Many parts of this scream "No disassemble, Stephanie!"(noted with the "Do not remove screws, which I presume would void the warranty back in the day). But I had to in order to replace the audio cables and power cord on my PL-516, which had been chewed by rats (the cord on the non-X models is hardwired rather than plugging in via an AC EIC jack), in addition to the cartridge failing in one channel and the belt disintegrating (unlike this direct drive model). Also procured some Deoxit to clean up the speed control potentiometers.

Nice video. That looks like a very fine turntable and a wonderful find at the dump! I am amazed that someone would throw something this nice in the trash! I think you can fix the cracking rubber feet with some silicone from the hardware store. Just squeeze it out of the tube onto a paint brush and press the foot to exposed the cracks, then paint the silicone working it into them and then release and allow to dry. If you don't want to use silicone, you may have a product in your country that is similar to something we have in the US made by DEVCON. They call it Liquid Rubber Adhesive. It is a heavy duty liquid rubber "adhesive" product and dries to a semi-hard rubber. Anyway, congrats on a great turntable!

@DrCircuit

9 жыл бұрын

Interesting, I'll have to make a note of this. Thanks for the tip!

The decoration weight on the arm is part of the anti-skate system. The small weight pulls the arm slightly towards the centre of the record instead of the stylus pulling the entire weight of the arm across on it's own. This then prevents one side of the groove in the record wearing faster than the other side.

@DrCassette

9 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info!

That's a nice-looking TT! I wish I had seen this video before throwing out my Pioneer find. It was a hell of a lot rougher than yours. Thanks for the video!!

One thing to keep in mind... The overhang on the 518 is 49 mm while the Technics is usually 52. You must move the cart back 3 mm for an accurate alignment. :)

@DrCassette

9 жыл бұрын

I intend to mount a different cartridge soon anyways, I'll take care of it eventually though.

Wow, what a find! I have the PL-516X, a belt drive with a slightly different tonearm. Excellent turntable. Very solid quality and wonderful sound even with the original PC-110 mk.II cartridge. I haven't used it in a while now sine the stylus broke, but I have a new Audio Techinca AT-95E ordered, and it should sound beautiful wit that :) Anyway, enjoy this very nice piece of kit and take good care of it!

Interesting Turntable. It looks pretty solid and heavy. Nice restoration you have done. The rubber feets are deteriorated.

According to the original Pioneer advertisement for the PL-518, the headshell is not plastic, it is in fact made from glass fibre designed to cancel out any resonance getting to the stylus. You are now beginning to appreciate how special this turntable is and why they command high prices amongst vintage turntable enthusiasts . Back in 1978 when this model was launched it would have been a ferrari of a machine regarding it's advanced design features.

@DrCassette

5 жыл бұрын

Actually I am not very impressed with this record player. The speed stability is pretty poor. Lowering the needle on the record is enough to slow down the motor so much that the speed needs to be readjusted according to the stroboscope. I don't have any other direct drive record player in my collection with such a weak motor.

@sirwavell

5 жыл бұрын

@@DrCassette, The motor is extremely strong, it's is a DC servomotor 16 pole 24 slot, much stronger than most standard motors on modern day turntables. The problem is that your potentiometers need cleaning .

@DrCassette

5 жыл бұрын

@@sirwavell The potentiometers are fine. The speed stability is just not as good as it should be.

@gman5218

4 жыл бұрын

You are correct. I have this table and the headshell does look plastic but is in fact glass fibre. I'd rate this as an excellent table.. Don't know whats the deal with the table here but my motor is extremely strong. They also quite sort after from what iv observed on the used market .

That "Pioneer" cartridge could be a rebranded Sanyo/Fisher.

Interesting construction. I see a valve radio and a few other interesting bits & pieces in the background. I think I see some KEF speakers at 4:56

Where are the speed pots. I have the same problem with the speed. How do you adjust them?

This was a great save. Hopefully somebody is still using and enjoying this fine turntable.

@DrCassette

7 жыл бұрын

Yes, I still have this record player and I do use it. I now have an Audio Technica AT95 cartridge installed in the original headshell.

Schönes Gerät.

I appreciate the efforts made to produce this video, and it was of some value. It did not, however, provide the level of detail I was hoping for "How to" perform certain aspects of the servicing, so I"m going to try making my own video which I hope will be of some greater use to "newbies" such as me. One thing I still don't know is HOW to refurbish the clear polycarbonate plastic cover. I do have a series of very fine grit polishing materials, including rubbing compound and polishing compound for auto body work. I imagine those would work, starting at courser grit size to remove the deeper scratches, then progressing to finer. I'll take a guess at it and try to include that in my video as well.

@MendTheWorld

5 жыл бұрын

@@DrCassette My comment was rude and inconsiderate, so I'm editing it to change the wording. My apologies. I also decided that I'd try to make my own video that might offer some additional details on how to do the servicing. I've not been able to find any detailed information in any form on the internet, so I'm proceeding on just a wing and a prayer. The Pioneer Service Manual is of very little use. But I'll see if I can do any better.

@DrCassette

5 жыл бұрын

I have had good success polishing plastic covers using car polish. Nothing special, just the stuff that we had sitting in the garage for 20 years.

Ahhh... The 518! The best part of these tables is the arm. They use a very good bearing system and the arm is very accurate. The rest of the table is just weird. I've had two of these over the years... It turns into a love/hate relationship after a while. :)

@DrCassette

9 жыл бұрын

So far mine worked fine, only the arm return seems to have a mind of its own sometimes...

@francescakerrigan8426

6 жыл бұрын

Joe Collins how do you like your 518? I am about to get one from a family member of mine. It needs a little bit of work but for the most part it works LOL. I am planning on getting an Otofon headshell, cartridge and stylus, and replacement dust cover.

The TT is actually very serviceable and the bottom is not hard to remove. In fact, if done correctly you can remove the entire assembly easily. A search on Audiokarma.com will reveal plenty of threads on such. Love mine. I redid the vinyl with walnut veneer, replaced the cartridge with a Pickering v-15/ 625E stylus.

Nice turntable....what did you use to polish the cover?

@DrCassette

9 жыл бұрын

Car polish.

@Rage1732

8 жыл бұрын

I wonder if headlight restorer would work for the plastic these TT covers are made of.

I have a PL-518 too but I'm unable to pull the platter off to see the parts. How do you remove the platter safely?

@DrCassette

5 жыл бұрын

The platter should just pull off, it might require some force.

@sonofaudio4636

5 жыл бұрын

@@DrCassette It comes up for about 4mm then just refuses to budge. I've tried rotating the platter while lifting it. The whole turntable lifts up and the platter still stays attached. I was hoping to hear that there's a screw somewhere that I couldn't see. Any other ideas?

@DrCassette

5 жыл бұрын

I don't know of any screws holing the platter in place. It just pulls off on my Pioneer. Try using a hair dryer to heat up the platter, it may come loose then.

This Pioneer looks much better than average TTs. That tonearm looks worthy of a better head shell and cartridge. It's sad that a fine TT would end up in a dumpster when it's plenty good, IF you have a little know how.

Is your workshop somewhere in SOuthern California?

@DrCassette

7 жыл бұрын

I am located in Germany.

@kevinfromheaven5324

7 жыл бұрын

OH, OK. Have a beer on me!

If you have access to a 3D printer you could try printing new parts for the feet with a flexible material like "ninjaflex"

Hi, intend to sell it someday? Please let me know! Thanks!

@francescakerrigan8426

6 жыл бұрын

Rodolfo R. Piva I am currently the owner of a pioneer pl-518 which is pretty much the same model is this I would guess. I have to get a new cartridge headshell and stylus and dust cover and after I restore it I am wondering if it would be interested in buying it unless you found one already. Please send me a message over respond to this one by letting me know. Thank you and have a nice day!

It is okay take the screws out and lift the arm ass'y. Pioneers are the best for ease of service believe me.Nice job.