Phono Cartridge Alignment Tool. $20
Turntable Basics has made the best cartridge alignment tool possible.
Home | Drive Belts | Idler Wheels | Record and Stylus Cleaners | Cartridges and Styli | Alignment Tools, Stylus Force Gauges and Bubble Levels | Headshells and Cartridge Mounting Hardware | Silicone Damping Fluid | Phono Stage Preamplifiers | Sleeves, Jackets and Bags | Interesting Links | Contact Us
The complete website for turntable maintenance, adjustment and performance!!
Our mission is to serve record collectors with essential accessories to keep the vinyl sounding right.
The Vinyl LP is the original, and still the best, high-definition, full frequency, full range recording format.
Ordering is through the shopping cart, whether you want to use a credit card, paypal or the printable order form for mail-in orders.
Last Updated June 11, 2008.
Phono Cartridge Alignment Tool. $20
Turntable Basics has made the best cartridge alignment tool possible.
An essential tool for installing any phono cartridge. Obtaining correct overhang length and alignment is essential to obtaining proper audio reproduction, and avoiding unnecessary record and stylus damage. This is a precision job and cannot be done by eye alone.
Based on long-accepted alignment geometry, but superbly executed, this alignment tool has a combination of features not available anywhere else. It is also the easiest to use.
The mirrored surface makes all measurements easier and more accurate. The mirror's parallax effect allows the elimination of sighting errors, and provides better lighting, critical in making fine adjustments on small parts. The two null points on the alignment tool are surrounded by concentric squares instead of a grid, so that the user will be measuring the cartridge body's lineup against parallel lines at each edge.
Finally, the horizontal sight-line, which is to be pointed at the pivot point of the tonearm when measuring alignment in the outer grid, ensures correct overhang length on any tonearm, irrespective of its effective length. There is an inverse relationship between the effective length of the tonearm and the optimal offset angle of the headshell.
Regardless of effective length, the two "null points," at which the stylus should be perfectly tangent to the groove, are the same. A properly designed and mounted tonearm will allow the cartridge to line up properly in both grids.
Complete instructions are included. They cover:
Because some turntable models (i. e. Empire, Thorens, Acoustic Research, Luxman, VPI, Systemdek, Well Tempered, Sota, Music Hall) have larger spindles, this alignment tool is available with either a standard or oversized spindle hole.
 |
|
| Carbon Fiber Record Brush. $12.00
|
 |
This Anti-Static Record Brush is essential equipment. It has over one million tiny carbon fibers which go deep into the record groove and remove stubborn dust particles. Its body has a copper wire grounding system to eliminate static buildup. For best results, ground your body to the stereo system by holding one hand on the turntable deckplate while sweeping the record. It is a dry brush only; do not use it with cleaning fluid. Hold the brush at an 85 degree angle from the record surface to gently sweep away daily dust. The brush's body has a rib in the frame for cleaning off the bristle ends.
Record Cleaning Fluid, Cloths and Kits; Stylus Cleaning Fluid and Brushes
Record and Stylus Cleaners
Click Here For The Complete Selection
| Audio-Technica AT-71ELC half-inch mount Stylus: Biradial, elliptical nude diamond .4 mil x .7 mil Tracking Weight: 1.0-2.0 grams (1.5 recommended) Response: 20 Hz- 22 kHz Output: 3.5mV RMS Channel Separation: 22 dB @ 1 kHz; 17 dB @ 10 kHz Channel Balance: 1.5 dB Cantilever: Tapered alloy tube Load Impedance: 47,000 Ohms Load Capactiance: 100-200 pF |
 |
 |
In Stock $45.00 |
You will need a phono cartridge alignment tool to install this, or any half-inch mount cartridge correctly. Running any cartridge that is not aligned correctly will damage the needle and your records, and sound poorly. Cartridge performance is also determined by the quality of the turntable, tonearm, foundation, wiring and amplifiers. If a turntable is having problems with excessive rumble, improperly mounted tonearm etc, then any cartridge mounted on it would sound poor as a result. |
| Audio-Technica AT301EP p-mount w/half-inch adapter Stylus: Biradial, elliptical nude diamond .4 mil x .7 mil Tracking Weight: 1.0-1.5 grams Response: 15 Hz- 25 kHz Output: 5.0 mV RMS Channel Separation: 26 dB @ 1 kHz; 17 dB @ 10 kHz Channel Balance: 1.5 dB Cantilever: Tapered alloy tube Load Impedance: 47,000 Ohms Load Capactiance: 100-200 pF |
 |
 |
In Stock $45.00 Shopping Cart Supports Credit Cards, Paypal and Mail-In Orders |
 | Silicone Damping Fluid for Tonearm Cueing Mechanisms, Damping Troughs, and Monopivots. $10.00
10cc, packaged in a plastic syringe for easy application. Restore the original smooth operation of your tonearm! For Cueing mechanisms, 300,000 cSt is best. For tonearm damping troughs, 10,000 cSt, 30,000 cSt and 100,000 cSt are available. For monopivot damping wells, 600,000 cSt is appropriate. |
Turntable Belts $10.00
Turntable Basics is happy to offer a complete selection of replacement belts for your turntable. As belts age and wear, they dry out, stretch and lose tension and friction, causing slippage and speed irregularities in your turntable. These replacement belts are new, individually sealed for long shelf life and made in the USA. The belt part numbers indicate their circumference in inches, i. e. FM 23.6 is 23.6 inches around. This measurement is made with the belt unstretched. If your turntable is not listed, you can measure the existing belt, or the belt's path on the turntable. Mark your starting point with a paperclip for accuracy. Remember that a belt will stretch by 3 to 5 percent during its life. If your turntable currently has no belt, then measure the belt path with a piece of string tied in a slipknot. Contact us at tim@turntablebasics.com prior to ordering or just mention in the notes section of the order form that you have an unlisted turntable. We'll send out a few belts in the range of your measurements and let you see which works best, and then send back the others.
Idler Wheel Rebuilding is also available.
 |
Shopping Cart Supports Credit Cards, Paypal and Mail-In Orders Ensuring that your turntable platter is perfectly level is critical to obtaining correct tracking performance. This simple, accurate bubble level is perfect for the job. It is 36mm or 1-7/16 inches in diameter. Remove the platter pad and place the level on the bare metal platter with the motor off. Place shims under the foundation as necessary to make the bubble appear in the center of the printed circles. Observe the motion of the bubble to test for wobble in the foundation. Do whatever you can to make the foundation heavy and stable, to prevent the transmission of feedback to the turntable. Quiet foundations allow enhanced detail and dynamic range in the audio signal. |
 |
Shopping Cart Supports Credit Cards, Paypal and Mail-In Orders Correct tracking force is not optional. Incorrect stylus force will damage your records as well as your stylus. Running the tracking force too low can be as damaging as running it too high. Always follow your cartridge manufacturer's specifications when adjusting tracking force. The stylus force gauge is a balance beam. It pivots on the two nubs that project from the bottom. It will balance at rest when the stylus force on any one of the laser-indented lines is equal to the force indicated. If 1.5 grams is your target weight, set the stylus on that line. If it tips the balance, then the force is too great, and you need to move the tonearm counterweight further away from the pivot and try again. If placing the stylus on the 1.5 gram line does not move the gauge, then the force is too light, and you'll want to move the tonearm counterweight closer to the pivot. When the force is exactly 1.5 grams, the gauge will be level. If you can get it off of either end but not perfectly balanced to the horizon, you're close enough.
This gauge is hand-calibrated for accuracy. Ideally, this adjustment is best made with the stylus sitting at the same level as it would during playback. Either place the force gauge directly on the platter pad, or remove the platter pad and rest the force gauge on the mirrored alignment tool. The mirror will help determine when the gauge is perfectly level. |
 |  |
Shopping Cart Supports Credit Cards, Paypal and Mail-In Orders This headshell fits all tonearms with a standard H-4 Bayonet Mount (see illustration below left). Comes with headshell wires. Cartridge mounting hardware is sold separately. Extra headshells are great to have around for spare cartridges, comparing cartridges to each other, or to have dedicated headshells for Stereo LPs, Mono LPs, and 78 RPM records. |
|
| Black Anodized Aluminum Headshells $10.00
|
Shopping Cart Supports Credit Cards, Paypal and Mail-In Orders
This headshell fits all tonearms with a standard H-4 Bayonet Mount (see illustration above left). Comes with headshell wires. Cartridge mounting hardware is sold separately. |
| Cartridge Mounting Hardware $4.00 Stainless steel panhead or cheesehead machine screws with nylon washers, stainless steel washers and nuts, in five sizes: 2.5 mm by 12 mm, 16 mm and 20 mm; and #3-48 by 1/2 inch, 5/8 inch and 3/4 inch. |  |
| Record Sleeves, Jackets and Bags A complete selection of paper sleeves, poly-lined sleeves, cardboard record jackets, and poly outer bags for 7 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch records. |  |
 |
45 RPM Adapter 25 cents each |
| Brass Tiptoe Cone Mounts $10 per mount
 |
Tiptoe Mounts are appropriate for mounting speakers and other audio components. Placing tiptoes under the turntable, speakers and other components will allow optimal deep bass response while suppressing the feedback loop that muddies bass at higher volumes. Ideally, three mounts are used under each component to eliminate wobble. These machined and polished mounts each come with a base with a precision-tapered hole to accept the pointed end of the cone piece, and also a knurled screw for mounting directly to component chassis. Inserting shims (washers) between the cone and the screw piece will also allow you to use the mounts as a leveling device. Thread: metric #6, 1.00 pitch. |
 |
RCA Stereo To 3.5mm Stereo Mini-Jack Adapter. $5.00.
If you're planning to record your LPs onto Recordable CDs on your computer, this is the adapter you need. Very hard to find! Many other adapters are for a 1/8 in. mini-jack, which is .013 inches too small. A 1/8 in. jack will fit, but the electrical contact will not be solid, and it will jiggle and likely fall out. This is a true 3.5 mm mini-jack, the correct size for your computer sound card. To record an LP onto a computer will require a phono-stage circuit with RIAA equalization. Going directly from the cartridge to the soundcard will not produce a correct signal. Either use a stereo receiver with a phono circuit, or the phono stage premplifier described further down the page. |
 |
| RCA Stereo To 3.5mm Stereo Mini-Jack Patch Cable. $7.00.
The correct cable to connect the phono stage preamp, or your stereo's line-in and line-out jacks, to your computer's soundcard. Length of cable: 32 inches/81 cm. |
 |
| RCA Stereo To 3.5mm Stereo Mini-Jack Patch Cable, 15 feet. $13.00.
The correct cable to connect the phono stage preamp, or your stereo's line-in and line-out jacks, to your computer's soundcard. Length of cable: 15 feet |
 |
| ART DJ Pre-II Phono Stage Preamplifier. $65.00
Perfect for plugging your turntable into a stereo with no magnetic phono inputs, or a computer soundcard. In addition to providing the required gain, this unit also adds necessary RIAA equalization to compensate for the industry standard EQ curve utilized on LPs. Includes gain control to set recording levels. If you are plugging this into a couputer sound card to record music digitally, it is recommended that you set the software input volume control at 100% and use the preamp's gain control to set the level. Unit features L/R RCA female type inputs and outputs, plus a stereo (TRS) 1/4" output. A ground lug is also provided for turntable grounding.
Specifications: Frequency response range: 10 Hz to 50,000 Hz, +/- 0.5 dB |
 |
 |
Phonolube $9.00
|
| "Re-Grip"
Rubber Cleaner & Revitalizer $7.00
|  |
Cleans and revitalizes hardened and glazed rubber drives and belts. Restores friction, allowing correct and stable drive speed. Use a cloth saturated with Re-Grip and rub surface until clean, wipe off any excess. Available in the USA only. No international shipping. |
Email: tim@turntablebasics.com
Ordering is through the shopping cart, whether you want to use a credit card, paypal or the printable order form. Shipping and Handling costs: no matter what the size of your order, and no matter where you are on the planet, the cost is the same. Domestic First Class or Airmail outside the USA: $4.00
