I was happy to get the Philips especially for the price (free). I'm not a big fan of the 1970's high tech touch speed select switches but they're working so I can't complain too much. The suspended sub-chassis is very nice. You can rap fairly hard on the plinth with your knuckles without causing a skip. It came with a ADC Q321 cartridge which sounds pretty good to me. I ordered an original headshell sled so that I can swap cartridges easily. Have you ever seen one of those post things that's mounted on the left rear of the turntable. Another view said he thought it was related to a "dust bag type item"
Bought one new in the seventies, and had to wait weeks before I had enough saved to get an amp 😊👍I still have it . The cleaning arm was a reg accessory sold back then in record stores . Cheers
That sounds like me in the late 70's saving money from my first real full time job to buy my first real stereo system. I still have all the components and all still work.
Awesome video... thx for sharing. I have a philips GA312 (bought new in '78) with a Acutex m320iii cartridge (bought new in '79)... TT was moderately used til around '88 then mothballed (moved in a box along with Sansui 9090db) 3 different times. I un-mothballed both around 3 years ago (that's 30 yrs in storage), did ZERO (and I mean ZERO) maintenance besides taking platter off and using shop vac to suck up the dust. The belt seemed pliable and all switches and motor seemed good. I fired up the 9090 too and even that beast seemed good!!! So, I put on Agents of Fortune by BOC and let 'er rip... Holy heck - what great sound. Been listening on avg once or twice a week ever since to my modest vinyl collection of 40 some-odd years - although I now have the ga312 hooked to '16-ish Onkyo AVR to enjoy the psuedo-7.1 surround with my Polks. Very nice indeed. Question: I see you lubed the platter shaft and the motor shaft (great detail on how this was done - thx!)... can you please share the type of lube you used? Also, trying to figure out where/how to lube the cuing mechanism in the back - any advice would be greatly appreciated! Also, I am wondering if the stylus is worn - any advice on how to tell?
Thanks for commenting on the video. I loved the story of your vintage audio gear. The story of my original ''78 vintage system is very similar. I use several different lubricants depending on the area and turntable. Plain old "3 in 1 Oil" works for most applications. I don't have any Cueing fluid but I believe it is a silicon based fluid that provides the dampening required to slowly drop the tonearm. It's available online and not too expensive. I have a 30x viewing loupe but I still struggle to detect wear. You might just want to buy a new stylus if you are not sure how many hours are on the current one.
Nice video! I bought one of these at a second-hand shop a while ago (for about $20!!), but it needs a belt and a stylus, and the on/off switch must be replaced. Otherwise it seems to be in really good condition, except some nasty scratches on the dust cover. Found this channel/video while searching for information on this turntable, since I'm finally getting around to ordering the parts I need so I can start to work on it. Thankfully mine doesn't have a "melted" belt stuck to it - it has no belt at all, and no residue from one. Getting it back to working condition will hopefully be quite simple :)
Thanks for the comments. You are lucky that there is no melted belt to clean up. That was the biggest part of the service. It seems like the power switch is a very common failure on these turntables so it's no surprise that yours needs replacing also. Most double pole single throw power switches will work for you. Good luck with the restoration, the Philips 212 is a very nice vintage turntable.
I have philips 312 electronic. I bought it used 5 years ago. It is very desent turntable. I lubricate power switch and change new needle to it. It have original philips 400 cartridge and I have to say that it sounds awesome. I lubricate tonearm " bearings" ( plastic) with silicone oil. I hope them dont dry. I enjoy it!
Nice vid. Not sure about the 212, but on my 312 ( bought new a lifetime ago) the tone arm lifts at the run out grooves as well as shuts of the platter. My power switch is fine, but the lift button doesn’t stay down. Probably the linkage or the led sensor that activates the lift up mechanism is out or dirty. For now, a one lb bottle of mercury does a good job of keeping the lift button in the down position!
Good to hear that your old Phillips is still working for you. I gave mine to a friend who was in need of a turntable to listen to his old record collection. The 212 does only stop at the runout groove, no lifting.
Hi! Thanks for the video, I just picked one of these up for cheap and everything seems to be working fine, I bought a cheap din to rca adapter and with that I get a really nasty hum which I suppose is from a bad ground, didn’t come with a ground cable so I’m just wondering where I should screw in/solder the ground cable?
I NEVER figured out how the tonearm on these machines should be balanced. I played a lot of records on a philips player but I have no idea how it works
There's a small sliding weight on tonearm. Slide the weight all the way back. Then adjust the counterweight to zero out the tonearm. There are marks on the tonearm for each ounce of tracking weight. Slide the sliding weight to the proper number of ounces for your cartridge. I always double check with a digital scale.
@@mguess i knew about this, but I am not sure when it’s balanced out as the tonearm won’t move up or down when I use the counterweight….. It’s so strange
I have a similar turntable (the GA312) and on the upper left corner I have a similar pin which attaches to a brush sweeper which "cleans" the record while playing.
Thanks for the comments. I did hear after releasing the video that the thing in the back was some kind of record cleaning device. I don't have all the parts to it so the function wasn't obvious.
"Cleaning device" is a big word for the simple thing as it only consists of a rectangular pice of 10 to 15 centimeter plastic with a free moving cylindrical brush and a vertical brush at the end. It follows the groves in the record and collects dust and small fluffy contamination. You could dip the vertical brush in cleaning flued, but I never did do that as that would only smear dust deeper into the record groves. Under the glued knob in the upper left corner on my turntable is says high fidelity.
Thanks for posting. The Turntable Guy gave me the bug too. Just picked one up in pretty good shape. I have a couple of questions for you, if you don't mind. What belt did you buy? The on/off is working, and would like to keep it. Looks like Deoxit didn't help yours. Any other ideas to keep the switch functioning? The 33 and Stop work, but not the 45. Only the green stop light works. Any input from you and/or your viewers appreciated. Thanks
Thanks for commenting on the video. I'm glad that you got into the hobby of turntable restorations. There are lots of turntables out there that need help. I think that I just ordered a belt off of eBay tor the Philips 212. It seems to work fine. Glad to hear that your switch is still working. Lots of them have failed. A shot if Deoxit in the switch may help . Deoxit is a good cleaner and also contains a lubricant which may help the switch last longer. I think that you can order the original replacement light bulbs on line. Use the correct bulb because it seems to be part of the circuit and may not work properly if you use the incorrect bulb.
Great video! I am currently restoring my fathers 212 (I’m very much a novice), and I’ve encountered a problem with the tonearm. Multiple wires seem to have broken connections and need replacing, what wire would you recommend to use as replacement? (Any particular brand/gauge etc) Your advice is greatly appreciated!
It sounds like you are having issues with the tonearm wires. These are the very small wires that conduct the small signal from the cartridge to the chassis of the turntable where they can be connected to the phono input on the amplifier. I haven't had to replace tonearm wires yet but I hear that it is a bit of a pain. Here is a link to some reasonably priced tonearm wires that will probably work for you. myneedlestore.com/produit/turntable-flexible-very-thin-wires-to-rewire-any-tonearm-about-30-cm-length-set-of-4/
Great video! I just got one of these beauties on a flea market, well actually the 312 model + the accompany amplifier Philips RH550 (bargain deal). Belt seems to still be ok which is great news, the only thing is that the rubber mat seems to be glued and some of the glue has unglued so when it runs it appears to be unbalanced. So, a couple of questions, was your rubber mat glued too? if so, what sort of glue do you recommended? Thanks a lot!
I think the platter mat was attached to the platter. Mine was solidly attached so I didn't think about it. I gave that turntable to a friend so I can't check the platter mat attachment. If yours is partially detached I think I would try some type of contact adhesive. Use something light weight to keep the platter balanced. Good luck with your project. It sounds like you found a good deal.
the incandescent bulbs under the touch witches are kinda part of the circuit. so if they burn, the switches wont work. i was lucky to find some replacements for mine. there is a cool green light on the switches. I don't know how this led modification was made but it would have been much nicer to use just white leds under the switches to get the same effect. the automatic stop at the end is also based on some optical detection and uses one bulb too.
The LED modification was performed many years ago well before I got the turntable. I noticed from the schematic that the bulbs are part of the circuit. The LED's seem to work OK but sometimes requires you to moisten your fingers to work properly. I didn't change the LED's for the original bulbs because the holes were already drilled into the turntable. I gave that turntable to a friend who reports that it's working fine for him.
I have a GA212 of the second generation, when the lights are burnt it still works. Also have a GA312, in the beginning they had the green touch buttons too, but soon they were replaced by red LEDs such as the one I have. More reliable, but I like the original better.
I'm trying to remove the bottom screw closest to the power button but the thing is stuck in there. I was putting so much pressure on the screwdriver I thought I'd break the shaft before freeing that screw. (Philips, why did you use flathead screws to hold the bottom on?) Of course I don't have a flathead bit for my impact driver that's long enough and extenders won't fit in the small hole. Out of the hundreds of various bits I have none will do the job. I guess it's Home Depot or Amazon time.
A lot of information and all very helpful. BUT...I was also looking for an examination of the cartridge and more than likely replacing it...given its age.
Good suggestion. I'll try to include more cartridge evaluation in future vintage turntable videos. In this case I did check the stylus with a 30X loupe and it seemed in pretty good shape.
That piece on the back, mine has an arm back there like a light-duty tonearm with a small brush on it and a delicate weight. I think it's all original. It cleans the record before the needle comes in contact..
Wow, what a butcher job on the power switch. I have a GA-312, the switch has never failed, but I bought a new replacement for about $5 online (basically a dime a dozen). Also the 212's used light bulbs for the speed switches, the 312's use l.e.d.'s so their lifetimes should be much longer. Cartridge sleds can be found used, but someone 3D prints them for reasonable money. I use this more than Thorens TD-160/SME 3009II or Linn LP12/Black Widow simply because it automatically shows off.
I agree, the power switch replacement is not very aestetically pleasing but it was free and will probably last a lifetime. Since the turntable has already been modified I wasn't too concerned about keeping it original. I gave that turntable to a friend. He is very happy with it.
@@PoppinWheeliez What are you going to do. The anonymity provided by keyboard sometimes affects peoples civility. However I do appreciate almost all comments, positive and negative. I generally learn something from all comments and try to respond. .
