I saw one of those back in 1969 on my 6th grader year. The girl who owned it played a 45 with the song Aquarius by The Fifth Dimensions. This was a classic turn table playing a classic song. The sound is great. Thanks. Fran for this video on a classic portable record player.
Fran is now my new favorite to listen to fall asleep. No your not boring. Just a nice voice and doing things I like to listen to. Dear Fran can you tie some of these together so that I can put it on a loop and just listen to you for a couple of hours.
It would be true that you are friends with Matt at Techmon, you are a technical nerd like the rest of us. It's cool that you 2 share the same passions and have content that inspires each other. Really good stuff!
I’m glad the video proved handy - and thanks for the tour of the interior. You’re right about the clips gripping the original GP3 headshell - although on the old version I had they did it with the enthusiasm of a rigged fairground grabber machine.
I ordered mine 5/18 and it arrived yesterday 5/30. I bought a step down transformer to convert 120v to 100v and it's working great. I'll be taking it to work and hanging it on the wall.
@Scotter1971 - Hope that you don’t mind me asking, but I was just curious as to what brand of step down transformer you may have purchased for this player? And what it may have cost you, as well?
I have a question , I think you might be the person to ask. I have one of these that is tracking at almost 6 grams which freaks me out. I only play 45's on it , but of course do not want to damage them. Do you think there might be a clever way to lessen the tracking force?
That's clever. That 45 made me feel like I was shopping in a mall at Christmastime, cool. One could bring it along with a couple albums on a picnic too!
Yeah-then after you finished eating the greasy fried chicken with your hands,you could smear the grease all over the record putting it on the player so the "needle" could grind it nice and deep into the grooves.....
When I was a child a neighbor asked me to fix one of those circa 1968-1970, it just needed new batteries, It ALSO had a radio in it, I tuned in an oldies station or oldies show, and I heard a song I wasn't sure if I'd heard before, but it was obviously early-mid 1960s, it was a guitar instrumental and it was THE GREATEST TUNE EVER. Years later I heard it and learned the title was Pipeline by The Chantays.
This brings back some memories from my childhood in the eighties. My friend used to bring this exact looking player over from time to time. It had English controls, but other than that it was exactly the same, color and everything.
I just ordered one of these off of ebay from japan with free shipping. Can't wait for it to arrive, I got it for teh exact reason you stated at the start of teh video.. and here I thought I was being unique getting for record buying... hahha
I’m having difficulty understanding the premise. I’ve bought thousands of records over the years and have never once had one whose contents were different from the label (or even the sleeve). In the US is it common to have incorrect labels? Is that by accident or malice? Is this specifically something that happens with collectible records?
@@drstkova Years ago I bought a set of Angel LPs with Heifetz playing Bach’s sonatas and partita. The records are okay (apart from Heifetz’s bowing problems), but the labels are scrambled! They don’t match the LP sides they’re pasted onto!
I had a similar styled record player when I was a kid. It had surprisingly good sound quality. I know because it's what I played my Star Wars soundtrack album on it 'till I nearly wore it out. When I was a kid I didnt air guitar, I air-conducted.
Hi,. The sent a golden disc with information on earth in the Voyager to space. Did they also include a turn table and manual on how to operate in order to get the Earth message?
I bought one due to Techmoan's positive review and it's due any day now. I'm glad you showed what's inside as I was considering modifying it to have line outputs and it may be more challenging than I originally thought. I may still have a semi-educated probe around at some point with a CRO to see what my chances are.
I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of what is essentially a retro-nostalgia reproduction. If I were still into vinyl, I would consider one of these.
My goodness, my brain could not reconcile the performance with the appearance. Great torque tip. Cheers for showing me something that I did not know existed.
I used to be a ("Vinyl Head" with"Stacks Of Wax")so to speak until 8 track/cassette tapes replaced them. That really brings back the memories of the "Ole tone arm cobra" a term from an episode of the TV Show "M.A.S.H".
Fran thank you for the amazing outro!! When I was a child I was so obsessed with turntables that I fabricated one out of a pizza box just so I can pretend :-) now I’m 50 years old and I have a beautiful vintage turntable so I don’t have to pretend anymore!!
I received one for my 6th birthday (1969). It looked almost identical and had a radio too. Should have kept it. It is deceiving. You wouldn't think it could hold a full LP, but it does.
If you're fanatical enough to carry this sucker to shops and such, dropping the money for rechargeable D batteries is probably nothing. Personally, I like my Harman Kardon T-40. I have a couple of much much older units just for my 78's (and 16's if I ever get ahold of one)
I have a Crosley that I've adapted with a battery pack that is like a little suit case but it has stereo capability and it works just great for this . 2 tone arm lock downs that makes it almost bullet proof . I also never buy before testing . I have lots of 78,s if your interested also ! People rock out at garage sales if I turn it up to high and that has cost me a few records !
When I was a kid back in the 70's and 80's I had some crazy ideas. I tried to figure out some way to save TV shows on cassette tapes. I knew there had to be some way to do it but could never figure out how to separate out the channel frequency. I had another idea for making record players portable so you could take your music with you. I learned that if you attach a 9 volt battery to an AC/DC transformer and touch the other end it can shock the crap out of you. And I had this crazy idea of using space craft with wings that could land at airfields instead of rockets that come down in the water with parachutes. I also invented this thing I called Windows on my 8 bit Color Computer. You could run multiple processes simultaneously in different windows that you could drag around on the screen and resize and change background colors. You could even give each process more or less CPU priority. Just a crazy idea that was fun to tinker around with.
Back in the day I had two older step-brothers and when they were both gone I would get a very similar record player from one and the new Beatles White LP from the other and listen to them out in back woods fort that I made. That was just around the time when the older one decided to go college for medicine to avoid the Vietnam Draft.
My "friends" bought me one to take to Vietnam in 1966. I played part of one record - Sgt Pepper. It ended up being my Albatross and after carrying it for nearly a year, a "stray" bullet ended it. Memory Flogger.
I was very surprised when you said the cartridge was magnetic. I expected a ceramic, then when you mentioned the $300 price tag I thought it better be magnetic! I was also surprised to see one DIP chip. I guess I'm not dead yet. This would be quite an upgrade from the portable I had in the 60's. The last surprise was that a Japanese product is made in China now. I guess it shouldn't be that much of a surprise though.
I am so impressed with the stereo playback and the tone balance of this little turntable. Wow! I was not expecting that from a portable. The fact that it has an Audio-Technica cart on it is impressive. At first I was cringing, remembering how my little childhood suitcase portable just wore out so many records as a kid with the nasty cartridges/stylus. But this looks like they put some thought into the design. Very cool! Thanks, Fran!
Tonal balance? YUP--I could just FEEL the deep sub-bass frequencies throbbing in my bones,while the shimmering treble of cymbals,and quick transient attack of the triangle tingled in my ears.....really put my Dual 701 with Shure V-15III to shame......-
I'm intrigued. I've just retro-fitted that audio technika at3600l magnetic cartridge to my GPO Flight suitcase record player which now sounds amazing btw. I wanted to fit it to the Crosley I have but there's no space behind the tonearm for a decent counterweight as the magnetic cartridge is substantially heavier than the ceramic that was fitted to it. The Flight is slightly bigger and has about an inch at the back of the tonearm ;) Anyway, the recommended tracking force for the at3600l is (from what I've read) between 2.5 and 3.5 grams. I've got mine set just under 3g. 5g sounds a lot, unless the scale is putting more pressure on the spring due to it raising the tonearm higher than when it's sat on a record?
9:15 Maybe 3D print a vaguely U -shaped plastic bit that goes under the cartridge , where one of the vertical legs is longer and has a circular pivot hole down the center of it. Then add a twist-latch that can be closed over the tonearm. Something where the bottom of the U is squared off and can easily be glued into the existing hole
Maybe using two short rubbergrommets (tubes) on the two upstanding plastik parts will clamp the arm enough to hold its position´. A small felt inside to protect the needle and voila! Nice to see you soo excited! Have fun fran
My grandfather had a battery operated turn table when I was a child growing up in the 1970's living 30 miles out in the High Desert of California.. We had nothing to do so my sister, and I would play one record we had on a battery operated turntable, and that was johnny cash.. I remember one day we were playing the record, and my grandfather asked my sister if he could see the record for a second.. My sister took the record off, and handed it to him, and he snapped it over his leg a couple times, and said he just could not take hearing a boy named sue one more time.. I look back on this today, and I can't really blame the man.. lololololol..
I suggest using Sugru (original) for the tonearm. Its a flexible rubber/clay kind of self setting product you have a few hours to form it the way you want it and it sets in 24 hours. Available in several colours.
@@GreatSageSunWukong Are you sure it wasn't "Shoe goo" a semi transparent flexible shoe glue? Sugru (the original) I've used now hundreds of times on very different scenarios and never failed on me. What colour was it?
You could take it on the ISS... As a child, I had a AM radio/ turntable combo shaped like a bug...around 1974. Ran on 4 D batteries, as I recall. 45 and 33 1/3. I've had very good luck with NiCads and Nimh batteries over the years. Zero leakage , and I have some 30+ year old NiCads that are just fine I had no idea these were still made. Cool video!
What an incredibly efficient design. I was going to suggest that you transport the player with an old 45, and that clip for vertical operation. You have to have it sorted.
Looks Like you can hang that in both Portrait and Landscape (obviously not at the same time :) ) as there's another keyhole slot just under the center of the handle. Mike Douglas. Man that brings back memories.
Had an original as a child... ( Imagaes On Google) Shared with my two sisters... The plastic tone arm just snapped into place with a plastic bracket, very similar to this modern model, only with plastic clips on each side of the bracket, that held the tone arm into place... No protective cover over the needle. And it was not able to play a record sitting on its side... Thats New! Blessings James...
good idea for draging round to record fairs and the likes not keen on the colour especially the yellow it looks like its been in a smokers back bed room i think it would look better in all black.
I do not buy D cells any more, just bought the cheap AA adaptors, which then allow you to standardise on AA cells for t5his sort of use, as the AA alkaline cell has the same capacity as the zinc carbon D cell, and you often get the D cells leaking before they are discharged, so having the extra casing to slow down leakage helps. Plus a D cell is often around 10 times the price off the AA cell, even if you are buying the zinc carbon, the alkaline ones tend to be 30 times the price, but only have 3 times the capacity in them, so the adaptor and AA cell wins out on cost, even for a one off buy. The adaptors are available for very low cost, 10 for 99c shipped is what I paid for them.
Wow! That's a really impressive little record player. I wish I had one. I imagine that you get full hi-fi stereo out of the phone jack too. Great review.
On the issue of the stylus arm sitting in the recess. Another easy and cheap thing you could do, would be to add in small velcro strip like that you can use for cabling. I think it could be routed through the holes in the case that is under each of those clip extensions that aren't actually be used?
I love the old analog designs! The high quality MM cartridge is a definite improvement over what would have been in place originally. I'm not sure I understand why you had to modify the adaptor, but the foam certainly did the trick!
NIMH batteries have leaked on me as well, but they would just corrode the positive battery contact and form crystals around it, instead of leaking across the whole PCB. And its only happened to very old batteries that were not treated very well.
I had something very similar to this as a kid in the early 1970’s but it could run on mains power as well as the big batteries. Like everything I eventually took it apart and melted the end off a cheap screwdriver and the house mains fuse in spectacular fashion when I shorted it across the primary terminals on the power transformer 😂
@@user-dy2zy8rd2t yeah I did but eventually scavenged parts from it for some project I was tinkering with which is a pity because it’s probably collectable now. But I didn’t think about stuff like that back then it was just my old record player to me at the time.
Two things: 1) I gather the cartridge is several orders of magnitude better than the crappy crystal cartridges that workalikes from the 1960s would have come with. That's a GOOD thing, although I wonder what easily available cartridges the arm accepts. It would be a pity if the only cartridges it can use are Japanese, and any replacement styluses have to be ordered from Japan. 2) RE: 45 adaptor. I wonder if you can get a nice positive grip by painting the inner hole with the rubbery stuff people apply to handles of tools. I have to admit to no personal experience with such coatings, so I have no idea if one can build up coats to achieve a firm grip of the spindle on the turntable.
That cartridge is fairly ubiquitous and I believe it is the same cartridge as the Audio Technica AT-LP60 as well as clones. Denon also make styluses to fit this type of cartidge with the flip up cover , which might be better for a portable system.
"Philadelphia" sounds like the kind of song that's playing when you show up early in the evening for a Key Party. It's not the closing theme; it's the opening theme. Like I have any idea. But still. I don't know what I'm talking about, do I? Probably not. It is 114 degrees F here, and my air conditioning died. An ill wind is blowing. A bad moon is rising. A dark imperium rises from the depths of the dark recesses of human consciousness. Ravens are falling from the sky. Gonna get my FranLab on and try to ignore it. DON'T LET ME DOWN, FRAN. IT'S ALL RIDING ON YOU. IT IS TIME TO DISCO DANCE. DANCE WITH ME ALLAYOUS! "No more in the shadow of New York / Just about to pop her champagne cork!"
If you get the right adapter for the barrel power jack you should be able to run this off a USB power bank, like the ones used for charging cell phones on the go. I've done this on one of my portables and its so nice not to have to hunt down and replace the batteries.
@djklas - Forgive my ignorance, but any suggestions as to what kind of adaptor I should be looking to purchase for this unit, my friend? Because being someone who has owned this very player for over 2 years now, I can truthfully, on one hand count the amount of times I have actually used it. Simply because both myself & my wallet are paranoid as hell that if I used it more often, I would be going through having to buy batteries for it more often than I change my socks. Any suggestions & or help in this regard would be more than welcome. And I would be more than grateful, as well. Have a great day/night. Cheers!!!
If I'm not mistaken you should be able to find the patent document for the original Columbia version. If it were me, I'd convert that to use 2 18650 cells instead of those D's. 3 D cells are equal in voltage to 4.5 volts DC. Since an 19650 cell's nominal voltage is 4.2 volts it should be easy to convert without overloading anything.
You know, with the addition of a switch, the LINE OUT jack could be switched to the preamp input to allow the unit to be used as a small PA system, etc., increasing its usefulness. Or alternatively, with the addition of a second jack. A little amp like that with a test probe comes in handy once in a while while for trouble shooting audio problems away from the bench.
Are there any actual NiMh D cells on the market? Or are these stuipd AA->D adaptors really the only option if you want to to run NiMh in devices that accept D cells?
5 grams seems high for a mag cartridge, although perfectly in line for a ceramic, which is what the original had. I wonder why they went with a mag for this reproduction, especially since it requires extra amplification and EQ.
If that was the sound of this unit straight off the Vinyl from this unit, it sounded very good indeed. that little adapter reminded me of the Radiation Tri-Foil if that is what they are called. Nice to see it play on the side like that as well.
I saw one of those back in 1969 on my 6th grader year. The girl who owned it played a 45 with the song Aquarius by The Fifth Dimensions. This was a classic turn table playing a classic song. The sound is great. Thanks. Fran for this video on a classic portable record player.
I never realized that I needed a wall mounted turntable; but now I've seen it . . .
I recollect as a kid having a portable turntable we used to play when out in the garden in the late 60's. It was very similar to these.
Yeah, this would be so much fun out on a picnic in the park! I have a battery powered radio for that. Also comes in handy when the power goes out!
I did too. Can’t remember the brand. When you moved the tone arm over the record it turned on.
I've got an rca unit that is almost like this one.
Fran is now my new favorite to listen to fall asleep. No your not boring. Just a nice voice and doing things I like to listen to. Dear Fran can you tie some of these together so that I can put it on a loop and just listen to you for a couple of hours.
It would be true that you are friends with Matt at Techmon, you are a technical nerd like the rest of us. It's cool that you 2 share the same passions and have content that inspires each other. Really good stuff!
I’m glad the video proved handy - and thanks for the tour of the interior.
You’re right about the clips gripping the original GP3 headshell - although on the old version I had they did it with the enthusiasm of a rigged fairground grabber machine.
A match made in vintech heaven.
@@achecase you beat me to it - Tehmoan + Fran = awesome
"the enthusiasm of a rigged fairground grabber machine"
Sir, you are a master of the language. A retro-tech Poet Laureate.
@@paulbishop2198 I was thinking that in those exact words!
@@xmlthegreat yes not frans best angle, reviewing tech. leave it to matt
As Mat might say... "Flippin' 'eck!"
Nice one Fran! 😉
I ordered mine 5/18 and it arrived yesterday 5/30. I bought a step down transformer to convert 120v to 100v and it's working great. I'll be taking it to work and hanging it on the wall.
@Scotter1971 - Hope that you don’t mind me asking, but I was just curious as to what brand of step down transformer you may have purchased for this player? And what it may have cost you, as well?
I have a question , I think you might be the person to ask. I have one of these that is tracking at almost 6 grams which freaks me out.
I only play 45's on it , but of course do not want to damage them.
Do you think there might be a clever way to lessen the tracking force?
That's clever.
That 45 made me feel like I was shopping in a mall at Christmastime, cool.
One could bring it along with a couple albums on a picnic too!
Yeah-then after you finished eating the greasy fried chicken with your hands,you could smear the grease all over the record putting it on the player so the "needle" could grind it nice and deep into the grooves.....
I'm very impressed that it sounds so good for being a portable vinyl player!
Wow! Fran opened the “Way Back Machine” with that Mike Douglas record
O-rings on the clips for the stylus. No epoxy required. Friction fit, experiment with a few different sizes.
Had one like it, only blue and plugged into wall. Used to play 78 kids songs and my mothers Elvis 45s.
....aaaaannd,those 45'shave all been ground into dust by now........
I’m bringing my battery powered Sesame Street turntable next time I go to the record store!
...remind me not to shop at that store after you have ruined all the records you played there.....
When I was a child a neighbor asked me to fix one of those circa 1968-1970, it just needed new batteries, It ALSO had a radio in it, I tuned in an oldies station or oldies show, and I heard a song I wasn't sure if I'd heard before, but it was obviously early-mid 1960s, it was a guitar instrumental and it was THE GREATEST TUNE EVER. Years later I heard it and learned the title was Pipeline by The Chantays.
I miss my Close and Play phonograph, this vid took me back Fran
Honestly, one of your best vids, ever, Fran! Especially the out with the Philly music. Very classy, indeed.
When I was a kid in the early 60's my friend brought one to school and played some C.C.R. music on it at recess.
This brings back some memories from my childhood in the eighties. My friend used to bring this exact looking player over from time to time. It had English controls, but other than that it was exactly the same, color and everything.
I just ordered one of these off of ebay from japan with free shipping. Can't wait for it to arrive, I got it for teh exact reason you stated at the start of teh video.. and here I thought I was being unique getting for record buying... hahha
I’m having difficulty understanding the premise. I’ve bought thousands of records over the years and have never once had one whose contents were different from the label (or even the sleeve). In the US is it common to have incorrect labels? Is that by accident or malice? Is this specifically something that happens with collectible records?
@@drstkova Years ago I bought a set of Angel LPs with Heifetz playing Bach’s sonatas and partita. The records are okay (apart from Heifetz’s bowing problems), but the labels are scrambled! They don’t match the LP sides they’re pasted onto!
4.5 grams is very heavy for the AT3600L... Other than that, this is neat! :)
Pretty cool, especially for trying out 45s!
Apparently, the original model was used by DJs when they dug around in used record shops.
...you mean DYING out 45's....
What a cool turntable! I hope it brings you good luck in your future vinyl hunts!
I had a similar styled record player when I was a kid. It had surprisingly good sound quality. I know because it's what I played my Star Wars soundtrack album on it 'till I nearly wore it out.
When I was a kid I didnt air guitar, I air-conducted.
Ifb you vwould have had a real turntable,your record would not be worn out now.
Hi,.
The sent a golden disc with information on earth in the Voyager to space.
Did they also include a turn table and manual on how to operate in order to get the Earth message?
5:25 So you are saying that this is the record player to take to outer space then? got it.
Lol :) great to play that golden record!
I bought one due to Techmoan's positive review and it's due any day now. I'm glad you showed what's inside as I was considering modifying it to have line outputs and it may be more challenging than I originally thought. I may still have a semi-educated probe around at some point with a CRO to see what my chances are.
LINE OUTPUTS? going into.....WHAT? the Fisher-Price Laugh&Learn boombox?
I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of what is essentially a retro-nostalgia reproduction. If I were still into vinyl, I would consider one of these.
I’m really pleased you know mr Techmoan, I was hoping you’d know each other’s work. Two of my favourite youtubers.
WPRB one of the best college radio stations, WKDU, KTUH, also in the lineup, Aloha Fran !
My goodness, my brain could not reconcile the performance with the appearance.
Great torque tip.
Cheers for showing me something that I did not know existed.
I used to be a ("Vinyl Head" with"Stacks Of Wax")so to speak until 8 track/cassette tapes replaced them. That really brings back the memories of the "Ole tone arm cobra" a term from an episode of the TV Show "M.A.S.H".
I have an original from the 60s w/an AM/FM radio. Presently in storage.
Preserve your record collection---keep it there........
Fran thank you for the amazing outro!! When I was a child I was so obsessed with turntables that I fabricated one out of a pizza box just so I can pretend :-) now I’m 50 years old and I have a beautiful vintage turntable so I don’t have to pretend anymore!!
Thank goodness you upgraded! I would HATE to see what your records would look like--and SOUND like--if you hadn't.........
It looks pretty well made, sounds pretty good too. I think it will definitely be fit for your purpose.
I received one for my 6th birthday (1969). It looked almost identical and had a radio too. Should have kept it. It is deceiving. You wouldn't think it could hold a full LP, but it does.
Those six big D batteries, rétro in its own right 😃👍
If you're fanatical enough to carry this sucker to shops and such, dropping the money for rechargeable D batteries is probably nothing. Personally, I like my Harman Kardon T-40. I have a couple of much much older units just for my 78's (and 16's if I ever get ahold of one)
I have a Crosley that I've adapted with a battery pack that is like a little suit case but it has stereo capability and it works just great for this . 2 tone arm lock downs that makes it almost bullet proof . I also never buy before testing . I have lots of 78,s if your interested also ! People rock out at garage sales if I turn it up to high and that has cost me a few records !
Fran, if you do - do the mods - please, could you put up a part 2 video? Thanks!!
I'm a collector, this will be a great tool when I go bin diving.
I am sitting here like a kid in amazement. Ha. Then it dawned on ME it's a toy record player man!. It's her explanation that draws you in. 🤓🤓
What a neat portable record player , it's really retro looking for coming from Japan, playing records at the park or the beach sounds like fun! 👍😎
nothing like playing records on the beach,with all that WONDERFUL sand getting in the grooves---the BEST THING for vinyl......
When I was a kid back in the 70's and 80's I had some crazy ideas. I tried to figure out some way to save TV shows on cassette tapes. I knew there had to be some way to do it but could never figure out how to separate out the channel frequency. I had another idea for making record players portable so you could take your music with you. I learned that if you attach a 9 volt battery to an AC/DC transformer and touch the other end it can shock the crap out of you. And I had this crazy idea of using space craft with wings that could land at airfields instead of rockets that come down in the water with parachutes. I also invented this thing I called Windows on my 8 bit Color Computer. You could run multiple processes simultaneously in different windows that you could drag around on the screen and resize and change background colors. You could even give each process more or less CPU priority. Just a crazy idea that was fun to tinker around with.
So cool, grew up in Northeast Philly, thanks.
I'm a Record collector, this is awesome ♥
"It's all toys" Love it So true. Keep up the good work Fran.
Classic Fran Lab, coolest amplified stereo turtable ever.
An o ring might hold that 45 adapter from being lost
Was thinking same thing.
That "Philadelphia" song is a real toe tapper!!! In all seriousness, I like it a lot!!!
Really enjoyed the closing song!
I think that the felt on the battery tray lid is to prevent the plastic from vibrating when sound is applied to the speaker
Cool! I used to have the Radio Shack Lady Bug portable record player...loved it....now they sell vintage ones for $200+
Not seen a turntable like this before. However liken the simple entering in 8t despite it little technical niggles that you fixed. Awesome video.
Back in the day I had two older step-brothers and when they were both gone I would get a very similar record player from one and the new Beatles White LP from the other and listen to them out in back woods fort that I made. That was just around the time when the older one decided to go college for medicine to avoid the Vietnam Draft.
My "friends" bought me one to take to Vietnam in 1966. I played part of one record - Sgt Pepper. It ended up being my Albatross and after carrying it for nearly a year, a "stray" bullet ended it. Memory Flogger.
I was very surprised when you said the cartridge was magnetic. I expected a ceramic, then when you mentioned the $300 price tag I thought it better be magnetic! I was also surprised to see one DIP chip. I guess I'm not dead yet. This would be quite an upgrade from the portable I had in the 60's. The last surprise was that a Japanese product is made in China now. I guess it shouldn't be that much of a surprise though.
Just beat me over the head with that nostalgia.
That was a really clever fix Fran, and didn't look too bad either. 👍👍
I am so impressed with the stereo playback and the tone balance of this little turntable. Wow! I was not expecting that from a portable. The fact that it has an Audio-Technica cart on it is impressive. At first I was cringing, remembering how my little childhood suitcase portable just wore out so many records as a kid with the nasty cartridges/stylus. But this looks like they put some thought into the design. Very cool! Thanks, Fran!
Tonal balance? YUP--I could just FEEL the deep sub-bass frequencies throbbing in my bones,while the shimmering treble of cymbals,and quick transient attack of the triangle tingled in my ears.....really put my Dual 701 with Shure V-15III to shame......-
I'm intrigued. I've just retro-fitted that audio technika at3600l magnetic cartridge to my GPO Flight suitcase record player which now sounds amazing btw. I wanted to fit it to the Crosley I have but there's no space behind the tonearm for a decent counterweight as the magnetic cartridge is substantially heavier than the ceramic that was fitted to it. The Flight is slightly bigger and has about an inch at the back of the tonearm ;) Anyway, the recommended tracking force for the at3600l is (from what I've read) between 2.5 and 3.5 grams. I've got mine set just under 3g. 5g sounds a lot, unless the scale is putting more pressure on the spring due to it raising the tonearm higher than when it's sat on a record?
9:15 Maybe 3D print a vaguely U -shaped plastic bit that goes under the cartridge , where one of the vertical legs is longer and has a circular pivot hole down the center of it. Then add a twist-latch that can be closed over the tonearm.
Something where the bottom of the U is squared off and can easily be glued into the existing hole
Maybe using two short rubbergrommets (tubes) on the two upstanding plastik parts will clamp the arm enough to hold its position´. A small felt inside to protect the needle and voila!
Nice to see you soo excited! Have fun fran
Would mounting vertical cause the bearing to wear out unevenly? I mean lp heavier tha blurays and bigger diameter.
DUAL turntables operated on the same principle for tonearm pressure. I had one in the sixties. You could tilt it up and it played just fine.
My grandfather had a battery operated turn table when I was a child growing up in the 1970's living 30 miles out in the High Desert of California.. We had nothing to do so my sister, and I would play one record we had on a battery operated turntable, and that was johnny cash.. I remember one day we were playing the record, and my grandfather asked my sister if he could see the record for a second.. My sister took the record off, and handed it to him, and he snapped it over his leg a couple times, and said he just could not take hearing a boy named sue one more time.. I look back on this today, and I can't really blame the man.. lololololol..
He could have just taken the batteries out, R.I.P. vintage vinyl
@@meanjon13_illusions You would have had to know him.. He made Hitler appear nice... lolololol
...probably for how badly the record sounded on that thing.......
I suggest using Sugru (original) for the tonearm. Its a flexible rubber/clay kind of self setting product you have a few hours to form it the way you want it and it sets in 24 hours. Available in several colours.
@@GreatSageSunWukong Are you sure it wasn't "Shoe goo" a semi transparent flexible shoe glue? Sugru (the original) I've used now hundreds of times on very different scenarios and never failed on me. What colour was it?
I don't think I can link here anything but check it on youtube by "Sugru" to be sure.
YUP! just the PERFECT material for a tonearm--something that "flexes"......
You could take it on the ISS...
As a child, I had a AM radio/ turntable combo shaped like a bug...around 1974.
Ran on 4 D batteries, as I recall. 45 and 33 1/3.
I've had very good luck with NiCads and Nimh batteries over the years. Zero leakage , and I have some 30+ year old NiCads that are just fine
I had no idea these were still made. Cool video!
Love you, science and rock. Enjoy your info and style.
What an incredibly efficient design. I was going to suggest that you transport the player with an old 45, and that clip for vertical operation. You have to have it sorted.
Cool video....I'm a marine engineer and fellow nerd...damn glad to meet you
Sounds Of Philadelphia! Great video Fran.
I had a red white and blue one that was the coolest.
thank you for your love of life!
Could the GP-N3R be powered by a power bank instead of normal batteries ? How would I go about doing that ? Thanks
Looks Like you can hang that in both Portrait and Landscape (obviously not at the same time :) ) as there's another keyhole slot just under the center of the handle.
Mike Douglas. Man that brings back memories.
Had an original as a child...
( Imagaes On Google)
Shared with my two sisters...
The plastic tone arm just snapped into place with a plastic bracket, very similar to this modern model, only with plastic clips on each side of the bracket, that held the tone arm into place...
No protective cover over the needle. And it was not able to play a record sitting on its side... Thats New!
Blessings James...
Frantastic. 😃
good idea for draging round to record fairs and the likes not keen on the colour especially the yellow it looks like its been in a smokers back bed room i think it would look better in all black.
I do not buy D cells any more, just bought the cheap AA adaptors, which then allow you to standardise on AA cells for t5his sort of use, as the AA alkaline cell has the same capacity as the zinc carbon D cell, and you often get the D cells leaking before they are discharged, so having the extra casing to slow down leakage helps. Plus a D cell is often around 10 times the price off the AA cell, even if you are buying the zinc carbon, the alkaline ones tend to be 30 times the price, but only have 3 times the capacity in them, so the adaptor and AA cell wins out on cost, even for a one off buy. The adaptors are available for very low cost, 10 for 99c shipped is what I paid for them.
I've not seen anyone bring their own player to a store before. Would using it be allowed? (especially it it's a collectible record)?
I certainly HOPE NOT!
And round and round it goes :) Nice find!
Wow! That's a really impressive little record player. I wish I had one. I imagine that you get full hi-fi stereo out of the phone jack too. Great review.
On the issue of the stylus arm sitting in the recess. Another easy and cheap thing you could do, would be to add in small velcro strip like that you can use for cabling. I think it could be routed through the holes in the case that is under each of those clip extensions that aren't actually be used?
Learning more engaged.
I love the old analog designs! The high quality MM cartridge is a definite improvement over what would have been in place originally. I'm not sure I understand why you had to modify the adaptor, but the foam certainly did the trick!
Neodymium magnet should handle holding the 45 plastic part in place. You can get them pretty small at home depot...
NIMH batteries have leaked on me as well, but they would just corrode the positive battery contact and form crystals around it, instead of leaking across the whole PCB.
And its only happened to very old batteries that were not treated very well.
I had something very similar to this as a kid in the early 1970’s but it could run on mains power as well as the big batteries. Like everything I eventually took it apart and melted the end off a cheap screwdriver and the house mains fuse in spectacular fashion when I shorted it across the primary terminals on the power transformer 😂
....you ever get it back together?.......
@@user-dy2zy8rd2t yeah I did but eventually scavenged parts from it for some project I was tinkering with which is a pity because it’s probably collectable now. But I didn’t think about stuff like that back then it was just my old record player to me at the time.
Nice job Fran, I'm all about modifying things in my life to work better for my use. Love it
Yep,modifying---like jack up the platter and put a REAL turntable under it.....
Two things:
1) I gather the cartridge is several orders of magnitude better than the crappy crystal cartridges that workalikes from the 1960s would have come with. That's a GOOD thing, although I wonder what easily available cartridges the arm accepts. It would be a pity if the only cartridges it can use are Japanese, and any replacement styluses have to be ordered from Japan.
2) RE: 45 adaptor. I wonder if you can get a nice positive grip by painting the inner hole with the rubbery stuff people apply to handles of tools. I have to admit to no personal experience with such coatings, so I have no idea if one can build up coats to achieve a firm grip of the spindle on the turntable.
That cartridge is fairly ubiquitous and I believe it is the same cartridge as the Audio Technica AT-LP60 as well as clones. Denon also make styluses to fit this type of cartidge with the flip up cover , which might be better for a portable system.
"Philadelphia" sounds like the kind of song that's playing when you show up early in the evening for a Key Party. It's not the closing theme; it's the opening theme. Like I have any idea. But still. I don't know what I'm talking about, do I? Probably not. It is 114 degrees F here, and my air conditioning died. An ill wind is blowing. A bad moon is rising. A dark imperium rises from the depths of the dark recesses of human consciousness. Ravens are falling from the sky.
Gonna get my FranLab on and try to ignore it.
DON'T LET ME DOWN, FRAN.
IT'S ALL RIDING ON YOU.
IT IS TIME TO DISCO DANCE. DANCE WITH ME ALLAYOUS!
"No more in the shadow of New York / Just about to pop her champagne cork!"
If you get the right adapter for the barrel power jack you should be able to run this off a USB power bank, like the ones used for charging cell phones on the go. I've done this on one of my portables and its so nice not to have to hunt down and replace the batteries.
@djklas - Forgive my ignorance, but any suggestions as to what kind of adaptor I should be looking to purchase for this unit, my friend? Because being someone who has owned this very player for over 2 years now, I can truthfully, on one hand count the amount of times I have actually used it. Simply because both myself & my wallet are paranoid as hell that if I used it more often, I would be going through having to buy batteries for it more often than I change my socks. Any suggestions & or help in this regard would be more than welcome. And I would be more than grateful, as well. Have a great day/night. Cheers!!!
If I'm not mistaken you should be able to find the patent document for the original Columbia version. If it were me, I'd convert that to use 2 18650 cells instead of those D's. 3 D cells are equal in voltage to 4.5 volts DC. Since an 19650 cell's nominal voltage is 4.2 volts it should be easy to convert without overloading anything.
You know, with the addition of a switch, the LINE OUT jack could be switched to the preamp input to allow the unit to be used as a small PA system, etc., increasing its usefulness. Or alternatively, with the addition of a second jack. A little amp like that with a test probe comes in handy once in a while while for trouble shooting audio problems away from the bench.
YUP! all TWO HUNDRED MILLIWATTS would absolutely FILL Carnegie hall!
Are there any actual NiMh D cells on the market? Or are these stuipd AA->D adaptors really the only option if you want to to run NiMh in devices that accept D cells?
The sound quality is really good! Also this record is really well kept. No clicks or pops.
give it time--soon it will be FULL of clicks AND pops.....
@@user-dy2zy8rd2t Only modern made vinyl records wear this quickly. But yeah eventually these old ones also wear out.
5 grams seems high for a mag cartridge, although perfectly in line for a ceramic, which is what the original had. I wonder why they went with a mag for this reproduction, especially since it requires extra amplification and EQ.
If that was the sound of this unit straight off the Vinyl from this unit, it sounded very good indeed. that little adapter reminded me of the Radiation Tri-Foil if that is what they are called. Nice to see it play on the side like that as well.
Yeah these little guys are great for going to Arbutus.