When you speak of the devil.
Last week I pondered whether or not too little use of a turntable could affect it in any way. so I guess it was only natural for my Bg4000 to throw a divine fit yesterday resulting in massive distortion of the vocals.
As any sane person would I went into full panic and started planning a viking funeral for my summer house. This helped as I remembered that I could play the album on the Bg3000. There everything sounded as it should so I called the vicar and told him to delay the notification of my next of kin. With my death wish subsiding I also remembered that I have a backup pickup for the Bg4000.
Next step was to swap the SMMC20CL+ for a MMC20E, this also sounded completely normal which means the SMMC20CL+ has for some magical reason lost its will to live. I've checked the needle under a magnifying glass and from what I can see everything looks as it should.
Has anyone experienced anything similar, and is there a last ditch attempt I can try before sending it off to soundsmith for a rebuild?
Hi there,
Have you checked the tip with a thread counter?
Perhaps it is just dirty...
Another hypothesis would be a failed suspension.
I doubt that the stylus could break all of a sudden, especially considering it is not a bonded one.
Jacques
Hi chartz,
I have carefully brushed the tip with a brush from a Bg8000, but to no avail. I could try cleaning it with some specialist product or acetone on a q-tip just so I can cross dirty tip off the list.
Sad to say I don't even know what's implied by checking the tip with a thread counter :)
Failed suspension is my main suspect as well. So I'm going to flick the housing with a finger, or tap it lightly against a table or something as my repairman told me this was the preferred action back in the day if the "suspension got stuck."
Robert
Audio Origin can refurbish your cartridge here is a link
http://www.audio-origin.co.uk/retipping-stylus.html
suspension only repairs available on request with free microscope inspection
Best regards Alistair
Audio Origin
Thanks for the explanation, chartz! I cleaned it with a aceton dipped q-tip and gave it a couple of light knocks on a table. I don't know which of those did the trick, but one of them sure helped as everything is back to normal.
Yes, for sure. That was a pleasant surprise indeed. So now Britten's War Requiem is the soundtrack to me cleaning all my pickups while I'm at it.