Technics SL-120 Thread

mr_rye89

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#1
Well the Rek O Kut ended up having wayyyy too much rumble, so I revisited this thing. It originally was an SL-1200mk1 sold without a tonearm, or optioned with an SME 3009 (don't ask me which one!). I put an SL-1200mk2 tonearm on it cuz cheap and easy. 20250330_171352.jpg

I have a fetish for 78s, so my turntable must be a 3 speed. This early direct drive turntable isn't quartz locked and has a pretty simple frequency generator servo motor control system with fully discrete electronics. EZ to mod for 78 rpms
20250402_201356.jpg
 

mr_rye89

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#2
Yeah the 78 mod is a 1k resistor in parallel with R27 (6.2k) and a spst switch. Close switch, put 'table in 33, fine tune speed with the 33 pot under the platter and the normally accessible pitch control pot and a stroboscope.
20250329_195853.jpg
Switch on the side
20250417_175537.jpg
1000 hrs in ms paint
SL120mod78.jpg
 

mr_rye89

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#6
I also got a package from KAB today.......1200 fluid damper with some thick ass silly-cone oil
20250417_180200.jpg
Note the paddle on the rest thingy in the trough (filled with silly-cone)
20250417_181140.jpg
This is a great mod for this arm, lives up to the hype! Be sure you're sitting down when you give it the first listen
 

mr_rye89

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#10
I use the trough to keep my nickels in for tone arm weights.
That's how you balance Gray/Micro-Trak tonearms lol

I still have that Ortofon Concorde with an OM10 stylus on it, I may grab a 20 or 30 stylus for it, and there's also the new Concorde Music Bronze that looks cool.....
 

mr_rye89

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#12
Is that the anti-skate mechanism for the arm? Isn't it a dust collector over time?
No just an aftermarket oil dampening system, it does something beneficial with the tonearm resonance, also makes tracking bad warps a breeze. And I gotta buy a dust cover now.....
 
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