Service/upgrading my SME 3009 tonearm advice?

[The Barbarian]

As Dave points out the proper SME '3009' Phono conversion kits is basically what they used on the later 'Series III' arm.. I don't know if you can still buy this kit, but i paid about £75 for mine.. If you are gonna use J7 id try get one of these kits, send it up with the arm & alser get Johnny to fit a bronze knife edge bearing while yer at it loike..

[Tim]

I think that's probably where I am heading André

[worrasf]

As Dave points out the proper SME '3009' Phono conversion kits is basically what they used on the later 'Series III' arm.. I don't know if you can still buy this kit, but i paid about £75 for mine.. If you are gonna use J7 id try get one of these kits, send it up with the arm & alser get Johnny to fit a bronze knife edge bearing while yer at it loike..

Another +1 for J7. I purchased the phono conversion kit you describe (from Germany if memory serves) and the seller shipped it direct to J7 who fitted it, rewired the arm (3009 II improved and checked all bearings etc etc. Came back better than new.

[The Black Adder]

As Dave points out the proper SME '3009' Phono conversion kits is basically what they used on the later 'Series III' arm.. I don't know if you can still buy this kit, but i paid about £75 for mine.. If you are gonna use J7 id try get one of these kits, send it up with the arm & alser get Johnny to fit a bronze knife edge bearing while yer at it loike..

But remember if the original knife edge bearings are in decent condition there really isn't anything better...

Chances are, Tim the dash pot will need re-filling with oil too.

You can still get the SME phono kit. Johnny can fit this too. Also, with this kit make sure you have enough room under the deck to accommodate the plugs sticking out.. Which is why the orginal plug is great for.

Carts, well I've had the Shure V15 and now using the Goldring G800 by NWA. - These arms are very good indeed. They were originally advertised with using a DECCA MKIII I think but people have tried the DECCA Gold with great results too.

[Tim]

Thanks for that Joe - I think refurbishing is the way to go rather than buying another arm. I always admired these as a yoof, but they were beyond my budget. A friend of mine still has one on an LP12 in fact and it would be nice to have a bit of nostalgia in my room

[The Barbarian]

But remember if the original knife edge bearings are in decent condition there really isn't anything better...

Na still gonna get mine changed anyway.

http://www.analogtubeaudio.de/index....lerie=0&pos=10

Greatest arm ever made imho, well worth spending on..

[Barry]

It's spooky isn't it Tim?
Regarding your arm, as a Steyning boy, I ought to point out that SME will service it for you. Pricey though nowadays.

I spoke to SME not so long ago, regarding servicing my forty year old SME 3009/S2 arm. Sadly SME say they no longer service these arms, and by implication, neither will they service the 3012 arms.

Tim, I would suggest you contact Audio Origami, as these people are held in very high regard for the work they do on refurbishing/upgrading arms.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Ah, I didn't realise that Barry. Cameron Aikman wants a good spanking in that case!

[Barry]

Internal re-wiring can probably be done by yourself Tim, as long as you buy a decent set of precision screwdrivers that won't knurl the screws holding the arm together and take care with the black wire that connects the tube to the bearing casing. The old Bulgin? plug and socket is silver plated (solid silver?) and can be carefully cleaned. The best phono conversion is the Series III one with nice gold sockets IMO and the slim profile allows use on a wider range of turntables. External cables could quite easily be Van Damme Pro-Patch mic cables, which AO use. Flexible and easy to solder with suitable heat-shrink to finish off, you should find this ideal and not worth the extra for fancy-foo expensive wires with this arm.

Does the coupling need replacing as a matter of course, or is it only needed if the rear outrigger sags, or falls off?

Actually the connector is a modified Belling & Lee "Unitor" 4-way plug and socket. The pins are silver plated (not solid silver) and the sockets are unplated phosphor copper.

Should Tim want to repace the original connector with a pair of RCA phonos there are several kits on sale on eBay, if SME no longer sell their own. I have kept the origninal connector on all my SME 3000 series arms as I intend to go down the fully balanced route, from cartridge to speakers.

[Barry]

Na still gonna get mine changed anyway.

http://www.analogtubeaudio.de/index....lerie=0&pos=10

Greatest arm ever made imho, well worth spending on..

I believe Tim's arm is the original Series II SME 3009/S2 arm, rather than the Improved version. As such it will use steel knife-edge bearings for the horizontal bearing. As far as I'm concerned "the jury is still out" regarding the replacement of the steel bearings with those made from bronze.