Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options

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Paulie70

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Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options
« on: 28 Feb 2023, 12:41 pm »
I'm thinking of buying this used Well Tempered Turntable.

I had a couple of questions.

1. Is the platter supposed to lean with the belt off?

2.What other tonearms i can install instead of the original arm?

It looks like this one has a Luxman tonearm.


mick wolfe

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Re: Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options
« Reply #1 on: 28 Feb 2023, 05:47 pm »
The platter on the current Amadeus can easily tip to the side by simply pushing down on the platter's edge, but this is easily corrected. Not sure about that particular model though. Also since much of the magic of a WTL turntable is the WTL arm itself, not sure why anyone would put a different arm on that table. Your concerns are warranted IMHO.

rpw

Re: Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options
« Reply #2 on: 28 Feb 2023, 07:47 pm »
Normally the platter leans to the right with the belt off, with the belt on this corrects platter to level position.
Looks to me as if the bushing assembly is turned the wrong way. There are teflon pads in the assembly that support the spindle.

I have had a Classic WT since 1986, still performs great.

sHERO

Re: Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options
« Reply #3 on: 10 Mar 2023, 10:43 pm »
The platter on my Classic table was not fully horizontal either....

I took out the platter, platter spindle and main bearing well. Placed the bearing well on a leved surface (verified with a bubbled level), reinserted the spindle and verified with with a buble level to make sure that the pads inside are holding the spindle plombed (tru vertical in the long axis) and that the spindle is horizontally leveled. All was perfect.

The cause of the skewed platter is that the MDF of the table's top platform is sponged around the hole where the main bearing well is inserted, this impairs the well from sitting plombed and this lean the platter.

Tomorrow I will fi it by sand the bubbled up mdf and put some black oil paint on it to prevent it from happening again.

Maybe you should verify if the same is the cause of your platter leaning to the side.


Whitespider

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Re: Platter Leans To The Side /Tonearm Options
« Reply #4 on: 13 Mar 2023, 06:22 pm »
I believe the questions about the platter leaning have been answered: the spindle bushing assembly in turned 180 degrees the wrong direction, or the spindle assembly is not sitting properly/square in the base.  The Well Tempered Turntable must looked at with the belt installed.  And the turntable is particular with the type of belt that is installed for best results.  Most of the belts sold that are the proper length are too thick and soft.  The one sold by LP Gear is the closest to the original specification.

Mounting a different tonearm is another issue entirely.  The turntable base is made up of 3 one-inch thick MDF boards bonded together with double-stick VHB tape.  Most tonearms are designed to be mounted on arm boards an inch-thick or less.  If one were to mount a different tonearm to a Well Tempered Turntable, ones that mount with small diameter screws would be the only practical choice since many tonearms are secured by a large mounting nut the surrounds the threaded mounting base and none of these are remotely closed to the 3" thickness of the base.  One sees screws that are securing the tonearm in the photo.  The later model Rega tonearms are secured with 3 bolts.

I would never purchase a Well Tempered Turntable without a Well Tempered Tonearm.  There is magic in these turntables, but definitely best with a Well Tempered Arm.