JA Michell Prisma restoration

AngrySailor

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#1
So I acquired this turntable a few years ago from a family member and never had the opportunity to do much with it till now. It's a Michell Prisma model which my uncle bought back in the '70's. Unfortunately, he removed the original cover and legs over the years. He said it suffered from acoustic feedback until he did so. The original parts have long since been tossed. I've recently been thinking about resurrecting this sexy machine and have had some positive responses from several sources including a Michell dealer, who is requesting a quote from Michell to manufacture a new cover. Also a plastics company responded very positively with great interest in fabricating a replica cover. I have a feeling his quote of $250 might be more in my price range than a custom made Michell replacement :confused1:

If anyone has detailed pictures of these turntables, I will be machining a new lid prop rod and replica legs at my shop. Dimensions "should" be worth sexual favours, however you're out of luck there! I'll owe you a pint though!


This pic is from Michell's site, and is what (I hope) will be the final result!
 

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AngrySailor

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The turntable will be going to plastics guy for a replica acrylic cover shortly. This shop does a lot of fabrication and Hank assures me it will be a quality reproduction. I've sourced a belt and been looking into cartidges. I think it has a Shure V15 but the stylus is possibly bent. Recommendations would be welcome.

Attached is a pic of the prop rod. I will be replicating this myself and wondered if anyone has a turntable to take some dimensions from? I can get close, but some measurements would be sweet.

Thanks
 

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eminence1963

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I don't have any pictures and I have never seen or heard of this TT, so I cant help you there.
But if your a machinist and JACK OF ALL TRAADES kinda guy, building stuff out of acrylic should be right down your alley.:thumbright::salute:
 

emib53

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pics of Prisma

The turntable will be going to plastics guy for a replica acrylic cover shortly. This shop does a lot of fabrication and Hank assures me it will be a quality reproduction. I've sourced a belt and been looking into cartidges. I think it has a Shure V15 but the stylus is possibly bent. Recommendations would be welcome.

Attached is a pic of the prop rod. I will be replicating this myself and wondered if anyone has a turntable to take some dimensions from? I can get close, but some measurements would be sweet.

Thanks
here some pics of a Prisma, to avoid acoustic feedback you can just play it close. This is a 1977 prisma bought when I was young

P1290017.jpg P1290016.jpg P1290019.jpg P1290018.jpg P1290020.jpg P1290021.jpg
 

MarkWComer

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#5
Artistic turntables- are these really good turntables?

About these lexan pieces of art: Are they really good turntables? I've seen one where the "turntable" was three round pods connected by rods to a central hub- surely this can't adequately support the record it's playing.

(Not meaning to knock, but...) They're beautiful to look at, but are they truly a high quality turntable? I think at this point they're more artwork than phonograph.

images.jpg oracle-3.jpg Turntable-skeleton-1.jpg photo-5b-e1400221186852.jpg 41_ptlweb05-e1408475002473.jpg
 

AngrySailor

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About these lexan pieces of art: Are they really good turntables? I've seen one where the "turntable" was three round pods connected by rods to a central hub- surely this can't adequately support the record it's playing.

(Not meaning to knock, but...) They're beautiful to look at, but are they truly a high quality turntable? I think at this point they're more artwork than phonograph.

View attachment 18929 View attachment 18927 View attachment 18928 View attachment 18930 View attachment 18931
Yes, on the Michell website, in the history section they talk about this. The puck supports were supposed to reduce static charge on the record, but the later Prisma's and their future models added a glass platter and clamp to secure the record. I'm sure it's not the best out there but it will looks sexy paired with some phase linear gear in my living room!

Cool pics btw, that's some crazy designs!
 

AngrySailor

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AngrySailor

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I don't have any pictures and I have never seen or heard of this TT, so I cant help you there.
But if your a machinist and JACK OF ALL TRAADES kinda guy, building stuff out of acrylic should be right down your alley.:thumbright::salute:
I think I'll leave the acrylic to to expert, he's got the gear to heat and bend that radius and I don't have any polishing/buffing equipment. The machining is no problem and the pics supplied here will be a BIG help to making things look authentic!
 

MarkWComer

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#9
to avoid acoustic feedback you can just play it close.
Does that work? I leave my lids open: It's my theory that closing the dust cover creates a "box of air" with a resonant frequency- encouraging acoustic feedback. Just a theory, mind you- but it seems to work.
 

MarkWComer

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I think it has a Shure V15 but the stylus is possibly bent. Recommendations would be welcome.
Thanks
HANG ON TO THAT SHURE!
The likelihood that you'll find an original VN35HE is pretty slim, but Shure has pretty much standardized the shank that inserts into the cartridge body. You can find aftermarket styli, too- but one good option, keeping in mind the "standardized" Shure shank, is the N97xE or the N97xE SAS (a proprietary "micro ridge" point shape). http://stylus.export-japan.com/index.php?cPath=18&sort=2a&page=8 I think this would be worth investigating.

I'd contact them to make sure of compatibility, but I've cross-replaced Shure styli before, sometimes the plastic grip conflicts with the cartridge body. Quick surgery with an X-ACTO knife fixed the problem. The N97xE should go into the V15/III without a hitch.

I've never ordered from Jico, but they seem to have high customer satisfaction and a loyal following. Web pages are slow in loading (they're probably serving from their own office) so be patient with their website.
 

AngrySailor

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HANG ON TO THAT SHURE!
The likelihood that you'll find an original VN35HE is pretty slim, but Shure has pretty much standardized the shank that inserts into the cartridge body. You can find aftermarket styli, too- but one good option, keeping in mind the "standardized" Shure shank, is the N97xE or the N97xE SAS (a proprietary "micro ridge" point shape). http://stylus.export-japan.com/index.php?cPath=18&sort=2a&page=8 I think this would be worth investigating.

I'd contact them to make sure of compatibility, but I've cross-replaced Shure styli before, sometimes the plastic grip conflicts with the cartridge body. Quick surgery with an X-ACTO knife fixed the problem. The N97xE should go into the V15/III without a hitch.

I've never ordered from Jico, but they seem to have high customer satisfaction and a loyal following. Web pages are slow in loading (they're probably serving from their own office) so be patient with their website.
Awesome, thanks! The TT is in storage right now so as soon as I have it out I'll verify the cartridge and the spare I have, then figure out how to proceed. Don't worry I won't toss anything!
 

AngrySailor

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I have two of these, one has a lot of miles on it and the other is new, but the stylus is bent. Boy she's some dirty!
 

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MarkWComer

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#15
Glass phonograph

Looks like clear phonographs aren't a new idea. Here's one made of glass:

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q96gqa2Ds9w?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

AngrySailor

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Damn. That's old school. I have a couple books of 78's somewhere. Think it's mostly orchestral and waltz type stuff. They're not broken/warped but I've never had a 78 player to check them out.
 

stuwee

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#18
Hello A S, do you have the Shure 3009 arm on your Mitchell? The Shure V15's were meant for that arm. I bought one of the last NOS V-15 IV's 5 years ago and, it might need to have the stylus renewed about now. I'll be heading up to Phoenix next week to pick up my SAE amp from Stephen. He had an audio shop in Columbus OH in the 1980's and is a Thorens nut like me, I trust his advise on all things audio, especially carts and arms. I'll let you know what he says.

I've also heard volumes on the JICO stylus that makes me think of them first. I've owned that Shure 3009 II Improved arm since 1977 and played several carts with it, the standouts were MM Grace F9E ~ resolves in spades, superb bass, crystaline highs, spot on midrange, tracked like a champ...in my small Manhattan apt I had to put the TT on my old JBL subwoofer!!!! Also loved the MC AudioQuest AQ 404, sweet, sweet, sweet, but I could never get it balanced right (it was too heavy for the counterweight of the arm) so tracking suffered. Love my V15 IV tho!!!

BTW, very cool TT ya got there!!
 

AngrySailor

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Hello A S, do you have the Shure 3009 arm on your Mitchell? The Shure V15's were meant for that arm. I bought one of the last NOS V-15 IV's 5 years ago and, it might need to have the stylus renewed about now. I'll be heading up to Phoenix next week to pick up my SAE amp from Stephen. He had an audio shop in Columbus OH in the 1980's and is a Thorens nut like me, I trust his advise on all things audio, especially carts and arms. I'll let you know what he says.

I've also heard volumes on the JICO stylus that makes me think of them first. I've owned that Shure 3009 II Improved arm since 1977 and played several carts with it, the standouts were MM Grace F9E ~ resolves in spades, superb bass, crystaline highs, spot on midrange, tracked like a champ...in my small Manhattan apt I had to put the TT on my old JBL subwoofer!!!! Also loved the MC AudioQuest AQ 404, sweet, sweet, sweet, but I could never get it balanced right (it was too heavy for the counterweight of the arm) so tracking suffered. Love my V15 IV tho!!!

BTW, very cool TT ya got there!!
Thanks, it has an SME series III tone arm. I will have to research this as I know sweet FA about it right now. My uncle passed this TT down to me and I recall him saying it was a relatively decent tone arm though.
 
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