question about magnavox micromatic console needle/cartridge

Hi, New to this forum, I bought an old Magnavox Micromatic console stereo (great sound with two matching external speakers-haven't hooked them up yet)) Model 3RP660 pecan console - turntable is Part #253609-3 -Model W62006-00.. for the life of me I cannot budge the cartridge out..I can pull it down and it just wont slide forward (?out/off)?? I need a needle but can't see how to mount the one I bought on line.. so maybe I need a cartridge and needle?
Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Best regards,

Bill Woods

Bobby Basham wrote:Sorry, Record-changer:

I was referring to the ones that had the single screw through the top of the tonearm that held the mounting bracket in place. You can remove those cartridges without disturbing the mounting bracket. --BB

BobbyB
Tucson, Arizona

Photos of both would tell me if you got the right parts.

I have a similar story. after my grandfather passed away i took the same unit shown in the pictures above. i would appreciate any information that anyone would have in regards to this unit. when it was sold, made and how i can fix it and/ or get the instruction manual. thanks

Okay, I'll try this again.

I took some grainy photos of my Astro-Sonic out in the garage 5:30 this morning. For THIS particular setup, the single screw holds the mount (within a mount). If you pull the black clip forward (to the right of the record brush in the pic), the cartridge pops out. The inner mount also has holes for cartridges requiring two screws, then mounted to the outer mount that has that single screw that you see from the top of the tonearm.

In the third pic, I removed the mount so you can see it side-by-side with the cartridge, which is an Electro-Voice 506. Another person with a similar model on here has an Electro-Voice 505. I don't know the differences.

My other similar turntable has a different cartridge, so I just loosen the screw on top of the arm and the whole unit drops out. Once you remove that, you can see the two screws holding the cartridge in place. This is not a "pop out" cartridge like the one mentioned above.

I hope this helps in some way. Gotta keep these beast roaring. --BB


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

That cartridge is identical to an EV 149D/150D.
Probably the same specs too.

I apologize if I misled folks into getting in there and yanking to no avail. Heaven knows, we don't need to break anymore things on these aging electronics. At least, loosen that top screw on top of the arm to let the whole assembly drop out. You won't do any damage from that. Then, you can see how the thing is put together. Either two screws or a clip, get the number off the CARTRIDGE, then find the corresponding needle to match. Cabinet model numbers will not help in any way.

Just like having a Chevy and your sound system is made by Bose. Two different companies going on here. If it's a new car under warranty and your sound system is ailing, take it back to the dealer and let Chevy deal with Bose.

Our prized possessions are not new, so every component is treated as a separate entity (way past warranty...LOL). You need to get separate service manuals for the turntable, receiver/amp combination or separate amp, 8-track, Reel-to-Reel, etc.

Need a new needle? Take the cartridge out and look for a Manufacture's name and any/all numbers labeled on it. They may have a Magnavox number on them,but there should be a manufacturer's name there also. You got ElectroVoice, Astatic and a host of others who made them. Need a schematic? Look at any and all numbers pasted/stamped on that amp/receiver whatever.

Maybe I'm just anal and fussing too much, but it kinda irritates me when people post a question that's been asked a gazillion times before, without checking out the archives, and don't even bother to check out any FAQ's that may be posted here or any website. Just a quick fix, hit-and-run.

I think the archives here are great, with many contributions from many, and I occasionally go back to them and print them to keep in a special notebook. I love this Board. --BB


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Gary Stork over at Thevoiceofmusic.com has the "P-156" replacements.
http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/multimedia/products/PhonoCartridge/P-156D--b.jpg

Hello,

I'm new to this forum, and first want to say this thread has been incredibly helpful, so thank you!

So I too am trying to replace the cartridge/needle on my magnavox micromatic. The model number for the console is 1ST647, but I gather that is not the most important element. Following the instructions here, I removed the cartridge and found that it is an electro-voice 418. Now that would be a great place to get started looking for replacement parts, but I cannot seem to find any listing for the model number anywhere. I found an auction on ebay that had an electrovoice cartridge that looked identical (though couldn't see the model number, see here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ELECTRO-VOICE-TURNT ... ltDomain_2), so I'm hoping that that turns out to be the right part. However, I am still in search of the correct needle. Does anyone here know anything about the Electro-Voice 418? Or perhaps know of a different model number corresponding to the cartridge pictured in the ebay page? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Danny

Danny,
Try http://www.needles4turntables.com Hopefully he will know--Ron Rich

Again.... http://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/multimed ... 56D--b.jpg

Hello,

Thank you for your responses. I now believe what I have is an EV-333 cartridge. I have also, however, determined that it is not so much the cartridge, but one of the connectors between the tonearm wires and the cartridge pins which seems to be the problem.

Does anyone know where replacement connectors (I think they're called cartridge tags?) can be purchased? I found some Michell Engineering clips, but they are round whereas the pins on the EV-333 are flat. Could these round clips work with the flat pins? (Here are the clips: http://www.needledoctor.com/Artech-Prem ... egory=4020)

Thank you for your help, and my apologies if I'm repeating past questions.

Danny

Did you try contacting the people who's page you listed ? I'd bet that they either have what you need or can tell you where to find it -- Ron Rich

$30 for a set of 4 cartridge clips? YIKES!

Highway robbery!

I posted that Gary at the Voiceofmusic.com has the needed stuff..... but my words seem to fall on deaf ears here.

For the feather touch Micromatic turntables used in consoles from around '62-'66, I've tried to attach the Service Manual pcitures. Regarding both needles and cartridges, the best vendor I have found is needledaddy on eBay. He not only has new old stock, but he tests each cartridge before sending it out - and at reasonable prices. Once at his eBay store, you can click on Magnavox and find what you need. If there are no cross-reference numbers there, e-mail him the Magnavox part found on the uploaded file and he will let you know if he has it (which he probably will). I've purchased about 30 cartridges and needles from him over the past few years and each one has been perfect - still working great. Also, Radio Shack online still has some of the needles for some of Magnavox cartridges for the Micromatics for about $5. When you get to the Radio Shack home page, you'll need to do a site search using the word stylus. Once you get the cartridges and needles, if your Micromatic drags or has other problems, feel free to e-mail me for some tips on getting them up and running correctly. I have serviced around 20. If you have trouble reading the uploaded file, e-mail me and I'll forward it to you.
Tom
Email: dpiltes@bellsouth.net

If you scroll down to the Electronic Gramophones and Phonographs forum, there is an FAQ there about needles and cartridges. I used to get alot of needles for about $4.99-5.99 for my Astro-Sonics.

If you have an Electro-Voice EV275 or Astatic 165D, there could also be a Magnavox number stamped on it like 560345, and a couple of different needles will work. I've seen some of these smaller cartridges in GE consoles and a larger version in some Zeniths. If you get the number off the cartridge, then your needle should be an easy match. Look at the attached pics below. --BB


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona