A Kind of Blue and a bit Mike New - Changing my top plate and bearing

[The Vinyl Adventure]

This morning i have set about changing the top plate and the baring in my techie... i though it was going to be really difficult, but it was actually pretty easy.

i had the top bit blasted and sprayed by a local company who does a lot for my mates bmw motorsport company, the finish isn't perfect, but... it was free... i didn't even have to pay for the paint ... happy days!!

here is where i started



took off the platter and the plastic shield underneath



disconnected all the cables and undid all the screws



removed the old bearing and took out the pcb/motor - fitted the bearing



transferred and fitted it into blue top plate



that was the bit i was most concerned about done...



next i took the base off and removed the arm



i dont need this switch, it dont do squat since the time step was put in (cheers for the help with that bit hugo)



removed switch pcb and put it in to blue top bit



same for pitch fader and stylus light



fitted the arm



reassembled the rest of the tt



A kind of blue techie with mike new bearing complete



thank you for my a kind of blue 180g xmas pressie dan... this was its first play... it seemed remarkably appropriate!




so, how does it sound... well... very very nice!.. im thinking that the improvment in sound must be at least 95% blue top plate and 5% mike new
i do think it really is a damn shame that the only bit of the mike new that is visible is that little bit a dark metal poking out the top... that really is a pretty amazing bit of kit... and its gold... it would match my oc9 really well!

in reality .. it does sound very good indeed, but its a brand new cart and brand new phono pre.. so im holding off babbling about it for now... im going to let it settle for a few weeks... i am so far though very very impressed


Thank you again Hugo for the deal we struck on the mike new... im very greateful and a very happy chappy

[Marco]

Looking good, Hamish (you're a very mad boy )!

I'm surprised while you were down at Dave's you didn't get a new armplate, as the one you have at the moment was never intended to be the 'finished article'.

Failing that, I'd have been tempted to spray the arm plate you've got blue, the same as the top-plate, to hide it, as IMO the silver 'shouts' at you a bit against the blue of the top-plate and the black of the tonearm. That's just a small point though, dude....

Anyway, I'm glad things are sounding fab - the Mike New bearing will take quite a few hours to run-in, so when you're not listening to records, my advice would be to leave the platter spinning at 45 R.P.M, which will speed up the running-in process

Marco.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Dave seemed confident that the plate (previously martins) was up to the job and that it wouldn't be a problem...
I'm actually happy it is silver marco, it doesn't look as shouty in real life, it also matches the other silver bits of the deck and the silver bruil (when I get it back from jerry)

mad maybe, but I bloody love it... And I have a enormous sence of satisfaction, and even better, a much greater understanding of the inside of the techie... Which is exactly why I bought the techie in the first place... I wanted something to tinker with! ... I think I have achived that goal!

[Macca]

Outstanding.

What colour was the top plate before you had it sprayed?

Marco - I like the silver - it's like a chrome trim - and you can never have too much chrome trim

[The Vinyl Adventure]

It was 1210 gun metal grey, I bought a load of slightly dodgy bits of slightly nackerd techie of eBay as a little project for me and a mate to build him a tt everything there apart from arm and feet for £40 (I think, it wasn't much) ... The top bit was all coroded so I said I'd swap my good one for the coroded one and get it sprayed ... The rest as they say is history.
Since I have a mike new bearing now my old one is going to relace the really dirty one that came with the knackerd one, along with my old arm and feet.. My mate is gonna have all my hand me downs basically ...


I tell you what, that bearing is dam good, it's sounding sweet as a nut (I'm on my third listen of a kind of blue now... I should prob put something else on)

[Ammonite Audio]

I'm glad it arrived safely. Clearly the Post Office's dire warnings about Icelandic volcanoes did not apply to the journey to Worcester!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Hehe, yes mate, no probs ... What a very odd thing for them to suggest, sorry I was going to email and say I'd got it... Forgot in all the exitement! ... What you think to the new look deck?

[Macca]

Can I ask about the whole SL1210 thing. I get the idea which is to buy a stock deck then upgrade it bit by bit as and when funds allow up to the point at which only the motor is left from the original.

My questions being - is the same motor used in any other (non-technics) TT?
If not, why? And why does someone not buy a supply of these motors and build a whole new deck from scratch starting with the motor? Apologies if I am missing something obvious.

[Ammonite Audio]

Hehe, yes mate, no probs ... What a very odd thing for them to suggest, sorry I was going to email and say I'd got it... Forgot in all the exitement! ... What you think to the new look deck?

Very smart! You might want to get the newer armplate, as Marco suggests, since this will allow the arm to go rather lower, and give a decent range of VTA adjustment.


Marco - the bearing is already run-in!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

The vta apears perfect, still set from martin using it with his mike new and similar AT cart



What else advantages are there of the newer plate?