Bob, my mother also doesn't own a CD player. I'm fixing up her old Technics SL-20 turntable. I took off the Stanton cartridge she broke and installed a new Grado cartridge that I got from Jerry Rsakin's Needle Doctor for $47 delivered. I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE IMPROVEMENT! The old Stanton retailed for nearly the same price a decade or more ago when I installed it, but the sound of the $60 retail ($40 discount) Grado was closer to my $200 MR8 Grado than the Stanton.
I own a VPI HW-19jr. turntable and there is no CD player that can match it for musicality once you install tone cones and set it on a stable platform. The Conrad-Johnson EV-1 tubed phono amp works wonders also. The rubber feet on the HW-19 base lets the motor shake the bass and some rumble comes through the sorbothane dampers the plinth sets on.
Once you give your records a good cleaning, a lot of the surface noise goes away, plus it really cuts down on future wear and tear. I use chemicals from the LAST Factory to keep my records and stylus clean. Some of my records sound as good as new after dozens of plays due to the LAST products. The Needle Doctor has those as well. Something like a Nitty Gritty Record Cleaning Machine will really put your LP's in top shape and keep them that way.
My problem is I don't have enough LP's!
The Rolling Stones
For those of you interested in keeping your old Rolling Stones records, and others, in top shape for the long haul, you can buy cartridges, styluses, belts, chemicals, record cleaning machines, and calibration tools for keeping your turntable in top shape by going to www.needledoctor.com
Don't forget to get a Shure stylus pressure gauge while you are at it. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to set your tracking force to the correct value. Tracking too lightly has caused more record damage than you can imagine, as the stylus bangs around the grooves like a miniature jackhammer. Grado has an EXACT value to set their cartridges at, not a range of values like cartridges of the past. If you are given a range, set your tracking force toward the high end of the range rather than toward the low end. Most people do just the opposite expecting to reduce record wear, and wipe out their high frequency content in short order, causing the highs to be rough and harsh. That stylus has to stay in contact with both groove walls at all times if you care about your LP's!!! And get a cartridge like a Grado that has very high trackability (high compliance). Many moving coil cartridges of the past had low compliance and audiophiles destroyed record collections at the altar of "sonic perfection". Those of us who used Moving Magnet Shure and Moving Iron Grado cartridges are listening to the same records we have listened to for 30 years, AND THEY STILL SOUND PRETTY DARNED GOOD!
If you never heard of Grado cartridges and Headphones, it's because the company ceased advertisement about 30 years ago and still can't keep up with demand for their products. Made in New York City under 3rd generation family management. The present manager grew up sweeping the floors for Uncle Joe. Joseph Grado was one of the true geniuses in high end audio with dozens of patents to his name. He also found time to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, as he was a gifted singer as well. The company has been in the family since it's inception, kind of like Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker owners should like Grado products. From lowest to highest priced, they more than hold their own against the competition.
If you don't have any, get a pair of Grado SR-60 headphones for around $70 and be amazed how good headphones can sound. Also, the Audioquest tonearms are very good if you don't want to spend a fortune on one. My PT-6 is still as good as it was 10 years ago when I bought it. They were only $395 back then.
Don't forget to get a Shure stylus pressure gauge while you are at it. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to set your tracking force to the correct value. Tracking too lightly has caused more record damage than you can imagine, as the stylus bangs around the grooves like a miniature jackhammer. Grado has an EXACT value to set their cartridges at, not a range of values like cartridges of the past. If you are given a range, set your tracking force toward the high end of the range rather than toward the low end. Most people do just the opposite expecting to reduce record wear, and wipe out their high frequency content in short order, causing the highs to be rough and harsh. That stylus has to stay in contact with both groove walls at all times if you care about your LP's!!! And get a cartridge like a Grado that has very high trackability (high compliance). Many moving coil cartridges of the past had low compliance and audiophiles destroyed record collections at the altar of "sonic perfection". Those of us who used Moving Magnet Shure and Moving Iron Grado cartridges are listening to the same records we have listened to for 30 years, AND THEY STILL SOUND PRETTY DARNED GOOD!
If you never heard of Grado cartridges and Headphones, it's because the company ceased advertisement about 30 years ago and still can't keep up with demand for their products. Made in New York City under 3rd generation family management. The present manager grew up sweeping the floors for Uncle Joe. Joseph Grado was one of the true geniuses in high end audio with dozens of patents to his name. He also found time to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, as he was a gifted singer as well. The company has been in the family since it's inception, kind of like Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker owners should like Grado products. From lowest to highest priced, they more than hold their own against the competition.
If you don't have any, get a pair of Grado SR-60 headphones for around $70 and be amazed how good headphones can sound. Also, the Audioquest tonearms are very good if you don't want to spend a fortune on one. My PT-6 is still as good as it was 10 years ago when I bought it. They were only $395 back then.
I have a Grado cartridge on my turntable it is a cheap one, 29.00 but sounds good, I do have a CD player, I was talking about the late Eighties, haha. Oh and it was nice to hear the harmonys on "Time is one my Side" for the first time with the remixes, I wonder what "Englnds Newest Hitmakers" which was their first album over here sounds like on CD, it couldn't sound any worse than the bullhorn mix it had been given from old Andrew Loog Oldham.
Bob, speaking of the Stones, what about their bass gear? Did you ever own any English bass amps like a Marshall, Trace Elliott, Hiwatt, or Ashdown?
I always suspected Vox bass amps sounded (and lasted) below par (to put it nicely), although Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman and John Entwistle surely used them a lot in their early days. I think Howie Epstein played a Vox amp that had a Beatle head in one of my latest Tom Petty videos. It sounded OK, but didn't have that SVT type bottom to the sound. He played with a pick. I have an old Eric Clapton video showing Jack Bruce playing an old Selmer bass amp during their Cream days. Well, at least a Selmer amp was connected to the bass he was flailing on. With all the noise those three guys made, it's hard to tell how anything sounded except loud.
As we all know, when the Stones got some proper experience and big money, they bought American Ampeg amps. They still seem to have preferences for American amps. And big money.
I always suspected Vox bass amps sounded (and lasted) below par (to put it nicely), although Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman and John Entwistle surely used them a lot in their early days. I think Howie Epstein played a Vox amp that had a Beatle head in one of my latest Tom Petty videos. It sounded OK, but didn't have that SVT type bottom to the sound. He played with a pick. I have an old Eric Clapton video showing Jack Bruce playing an old Selmer bass amp during their Cream days. Well, at least a Selmer amp was connected to the bass he was flailing on. With all the noise those three guys made, it's hard to tell how anything sounded except loud.
As we all know, when the Stones got some proper experience and big money, they bought American Ampeg amps. They still seem to have preferences for American amps. And big money.
It would also seem that the Rolling Stones have a preference for Toronto as well.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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I owned an old Marshall Major many years ago, then found ampegs SVT's and haven't looked back since. I've seen Jack Bruce with Marshalls, at least in their later days, And Bill Wyman used SVT's most of the time as far as I know. For Their "Get Your Ya Ya's Out" live 1969 LP recorded in Madison Square Garden in NY they eached used about 3 SVT's, even for the guitars. That is one of my all time favorite live albums, it sounds like you are right on the stage with them.
Peter, I don't think they like Toronto anymore, haha.
Peter, I don't think they like Toronto anymore, haha.
Perhaps they have been persuaded to return on July 30, 2003 out of the goodness of their hearts then. Or the big money perhaps?
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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shamustwin
- Senior Member
- Posts: 5285
- Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2003 5:00 am
I just bought a new OLP MM2 bass for $230 delivered. Philco doesn't think the Presence of Paul is worth $20 more + travel expenses.
I bought Paul's DVD of his American Tour for $20. I saved just enough by going DVD instead to buy the bass!
I also bought the Stones DVD, so maybe I should buy ANOTHER guitar with the money I saved there also.
The world is a bit mad: Don't go to the concert, just buy a new guitar instead.
I bought Paul's DVD of his American Tour for $20. I saved just enough by going DVD instead to buy the bass!
I also bought the Stones DVD, so maybe I should buy ANOTHER guitar with the money I saved there also.
The world is a bit mad: Don't go to the concert, just buy a new guitar instead.