Hello, I've been the proud owner of a Philco 48-1270 cabinet radio/phono in bleached Mahoghany for about 10 years now. This is the M-4 changer with a single speed 78rpm turntable with a dynamic-magnetic cartridge. Over the past few years I've noticed a degradation in the quality of sound reproduction when playing records. The cartridge seems to pick up the highs and lows properly. But the mid-range elements drop out considerably. The sound coming from the speaker is normal when listening to FM radio broadcasts, so I don't think it's a speaker issue. The 78's I play are free from scratches and excessive wear, so I'm guessing it might be a worn needle? My questions are: were these lifetime needles? I notice on the side of the tonearm, the words: "Do not remove or replace needle". When I purchased the unit from the original owner's estate, she (or someone) had removed the needle from the cartridge and stored it inside the metal tray on the bottom side of the tonearm. i simply replaced the needle & it worked fine for the first six years or so. Should I start my troubleshooting with a new needle? If so, what is the brand/model/serial number I should look for? The current needle is a sharp "J" shape with the needle mounted on the underside of the curve. I've yet to find one like it in any manual.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Leonard, and welcome!
Have you been using this record changer a lot? If so, that could easily be the reason for the troubles you are now experiencing.
That cartridge takes a special needle, and many of those cartridges have been ruined by people pushing steel needles or sapphire needles with a shank just slightly larger than the original into the cartridge - this enlarges the hole where the needle fits, damaging the cartridge beyond repair.
It is my understanding that replacement needles for these are next to impossible to find, but I suggest you talk to Gib at West-Tech Services about this - he may have some suggestions for you.
http://www.west-techservices.com/
Hi Ron! Thanks for getting back to me. I e-mailed west tech services earlier this afternoon. Waiting for a reply. In one of their old catalogs they have a PH-10 needle listed for Philco 76-1622 that looks identical to my needle. The Philco service manual calls it an "offset-type needle". Like a flat "j" with the needle at the bottom. The tone arm has the later screw-on "new-type guard". The question is whether that type of needle is still in production by another manufacturer. Is 76-1622 the right part number for the cartridge in a 48-1270 model?
My gut tells me the problem lies with a worn needle since I've used the machine well beyond the 10-hour recommended needle life-span. It appears that this radio was stored for decades prior to my purchasing it. I knew nothing about radios at the time & was VERY fortunate it didn't explode the first time I plugged it in!!! LOL! The unit had minimal wear and LOTS of dust. The tone arm was extremely stiff at first and needed copious amounts of WD-40 to play a record completely through without sticking. I'm just curious why the needle would have been removed and stored in such an odd manner.
How can one tell if the magnetic cartridge has been damaged? Is there a tell-tale noise to listen for? I put the original needle back in the tone arm right after I purchased it. Yesterday, I pulled it out a second time to take it to an electronics shop for identification. I replaced the same needle last night with no apparent problem. Is there proper way to do this to minimize the risk of damaging the cartridge?
Thanks!
Leonard
I do not know the part number for your needle, sorry.
Yes, if it has been used beyond the recommend number of playings, then yes, the needle is probably your problem. Don't know why someone would have removed and stored the needle...
If the original needle fits loosely in the cartridge, or if the sound produced by the cartridge is muffled and distorted, then it probably has been damaged. Of course, distortion can also result from a worn needle. I haven't looked at the papers for this cartridge in a long time, and to be honest, I don't know where my copies of the info are at right now - I haven't looked at this item since before I moved away from Evansville last year.
I think you just need to be careful installing the needle in the cartridge, don't force anything...and, above all else, do not use a steel needle or any needle with a larger shank than the original. I don't think the S-shaped sapphire needles sold as replacements for steel needles will fit this cartridge, either. Gib would know for sure.