Phonoland

I just bought an original 2504. I was told that it has a rebuilt amp, new cartridge and stylus. The problem is that on some records the needle sticks and on others it doesn't. Is there an adjustment I can make while I'm waiting for the manual to arrive?

Probably not--
Check that the tone arm wires are not "hanging up". They should be attached with light tape, in two places ( just as they pass thru the shroud, and at the end of the arm), to the arm that actuates the trip switch. Has the cartridge been changed, or is it still a "Cobra" ?
These often become stiff, ad stop the tone arm from tracking. Ron Rich

Ron, no Cobra after 2400 -all Sonotone 8T until 2700. IMO: The Cobra was obsolete for 45's before it was ever used.
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"Wingnut" This is a typical problem on these machines.

Some suggestions:

Make sure the arm is balanced reasonably well. Put the mech in play mode with no record and power off. Tie a piece of thread around the tonearm and the bracket where the spring is attached (behind the arm). At this point the arm should be free and not toughing anything. Adjust balance via a screw at the right end of the arm:
http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... rt=2&o=116

Another area to check is the tendency toward biasing caused by tonearm wires (As Ron mentioned) and loading from the trip switch.
I flip or remove the keeper that holds the trip sw whisker off the tonearm tail as seen here: http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=70 Read description.

The simple bearings, trip switch and arm mass make for a fairly crude tracking arm and thus the choice of cart is important. In the past I used Pickering magnetic similar to the V400 series. The lowest reliable tracking weight I've achieved with these arms is 3 grams. As a practical matter the cart you choose should be comfortable with 4 gram VTF and not too compliant. "DJ" type carts are good for this sort of application.

Rob-NYC

I took another look and the cart has a "flip-over" stylus. I turned it over and it plays just fine.

To the extent that it may still matter, there are two types of styli for the original cart

One is 33-45 w/1 mil needle and the flip is 78 w/3 mil. These are for consumer phonos and the stylus is opposite of the marking on the handle when used in a Wurlitzer.

The other is a dual 1 mil but one is diamond and the other sapphire.

Rob

Rob,
If the needle is purchased from a legitimate seller (listed above), who sells it for "Jukeboxes", it will have two .7 mill diamond needles on it--no "markings" on the "handle". When sold for "consumer" phono's, it will be as you posted above, and /or, marked differently, if different. . Ron Rich

Ron, you probably have them from a more reputable source than those that I got from down on tenth ave. On the 4 black handle styli for the 8T one side is clearly a set diamond and the other a nude sapphire. Under magnification and with no handle markings I assume they are both 1mil.

I remember in the late 60's seeing various Wurlitzers both in the shops and on location using consumer styli which had the "LP" or 33-45 showing on the handle, meaning that they were actually playing with the 78 stylus.....Not that anyone gave a damn.

Rob