Phonoland

I am restoring a mid-1950's Webcor Musicale Coronet and am nearly finished. I have instaled a new stylus in the GE magnetic cartridge but when the tone arm touches the record, it just skates across the surface. The stylus pressure is correct. The new stylus is in contact with the record. I purchased a photo-fact repair brochure for this magic mind changer. There is nothing mentioned at all regarding an anti-skate adjustment.
Can anyone help or suggest who I might contact. It is frustrating to have progressed this far and now have a problem I never would have thought of.
Thanks
don

It's a trouble with just a few problems causing it. It's either the pressure, record, or the needle. May be fuzz, dirt? Just in case try a (hate myself for this) penny on the tonearm. If it tracks and does not chew up record try re-adjusting pressure. May be on set down it's hard (bounces). I lean toward the needle or it not seating right in the cartridge. What else folks?

Could it be that you don't have the correct stylus, possibly larger for tracking 78's? It won't seat/track properly in the record groove, especially micro-groove recordings. If the pressure is too light, that arm is gonna be all over the map.

How 'bout the underside of the turntable? Are the cartridge wires slack, not pulling or caught on anything? It's about midnight here and the only thing that comes to mind is possibly a defective/broken stylus tip that will skip accross a record.

Sorry for not being of much help, not being familiar with the "magic mind" changers. The only Webcor I have is a Webcor/Coronet Tube reel-to-reel. Got it at the thrift store for $3.98 and only replaced a couple of belts and other minor tinkering, but it plays well. Haven't bothered to do the usual cap job, etc. on it, but that's on the to-do list.

It's got two 4x10 woofers that face forward at an angle and projects the sound from the front and sides and has two front-facing 3" tweeters.

Okay, I digressed...do you have any pics that you could share with us? There should be a simple solution to your problem. It could be staring you right in the face. Please keep up posted.

OH, I COMPLETELY FORGOT...if the tonearm has been twisted or bent, or the cartridge not mounted correctly, the needle could possibly be slanted inward like broom straws tilting outward when you sweep a floor (\\\). That will surely skate accross a record. I've also had some needles that seated correctly, but the tip was slightly slanted outward toward the record edge...they skated every time. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

I don't see the benefit of posting non-related photos of something off topic, no matter what the reason is.
It's confusing to some.

It shouldn't be confusing when I posted that I had a different product from the Webcor/Coronet line and gave a brief description. Just wanted to share that with others in case they come accross something bearing the same name and may have some questions to present to the Board. I tend to contribute what little I know to the original poster and add some extra just to peak the interest of others to get involved, killing two birds with one stone.

For the most part, I did offer other suggestions to possibly help and I meant no harm.

Maybe you could learn by making folks feel less guilty about accepting your valuable, but arrogant and condescending, advice to the board. You'll get over it. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

This may be a bit late, but try putting a second record on top of the first. if it plays, you have a tonearm height adjustment problem. The mechanism is not letting the arm lower all the way to the first record.

You likely have a changer with gummed up lubrication or the tonearm wires are binding the tonearm mechanism. Hope you get it sorted. In the mono era, the Webcor changers were decent. They never got Stereo mastered satisfactory on vertical rumble, but GE never mastered Stereo either well. Hope I can help you on this one. Something in the arm is likely stiff or sticky. The changer should be able to handle any GE cartridge well, and the VR II should do fine once you get it repaired.

The arm is skating across the record. This means one of the following:

1. The diamond stylus is missing from the stylus assembly. Or on a GE VR-II, it can be accidentally inserted upside down.

2. The stylus force is too light.

3. Part of the arm other than the pickup is touching the record (e.g. a pickup wire).

4. The arm is adjusted to not lower enough. There is a screw on the underside of the arm.

5. The 78 stylus is being used to play an LP. Note that the knob is printed so the correct lettering is right side up when the correct stylus is selected as viewed from the front of the arm.

6. Something is pulling the pickup toward the center of the record (e.g. an unreleased arm return lever, or a wire pulled tight).

7. Someone put one of those duster brushes on the arm, and it is carrying most of the stylus force.

8. The stylus shank is bent.

9. The cartridge is mounted wrong, and the cartridge body is hitting the record.

10. The arm raising parts are not retracting enough to let the record play.