. Some with built in amplifiers.
@@12voltvids Some BSRs were actually not that bad (for what they were). The 2310X was a decent compact changer with antiskate and an adjustable tracking force spring. If I recall, they were shipped with Shure M75 carts (which tracked at 3g but it was better than nothing). However, the pinnacle of 70s BSR changers had to be the 810. That was on par with a low end Dual!
Yes BSR and Garrard had a few good changers. The ones with the solid metal platter were pretty good, but they also had a ton of low end This one, for example was not a great one. It still works after I got done with it, and the person that ended up with this old console likes it, but hey it was free right so what is not to like about a free stereo.
What basic tools would i need to trouble shoot. I have like 10 hifi record etc audio things and nobody fixes anything any more. So i need to learn from scratch and i figure toruble shooting would be the best way to start rather than trying to start with basic cicuitry just to esatblish if its somethign simple maybe and if not leave it be for now.
ah that must have been am 730 the traffic station. i have listen to that tons of times from where i live in washington. idk why i find it ineresting but i do. lots of work happening on the vancouver area highways.
Yes it was. That station burned to the ground a few years ago. One of the antenna tuners caught fire, and the tower fell over. It started a major bog fire which took weeks to put out. They were running on reduced power and only 3 towers after that happened, but I just noticed this past week that they have replaced the 4th tower, so they are again a 50KW flame thrower.
You, sir, made me a hero to my family. The exact same unit. Been down for 35 years. Thanks to this video, working again. I had a few more frozen pieces than yours but I have all but the changer working now!
Sears 1975 stereo am-fm, phono with 8-track recorder console at in-laws basement is seized up solid just the same way for several decades. Exact same turntable. Thanks for the detailed video!
THANK YOU! I purchased a beautiful BSR turntable that was totally seized up. If I hadn’t found your video I would’ve garbaged it. I definitely wouldn’t have spent over an hour with WD-40 and rubbing alcohol and a heat gun trying to get the turn table off!! I followed all your steps and tonight I’m listening to it’s gorgeous sound. Thank you from Malisa in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Thanks for sharing the BSR repair.
My wife as one from the’70’s and was repaired in 1999. Since the repair guy only specializes in television and video now, it is up to me to revise this unit again.
Thanks for the video, this is very helpful.
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos and sharing your knowledge.
He did it all wrong. The bearing need a light grease. They are noisy because they are not properly lubricated. They also need to have all that WD-40 washed completely out of the bearings. Everything should have been packed with light lithium grease.
@@tarstarkusz I pretty sure he knows what he is doing
@@josh6715 No, he does not. Anyone who lubricates bearing with WD40, which says right on the bottle that is NOT a lubricant and that it is "Water Displacement number 40" has no clue what they are doing.
These old turntables were not designed with "lifetime lubrication." They were not designed with a 5 year service life. They would have included instructions calling for periodic lubrication. There are felts in the motor specifically there to hold oil. These are large heavy AC motors that require lubrication along with the spindle and the idler wheel pulley and the main center bearing. Some require machine oil, like the felts, others require light grease, like the mech and the spindle.
KOOL LOOKING
@@tarstarkusz Show us how it is done your such an expert.
Thankyou so much for this, I live in the U.K. and I have a B.S.R. gramophone unit that I grew up with as a child and when my parents passed away 16 years ago it was one of the few items fom their house I wanted. Though the radio still worked, the turntable was jammed soild and hadn't worked in about thirty years I guess, but after watching your tutorial several times ( plus as I was trying to repair it ), it now plays again! It still doesn't want to play automatically so I may try to go further with it, but for now, I am very happy. One can of wd40, a small amount of grease and patience has done wonders for a piece of my childhood.
THANK YOU!! I scored a free stereo cabinet today and the turntable was completely seized. I followed your video closely and it’s working again! (Mostly)
Thank you so much! I just got a 70s console up and running again. Sounds amazing! I have a very happy wife today.
This has been the most helpful video on BSR turntables I've found. I followed your process exactly and fixed out record player after it seized. Thank you for your time, and great work, in making this video! Again, amazing job.
Great to hear!
I want to thank you for this video.
You’ve literally just helped me repair my late grandads record player and my mum is well pleased. Thank you.
Again another stranger saying thank you. Helped me get my emerson BSR working again. Still some issues with the auto but working other wise.
You saved my 1977 my turntable! Next is tuning the 8-track. I have an old JC Penny BSR unit. AM/FM 8-track and turntable. If you have a video on the 8-track that would be awesome. Thank you so much for your excellent instructions. Really I am excited to play my records again - just like I use to!
Thank you so much! I am listening to my 1975 Sony HP-161 for the first time in 25 years -- got the platter spinning in perfect time, now just need to try and fix the auto changer!
This turntable must have been in use for a very long time, as I'm about to repair a seized one from an early 80s Panasonic all-in-one stereo (TT, cassette, AM/FM). Thanks for the intel!
Thank-you so much for this video. After watching it I successfully cleaned all the gunk from the cam etc and now my BSR autochanger works perfectly.
The receiver sounds great. Use GC Lubriplate,phono lube and light machine oil on the mechanisms. I have the same turn table in a Truetone console. This video is a great help. For something that looks so simple, these turntables are really complicated. Thank God for RUclips! If you’ve never done one of these use heat gun or hair dryer, pay close attention as the platter is all plastic.
Yes I am aware. I was careful. The little old lady that has this in her apartment now us enjoying playing her old elvis records on it.
Soldering iron is best.
Thanks. Got this exact model from my father in law after he pasted away. Was glad I came across this as I was just going to donate it. Now we'll have it for a long time.
I remember the console stereo very well. This project brought back good memories. The consoles were always in the middle of the living room and looked like furniture.
Sure did. I remember the one my parents had. It also had a B/W TV in the center that could be hidden by sliding doors.
Thanks brother, my new to me 1972 machine is now playing the tops. And she sounds amazing.
My father and i are working on a gold star music center gsm-5250. This video will really help because we got similar problems! Thanks for the video!
Dude.. duuuuuude... Just followed your video and I now have a working player.. wish I could send you the vid of it playing.. Thanks a million. This was in a Electrophonic console with 8-track (which works) and am/fm radio..
Thank you so much for this. You didn't cover the part that my unit needed fixing, but it gave me enough of a start to get it going. Much appreciated!
I appreciate the time you put on this video specially the part you used soldering gun to heat up the shaft and bring so it could easily come off cause it was the most tricky part, thanks a lot
Great work! We have a few of these BSR turntables around with similar issues. I'm going to try and fix them up after watching this.
Just picked up a 60s Magnavox stereo console with this exact BSR as a replacement player to the original. I quickly found out he player was completely seized. Thought it was a total loss.. but after watching this video it now works great! Thanks for the video!
FANtastic!
First video I found that actually shows you how to take the platter off! Thank you!
Thank you for your video. My parents deceased son had bought a console long ago. My mom wanted me to get it to work. It works except the needle keeps needing adjusting because it’s going to fast. It’s playing though! Which it hasn’t been able to for a few years.
Thank you so much for sharing your discovery, our turntable is working again!
I used to have a Fidelity turntable and the controls were almost identical. A very dependable unit with good sound.
Pulling the center record dropper shaft and jamming a soldering iron in there worked a treat for my one
This video was extremely helpful getting a Realistic Lab 36a unfrozen purchased for $25 at a thrift store. Working about as well as possible now.
I am collecting some Dynatrons. Here in the UK they are also in wooden cabinets or caskets. Very high end components. Goldring Lenco Decks and Japanese receivers but with the name Dynatron slapped on. They are seriously high end kit, but most have Garrad 6300 decks or 25s mk 3 or 4's. If you look in E Bay you will see how beautiful some of these are. They even have the royal insignia and were sold in Harrods. The speakers are amazing (if they haven't rotted) being Wharfedales. Thank you for this upload.
Best video on RUclips. Super helpful and thorough. Thank you!
I need to work on my old 1976 Montgomery Wards Airline console with turntable, 8 track and radio. However, the turntable is in a drawer that pulls out, but only a little ways. I do not see how I could attempt to work in that small space and I am afraid to open the back as things may just start breaking. It is a large unit, about 52" long. Radio works but the knobs can be crackly. Loved your vid. I am super envious. My dad gave me this unit and it means the world to me. Wish I would have played it these past 20 years and maybe it would not have seized up. I stored it as I was afraid my cats would scratch it up.
The chassis all come out real easy. Pop the back and a few screws will allow you to remove the record player. They have plugs on the bottom to disconnect it from chassis. These were designed to be removed in the house and taken to the shop.
@@12voltvids Great!!! I will try it! I hate to have to move the entire unit to the repair shop! Also, I'm afraid to leave the whole unit with the shop. Thanks a lot!
44:48 They also made a rectangular plastic 45 adapter that clipped onto the spindle of course it limited you to only a stack of 45s. Not sure if they included them with the turntables or if they were an extra purchase.
This is a great restoration. I appreciate the videos you put out. 73 VE3HJL.👍
I like the long play tech videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge
If you want to use one of these ceramic cartridge turntables to have very good sound in a modern stereo system use a pair of guitar preamps like the EQ-7545R. These preamps provide the impedance necessary for proper bass response from a ceramic cartridge. The equalizer on these preamps is also very useful for 78s. I use my BSR record changer on a daily basis. I have a Rega as well, but the BSR gets a lot more use because I have a lot of thrift store records and don't care to wear out the non-replaceable needle on the Rega Elys2 for them.
Dear Sir, I am collecting Dynatrons. The Queen used them, they were only sold in Harrods and posh places. One I have cost £633 in 1971. I have the receipt. A mini cost about £1000, so as ridiculously expensive as what the audiophiles throw their money away on today. Inside you got a Goldring Lenco 78 or 75. You got a 33 W RMS per channel Quad capable amp and 4 Wharfedale speakers . All branded Dynatron. The Cabinets or plinths were made by craftsmen of the best wood and the wood most appropriate for the job. So it not only sounded good but looked good too.
People throw them out because they think it clunky Granny Fi. They are wrong. They are Hi Fi. Just like when old Jag E Types were once just unwanted old bangers the same with these consoles today.
These are going to be VERY expensive as people are now are finding out just how good they are. I would be very interested if you sourced some more of these of different makes so we can see what range of these were available in Canada. Once you refurbish them you should keep them! Thank you.
juky 2021 and this video is still helping. I tucked 2 of these (desktop) models away in the attack 30 years ago. I used some de chlorinated brake clean to remove the dry grease and then put a dab of contact grease on the slides. 3n1 oil for the bearings... Thanks for the vid.
It's kinda neat how the dual track cam works. When the arm goes over, if there are multiple albums on the arm will bump them and drop one. If there are none there the arm will just go down.
The radio section looks to be 70s, with the woodgrain look around the controls. They put BSR turntables in many stereos into the 80s.
@Mark Godfrey I am reasonably certain you are correct.
Watching you are an inspiration and gives me hope for my Dual 1229 to sound as new thanks tons
Repaired a good number of these, and by far the worst was some one had lubed the spindle with corn oil. Seized solid as the oil dried out.and I was peeling the stuff out with a needle. Fun times.
I was just 5 years old when my mom & dad purchased a 1970 General Electric console. Had the radio and turntable plus an input for auxiliary things. It had a portable speaker that was a receiver that picked up the signal from the console. Always seemed to have static on that. The record player mechanism seemed hard on the needle...it would drop it down quite hard onto the record. Had that until about 1990 when we finally donated it. It could rock the house but some of the consoles from the early to mid-60's I've seen restored on RUclips seem to be even better quality and sound quality, plus bigger speakers.
This video helped me tremendously! I just got my hands on a similar Sears console with exact same turntable and the dang thing is in fact frozen. Thought it was a lost cost at first until I figured out how to removed the platter and sure enough it is working but not as smooth. BTW I don’t have a solder gun so I heated the top of a flat head screw driver and it did the trick. Now to getting this thing working to enjoy some music!
Not too long ago, I pulled a four speed 70's BSR changer from a Morse stereo console. The turntable spins freely & everything on it works,but I assume the reason they seize up is from how long they been stored or not used.
back in the 80's when the all metal ones used to come in and were seized solid like that.. we used to take off the motor, rubber mat and tonearm and sling them in a big tank of dirty petrol that was in the yard for just that purpose.... usually left them overnight.. freed up everything lovely it did.. then the jockey wheel would need replacing.. usually had a dent in it anyhow.. half a quid new at the time..
one of the apprentices tried it with a plastic one.. only the once.............
Those old BSRs were a pretty solid and durable turntable back then. The only problem with them was the motor ran too fast. A careful and time-consuming filing of the shaft takes care of that. Also, some had cheap plastic platters that sometimes left a mark in the records.
The radio sounds great!
Notice that's a rim Drive turntable. Most turntables sold today are direct or belt drive.
Great video! I worked on turntables like that a few times.
I have a dual rim drive as well as a dual belt. An Akai and Technics direct drive.
I have almost this same model, and I think the same issue. Totally thought the component connections were 'after market', but not so sure now.
I’m saving this video as reference for my record player console! Thank you!
i have owned a few bsr record changers in my time 5 to be exact one that was seized and 4 that worked. the bsr changers usually had a very high output and so if u turned up the volume to say 1 or 2 its like u turned it up to 10 or 15 on the dial. also the bsr changers usually didnt have a ground wire strangely enough.
These had bloody good sound, we had one made by Ultra, this should have a screw at the back of the tonearm to adjust the weight. these old bsr's were brill to work on, had many an awesome night listening to records on these old bsr players, usually quite drunk haha, dave you have room on the right hand side to fit a cassette deck
I had a Garrard turntable back in the mid 1980's .
Was good turntable fully automatic too all four speeds as well .but the headshell cartridge sucked on it .
I replaced the cartridge with a Teledyne mm cartridge not bad just cheap.
Back in the day they had miles of turntable cartridges in the store .
Now try too find a place like that miles of audio equipment and cartridges
Great video .just got a 1950s philco which has bsr turntable it seems ok but not used for many years so would benefit from a service. .
love the back in the dayz memories
my dad had something similar, but the dials, knobs and VU meters were on the front, it was made by ITT, great looking thing.
and an WALTHAM W154 RADIO/CASSETTE/TV. wow memories
Just a little note from someone who built these decks at BSR. Please don’t use either WD40 or 3 in 1 oil on these mechanisms once it gets warm WD40 starts to dry sticky and 3 in 1 just dries out. You have to use grease on the moving metal parts. This is a short term fix. Put grease on and it will run for another 50 years and it will run quietly like the day they left the factory
Is sewing machine oil or clock or watch oil any good? I use those when I am afraid the things are delicate Coa I figure if its OK for q watch it should be safe for other things. Not sure if they make special record player oil maybe
When you say grease what do you mean ... like duck fat? Lard? Thats what we call grease. Lol!😂
Totally agree. I use a light grease made to do vcrs. It's a light white grease.
I have my BSR changer came with the Fisher turntable. Mine was a pre-Sanyo branded Fisher.
@12voltvids @: thank you for this info sir! One question. I've cleaned it and lubricated(a tiny bit of tri-flow) now: how to get the gear back on the spindle enough so I can get the retention clip back on?
Nice informative video, I didn't know Garrard were a big player too. Recently missed a Bush console system with a Garrard changer in the local auction... My Fidelity UA3 still had/has the plastic on some of the brushed alloy trim parts, it fell off the centre hub on it's own though. They look gorgeous when they've been under wraps all this time, think the Fidelity is about '73/4 going off the couple of IC's on the board.
@Mark Godfrey Haha yeh you could say that for most. I've come a ways in a year or so though, got a couple of Garrard TTs and just been gifted an AP76 in a plinth complete with original mounting template and manual! It was being thrown out at a friend's apartment!!! I think the fast playing BSR's were more down to dirt on the motor spindle, certainly my UA70 is pretty accurate after a full service and clean. Good enough for my ears anyhow lol
Garrard I think is excellent and they had some very high quality cartridges. I sold one to a buyer in Russia that never reached him, I've had them in consoles mounted in a pull-out drawer. I kept the drawer and player and ow it is at the top of my rack for playing 78's.
First. Thank you for this well made video! Second. I can’t get the Stop Start and Auto switch to work. It’s extremely tight. Any ideas what it could be? I noticed the white part that locks the arm down seems to be in the way of a lever. I don’t want to force the switch because it’s plastic and may break. Hope you can help! Thanks
Check out this video 5:33. Hope this helps.ruclips.net/video/4T_57hbHYJI/видео.html
Nice old unit, seems odd that despite being a Philips, it has a BSR deck, as most Philips players in Europe had their own autochanger deck. This had the pentagonal connector and usually a shiny top to the headshell. I've seen a few old mono sets with a BSR mind, the sort where you close the lid to get better bass. The speakers in your console were widely used over here too in Philips kit.
The only things I do different to your BSR overhaul are both to do with bearings. Under the camwheel's the small follower that moves to operate the arm, there's a tiny little roller on that which should be free to spin on its pin. This is especially important with the later single-play decks with the S-shaped arms, as the cam on those is plastic, not ally. Then I tend to give the motor bearings some oil, as you may know there's a felt washer on some that's a sort of oil reservoir. Nice to see someone else battling the goo !
Recently I've got lazy mind, and soak all the bits without electrics/rubber in WD or cleaner overnight prior to tackling them LOL.
For my high school graduation in '83, I got a Zenith 3 in 1 system. I believe that had a BSR in it as well. Put a ton of miles on that record player!
Thank you for the warming axe idea !
Thank you so much for this video. Not sure if you read the comments, but I have this exact BSR (in a suitcase), it works but needs 14g of weight on the record to keep it from wobbling. Everything seems in order except on two points: There is no longer rubber on the motor spindle, and the bearings on the center post seem slightly warped. Any ideas on what I should look at?
WD-40 is the 40th attempt that was successful for Water Displacement lubricant. So in using it means there was or is going to be Water damage. Use the right lube for the right job! There are 6 basic lubes better than WD-40. Liquid Wrench makes a good set that tells the user what each is for on the can.
It's a great penetrating oil. It isn't left on after it breaks the bond, it's removed and oil is used as a lube.
A few drops of oil on the motor bearings would be helpful as well. A felt pad soaks up the oil, but after a few decades, it will be dry.
I have a 1970s PYE gramophone and it has the exact same record player and its working perfectly fine but the turntable vibrates with a 7'' record player or the cabinet it vibrates again. but with bigger record its just fine. the record player was given to me by my grandmother. she got it brand new and never done work on it, she us well looked after it.
I don't know if it needs to be taken part or just needs grease or something for the bearing.
EDIT: fixed
Smashing repair:-D, That was a well gummed up one, it fought you all the way.
I havn't seen a radiogram for years, that one looks in a good condition :-D.
I've done a fair few record decks too, same problems, garrard and other makes all suffer from lube problems, and some i've had to dissasemble the underside mech.
But they all perform well when cleaned and lubed :-D
Thanks for great information, I have question about the gearbox shift, is that soild straight or is it loose,
I'm impressed with how it sounds, listening through my old Grundig car stereo
Nice video. Useless piece of trivia for you: BSR stood for Birmingham Sound Reproducers. Here in the UK there actually wasn't an awful lot of love for BSR, they were perceived as inferior quality to Garrard, who offered high end decks like the 401 and 301 as well as the consumer-grade models such as the SP25 and AT6. In the 60s and 70s, many a BSR deck from radiograms such as this Philips were tossed in the trash having been replaced by an AT6 or SP25.
Across the pond here, BSR were never really loved either. Garrard and Dual were the ones that people looked to for quality changers.
funny I have never come across of a bad idler wheel on a BSR.... was it the type of rubber they used?
bones007able no it’s because when they shut themselves off , the idler wheel moves away from the motor spindle, the only times I have came across a bsr with a bad wheel, it had been stored with the switch in the on position,,, the bsr guys in my opinion made the most reliable, worry free decks out of all of the record changers ever made..
What needle does the tone arm use? I picked up a sears stereo with the same turntable in it but I can't find the needle since the unit has sears catalog numbers instead of bsr catalog numbers for the needle and cartridge
Check the right side handle where you lift the tonearm. There should be a number there or possibly on the bottom of the cartridge.
@@guscarguy I found one a few months ago. Ended up having to get a whole new cartridge kit as the one on the tone arm was missing the rubber support for the needle.
@@WH32R Glad it worked out
Appreciate your attention to Details! Consoles lost their attraction with the advent of better Tech! Can you imagine the PAIN of changing that TT with a modern Transcription Deck? LOL!! But Yes, we had one like this. Great carpentry - was solid (massive) Wood! Damn Man - U ran a 'stang w/o Synthetic?? NO!!! I ONLY dropped 45s! You have a good supply of Vinyl? Cheers, B&M.
It wasn't so much the improved tech that killed them, it was their sheer bulk. They had become impractical due to their size; even the 'compact' models took up as much space as the larger 25-27" CRT televisions of the era. The big thing by the mid-1970s were 'music center' stereos, where the phono, tuner, and tape deck were built into a small central unit, but it used external bookshelf speakers. The advantage was you could put the 'head unit' and the speakers in practical locations; while consoles were often limited with regard to where you could place them. And not many people wanted a big ornate box full of mostly air in their living room any more.
Electronics-wise, there wasn't much difference between the music center and console stereos; in fact, some models of console had the same circuit boards as their music center counterparts.
As for swapping out the changers... most people didn't worry about that. Those that did bought component or 'rack' stereos.
It's a mid 70s console. The C129R changer didn't come out until 1973-74, and the C129R1 came out around 1975. Yours is a C129R changer. The only exception is, if someone swapped the original changer for a BSR.
How times change. A few years ago, you couldn't give this kind of kit away - before the vinyl revival, nobody wanted something as big as a washing machine like this (plus with real fuddy-duddy grandma style cabinet) just to play a record on. Now, there's a lot more demand. Hopefully more usable equipment like this can be saved form landfill.
I had no problem finding this a home. One of my wife's older friends got the boot. She had been living with her daughter and son inlaw, and they seperated and she found herself homeless moving in to an apartment. The wife asked if she could have it and a TV and I said sure take em away. So I found a home for a Hitachi 39' LED TV and this big console stereo for her to play her Elvis records on.
I seen a Sony PS 77 on eBay for like 100 bucks . The seller said it needed still needed work .it has a mm cartridge on it .
It needs a idler wheel replaced .but it is a changer .
The second turntable I want is a Sony PS 1100 never nice table but the platter is bent .I can fix the platter and I need the anti skate weight too .
I think I'm going with the Sony PS 1100 .
The Sony PS 1100 looks so nice too .
The other Sony is also nice as well but I have too spend 35 bucks on a idler wheel new
I don't know what the British had for glue but this grease used made a very good glue,not a good grease though. I did a lot of this repair over the years also, did not see you do anything with the cam follower roller, they usually seized up too and had to be heated to loosen them up also.
Awesome! Got ours working again! Thank you! Do you have any knowledge on how to fix the 8-track player that appears to be frozen in my console?
I just recently acquired a Lloyd's multiplex stereo with a BSR record changer. This one had a metal platter, and it was seized. Removing the autoplay spindle is quite labor-intensive! Are there any better lubricants besides 3-in-1 oil to soften and melt the old hard grease? I've seen the Kroil stuff, but I didn't know it was pretty expensive! Also, will a 40-watt soldering iron work better than a standard 25-watt one?
Wd40 also works to clear the old grease away. You are right though they are fun to work on when seized. Work on it a bit and it will work free
Thanks! I gave a second life to my parent's turntable = less garbage for the earth
This gives me an exact information to get more deeper to maintain my BSR MA65 turntable changing the cartridge SC5M needle. Tq!!! What is your recommendation of needle model's No.? Tq!!!
Where does the tone arm wiring join from here to the outside?
I discovered this channel recently and am binge watching all your stuff - which is great. I was not trying to tell you you were doing anything wrong or that you are not super talented. Only trying to make a suggestion that I learned 45 years ago when doing electronic repairs professionally too. I will leave it to you experts but Kroil is very good at that one task. Oh. And Tecknowledgy can kiss my ass.
thanks, you really help me...its working now
hearing the rumbleas you put the record on, took me back to childhood when we had a bsr turntable, ive not heard it since as i got a very good linn deck with various mods which was silent
BSR were always noisy. My first record player was a BSR. I was scared for life after listening to that POS.
Great video as always
I've never seen ball bearing lubricated with WD-40 and 3 in 1 oil before.... They need to be packed with white lithium grease. If you insist on using a liquid, at least use a high quality machine oil!
so glad i found this video, however on my system the on/off/auto switch is the main issue, for some reason its locked into off and i cannot get it to switch. the table itself spins fine but i can't seem to get the power switch to work. any idea on why that is?
Check out this video 5:33. Hope this helps ruclips.net/video/4T_57hbHYJI/видео.html
All I know is this looks like nothing offered under the Magnavox name after Phillips took over. I think 8 track was big at that time. I have some sales literature from that time. Many of the console cabinets had a floor in them. Even the cheapest brands.
My '67 Magnavox Astro-Sonic has a floor, my '75 Magnavox midseries does not. I used to have an old Lloyd's console from the (mid to late 1970s, by my guess), it didn't have a floor either.
God, we had one a lot like that, with the same turntable. Also had an 8-track player inside. Worst of all it had gold rushed velvet speaker cloth!
the notch in the spindle base is very close to the right place
Hi there, Awesome video. I recently picked up a zenith allegro jr587w and I'm having some trouble with the platter. I cannot for the life of me get it unstuck from the center bearing. I have tried a combination of WD40, 3 in 1 oil, isopropyl alchohol, and my soldering gun. I've had it soaking in the oil for two nights now. I was wondering if there were any suggestions? thanks!
Check to make sure the turntable power switch is turned to the stop position as having the idler pulley engaged would make it difficult. Hopefully your turntable cycle cam isn't seized in the engaged position as that would also make it difficult to remove the platter
Actually, BSR was pretty much the most common changer brand throughout the 70s with Garrard being a distant second (who by the end of the 60s lost their dominance to BSR's ability to crank out cheaper changers). Dual was perhaps the least common here in the US probably because their changers were more hi-fi oriented (hence expensive) compared to the British units. By the time the 70s hit, VM was already a cooked goose.
That would work
There was a term used for bsr, and it wasn't bloody shitty rumble. ( that was used too) but the one I used to hear the most was "British shitty recordplayers". Now I know I am going to draw fire for that one but I didn't coin the phrase. In Canada the noresco units were very popular, and noresco was the importer distributor for Dual, so they marketed tons and tons of dual units. Some with built in amplifiers.
@@12voltvids Some BSRs were actually not that bad (for what they were). The 2310X was a decent compact changer with antiskate and an adjustable tracking force spring. If I recall, they were shipped with Shure M75 carts (which tracked at 3g but it was better than nothing). However, the pinnacle of 70s BSR changers had to be the 810. That was on par with a low end Dual!
Yes BSR and Garrard had a few good changers. The ones with the solid metal platter were pretty good, but they also had a ton of low end This one, for example was not a great one. It still works after I got done with it, and the person that ended up with this old console likes it, but hey it was free right so what is not to like about a free stereo.
What basic tools would i need to trouble shoot. I have like 10 hifi record etc audio things and nobody fixes anything any more. So i need to learn from scratch and i figure toruble shooting would be the best way to start rather than trying to start with basic cicuitry just to esatblish if its somethign simple maybe and if not leave it be for now.
ah that must have been am 730 the traffic station. i have listen to that tons of times from where i live in washington. idk why i find it ineresting but i do. lots of work happening on the vancouver area highways.
Yes it was. That station burned to the ground a few years ago. One of the antenna tuners caught fire, and the tower fell over. It started a major bog fire which took weeks to put out. They were running on reduced power and only 3 towers after that happened, but I just noticed this past week that they have replaced the 4th tower, so they are again a 50KW flame thrower.
woah i never knew bout that one. must be an article around somewhere bout it. i have an am radio that gets it very well 24/7
I have some video of the resulting fire off the news.
sweet that would be great stuff to archive and see
did you change the traction rubber any time? do you know where to find it?
Can I remove the turntable from the fisher 4050 and put an eliminator in it to fill it with an amplifier?