Picked a beautiful SL-23 up today at the local Goodwill. Your video was extremely helpful, and I used just about every tip you provided. I love this machine. Your video is far and away the best I’ve seen on this model. Thank you.
I bought my SL-23 forty eight years ago in 1975! It provided decades of enjoyment until I had it stored for a few years when I moved home. When I began to use it again the strobe light and speed at 33 and 45 were both out of synch and the sound was, of course, awful. I bought 2 new belts but the problem continued. I failed to find a repair engineer and was about to scrap it and buy a new alternative deck when I found your website and full service demonstration. Thanks to your easy to follow guidance I successfully carried out my own full service and my deck is now back and working like a dream! What's more, you have saved me a fortune! Thank you so much.
Thanks for taking the time to share this and for being so thorough. Researching this process on message boards made it seem a little intimidating, but I have total confidence digging in to mine now.
Thanks for this man, I have one of these that was previously owned by my late father. At first couldn't believe how good it was seeing it was an old piece of equipment. But thanks to this video I think i'll extend its life way further. Thanks again.
This is a great video with great detail. I followed your steps to the letter and the turntable is now 100%. Cleaning the inner rim of the platter and the belt made all the difference. Thank you very much.
Thanks for taking the time to go through the step by step process. From this I was able to troubleshoot why my 33 was playing at around 10rpm and my 45 wasn't playing at all. I was able to service the unit and restore it to its previous glory!
i came across one of these the other day in the local sharing ahead and snatched it up, it was dirty and nasty so i’ve been cleaning it up and getting it in working order again! it’s my first turntable and anything to do with records im so excited
Thank you for the thorough video! I just got a restored SL23 at a local stereo repair shop as my first real turntable (can’t count that all in one suitcase Victrola from Amazon) and this was really helpful. I am happy to get confirmation I snagged a good one on a budget!
Thank you I just followed this whole video I appreciate it! Mine was never opened before and had the original grease. I was able to clean everything up stop the motor wining with one drop. I noticed my belt was slipping and doesn't snap to the Platter as you release it like yours did. I may have to replace that but it hasn't slipped after I followed this video. Thanks a million!
This was a clear and easy to understand video, thanks for making it! I recently bought an SL-23 for $35 from a woman who had purchased it new in 1977 and was going to replace it with a new turntable. The speed was way off, the outside was covered in cigarette smoke grime, and the stylus was broken. I cleaned up the outside, did most of the maintenance you showed in the video, and installed a cartridge/stylus. It now looks like new and sounds great. The best vintage audio purchase I've ever made.
I can't thank you enough! I have the same turntable - got it for Christmas in 1978. Took it to a "professional" for service/repair. They couldn't fix it. Your tip on cleaning the on/off and speed adjust controls got it working.
I’ve had three DD Techincs tables for over 40 years, two SL-1900’s and an SL-Q3, all wonderful machines, But!! I was so impressed with the SL-23 I purchased one recently which is easily the equal of the others. Really enjoyed this video and did the service with the predicted fabulous results…thank you for a great and thorough presentation:)
Thanks so much. I bought mine sometime in the 70s. I have gotten back into using it again and the only thing I did was replace the belt and used some off brand electric parts cleaner that left residue. Certainly more areas to clean and lube that I knew about thanks to you. The speed goes haywire still so I think I can hopefully fix that now. Great vid!
Great video! The SL-23 was my first turntable, purchased new for $99 when I was in 7th grade. This was added to my Pioneer SX-450 receiver with AR18 speakers. I gave the SL-23 to my dad a couple years later to replace his old Dual player and I bought a new SL-220 for myself. I still have the SL-220 today, 40 years later, just completed a full service myself (belt, pots, and sticky auto return lever due to old grease). Rock solid 33rpm at 0.06% WF using RPM app. Talk about durability!
Great vid. I just picked one up with speed issues for $40 bucks CDN. Very confident I can dig into this now. ETA: Took apart and serviced using the methods here. Deck works perfect and is super quiet. The cart sounds really nice too. Thanks again.
I bought my SL-23 new in 1976, along with a Rotel amp and tuner. All I ever did was clean the speed pots and the on-off switch. It is an excellent turntable that will stand up to many other tables costing far more. I kept mine in pristine condition and used it until June 30, 2021 when we had a fire in our home.
Just bought an old National Panasonic SL-18 in dire need of some maintenance. It's very similar to the Technics SL-23 (with some minor differences), so I will be using this video as my guide.
I wanted to let you know how appreciative I am to you for making this video. I inherited my father-in-law's SL-23 and it would turn on (the strobo scope would alight), but was not spinning. I searched for Technics SL-23 service and found this. I purchased a new belt and then I followed your instructions exactly, although I could not defeat the threadlocker on the retaining screw for the spindle - I started to strip the screw so I gave up. Also of note was a plate inside under the bottom cover that said it was manufactured in 1976. Either way I followed the rest of your instructions, cleaning the contacts with Deoxit on the speed pots and speed selector, lubricating the motor, and cleaning the platter and pulley for the belt, and I brought this 45 year old turntable back to life! My wife is thrilled because of the memories she has of her father enjoying the turntable and now we can again as well. So thank you so much for taking the time to show these instructions in such detail. I cannot express my appreciation enough for you publishing this video. Thank you again. P.S. I also installed a new cartridge with your recommendation of an Audio Technica AT-VM95 below. It's the green one with the elliptical stylus. The original cartridge was the same Shure you mentioned in the video but the stylus looked a little bent and I didn't want to take any chances.
That's great! To get the little screw off the spindle, use a little heat and then some sharp pliers or cutters and turn counter-clockwise. It will come off.
I have the same tt and the sound quality is amazing. And a bsr 2330 I picked up just because I like the vintage stuff and BOTH blew me away with sound quality. Something I haven’t seen an any modern tt under a grand
I am more than excited that you uploaded this video! I obtained a Technics SL-20 just ten days ago, fully serviced by a reliable technician, coming with a brand new belt and a brand new Audio Technica VM 95C cartridge (with the original headshell) from the local 2nd hand market (Greece). As you rightfully said, the SL-20 is almost identical to the SL-23. The differences are that the SL-20 is fully manual (no auto-start and no auto-return), with no stroboscope on the platter and no light, respectively. Otherwise, they both use the "frequency generator servo mechanism", which (allegedly) provides these beauties their stability in speed. You covered many points of its maintenance, which I'm going to check in the future. I'd love to see a demonstration of the height adjustment of the tonearm; according to the manual, it is controlled by a screw attached to its base, next to the arm lift, the semi-circular lever that pushes the arm and it can be adjusted using a screwdriver. Sorry for my asking, but these are my first days of having one of these legendary Technics TTs and I haven't started my "experimentation" with it yet. If you could do a shorter video especially for the SL-20, it'd be great. Even if that won't happen, I'm grateful for this one - it'll be a valuable source of information in the future. Thanks for that! One or two more things to underline: these things do indeed "are under the radar" of many. For example, here in Greece, there are only a few ads concerning Sl-20s (and even fewer for the SL-23), with a price range of circa 100-200 euros, depending on the condition (the SL-23s are more expensive, as a general rule). To give an idea, I had mine SL-20 for 150 euros (including a full service and the brand new cartridge) while for the much sought after 1200 mkII direct drive TT, the prices start at 350 (at the best) and they can be skyrocketed up to 1200 euros (we are talking about a used one, especially one of the "golden" editions). So, I'd agree that they remain a kind of a bargain for those who wish to obtain one reliable TT and are within a budget (as I was). An extra plus is their impeccable aesthetics! They both look so beautiful to the eye! Far from being an expert, I have a sense that these SL-20/23 TTs were the pinnacle of the 70s - 80s TTs for Technics. The later fully automatic TTs of the 80s are something of a lesser charm, IMHO. Secondly, I am more than happy that you mentioned (and you have scheduled to go for) the Covid vaccination! I am a doctor by profession (Radiology) and I have to assure the public here that these vaccines are a great scientific achievement by themselves, the safest way of getting the globe out of the pandemic. I realize that there are some issues, but these are extremely rare and way a lesser danger than being stormed by a Covid infection. for the note: I had my 2nd dose back in early February (via the Greek NHS) and I am perfectly fine with it - I remain strongly in favor of the vaccination plan! Good luck with your shot(s), as well - and stay safe!
To adjust the height of the arm lift, first push down on the arm lift mechanism with your finger. The screw should now become more accessible. Adjust the screw (hexagonal in shape) left or right depending on higher or lower, let go of the lift mechanism and check. Repeat, and adjust. Good luck.
Late Reply. I’m so grateful for this video. Recently bought a SL-23 turntable from someone claiming “running like new”; only to find motor noise being picked up by the cartridge every revolution (left chanel crackle), intermittent phono jacks, inconsistent speeds. I didn’t know how to cure any of this and was going to send an angry message to the seller. Thanks to this video, (and discovering solderless rca jacks); I know have a great turntable, surface noise has lessened after performing the above too! I’ve fitted the cartridge (with microline upgrade stylus) from my previous ATLP120x to the 2L-23
i have this play its pkaying only normal in 33 speed if i put in 45 its very slow wanna try to open it but scared my brake it its my favorite turntable they sound really good thank you for your video i have the grandmaster technic sl-1210m5G i always used my sl23 for my relaxing time thank you and always follow you your video is very helpful thank you and i appreciate you
There are two internal potentiometers that control speed for 33 and 45. I show them in my video. You need to increase the speed on the internal 45 speed pot.
thank you thank you so much i follow the 33n 45 mechanism and 33 n 45 speed put oil the one you have totally works like brand new again thank you for awesome response your the best ill make a post on my facebook with this turntable always stay safe thank you thank you so much againnn godblesss
Good video ... I have 2 SL-23s that have had the same issues you discuss here. I also had to change out the damping fluid in the cueing mechanisms; one took10 seconds to drop and the other dropped immediately when the cue arm was moved. That was a very intricate repair with springs and small parts in a difficult to access area. I tried several different viscosity oils before finding 500,000 cSt silicone oil at a hobby shop (I could not find any audio stores that were able to offer advice...) anyway, they work well enough now, but the drop time differs slightly between tables. I would like to see a video on that issue. Thanks
I was given one of these years ago, fortunately with a shure v15 type3, and only tackled its refurb recently. I've done most of the same service including new belt and electrolytics, but the speed has remained wobbly. I am going to redo the service and doublecheck the bearing and motor lubing which I may not have done properly. If the prob remains I suppose I'd pursue replacing the speed pots. In the same timeframe I have also done a less intense servicing to a direct drive SL-D1 (haven't changed the electrolytics) and that one works perfectly.
Thank you for your thorough explanation. I bought mine in high school back in the 70s and have not used it for decades. I bought a new belt and serviced it according to your instructions and it's working well. All that is remaining for me to do is replace the needle or the cartridge. If you have any recommendations, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Thanks for this vid. Time to see if I can get my dad's working properly. I'm having the non-spin issue, the motor only tries to spin for a split second.
I just wanted to say thank you so much for this video and making a clear and user friendly explanation for servicing. I bought my Technics SL-23 about 8 months ago and it's been working fine until today when during a playthrough of an album, it starting going slow and then just stopped. The strobe light was on but the platter didn't spin. Tried switching it to 45rpm and still nothing. Followed the instructions on this video and put some de-oxit on the speed control and it's not playing again. Thank you so much. If I can be so bold, if you have the opportunity can you do a video explaining how the strobe actually works alongside the dots on the platter. How to adjust it and what you're looking for when adjusting it?
@10:50 tell me if you will, by pitch controls being a 'little wobbly'. I serviced mine doing all this year and half ago, as what most do, and got everything working. No speed situation again, so checking the speed switch and the motor bearing of course. However when it was running well, I noticed that once I got the speed just right, after about 30-45 minutes or sometimes less, the speed would be off and have to be adjusted again. Is this what you mean and what would you suggest in adjustment of these components?
Hi - i have one of these and during playback the speed drifts - so i set the strobe correctly at the beginning of the song and by half way the strobe is drifting a lot.. can you sugges what might be the main points to look at for this.
Great video, thanks! Any suggestion for breaking the retaining screw lose? I couldn't get it to budge, so I didn't clean the bearing. My turntable still doesn't turn when turned on and the needle moved into position.
I've been trying to refurbish my parent's SL-23 and I'm glad this video popped up. I've been struggling to find the proper stylus/cartridge combination. I can't find the Shure cartridge on Amazon, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to recommend the best substitute for either of these. I'd also appreciate a spelling for the Japanese company if you wouldn't mind (for my personal use later.)
Wonderful video. I noticed you mentioned 30 weight but are you using a motor oil for cars? I'm curious which oils you recommend for the motor & spindle bearing. Thank you.
Hello, thanks for the excellent informative video. Is it difficult to replace the dampening fluid for the Tonearm? Mine drops too fast. I'm unable to find any info on this.
Excellent video my friend. I was gifted the workhorse SL 23 from my father-in-law. Something kinda special about having the ability to maintain this table. My questions are, what chemical was the spray? Where is a good source for new belt for the SL 23? Lastly, the stylus, how do I know that it is in good working order. Once again, excellent job and thanks for giving away your knowledge.
Any electrical contact cleaner will work. Caig DeOxit D5 is very popular. Check LPgear.com for belts. If you don't know the age of the stylus or condition, best to replace it.
Hey man, thank you so much for this video, great content and spot on. I watched it a number of times as I've got the same model. One thing I was wondering, my auto return is not working at all, doesn't return early or late, just doesn't return. Any ideas ? Oh, and the speed selector switches were 100% in need of service . . I bought the Deoxit and everything hahaha. Thanks again, let me know about the return if you could.
Thanks for the video! I recently purchased a SL-23, but somehow the sound output is only transfered to one of my two speakers. My speakers, cables and amplifier do work when I use another audio source. So right now I am not sure but I think it might have to do with a failing RCA cable. Do you I think I should try to replace the RCA cables with new ones? Or should I try something else first? Thanks in advance
Thanks a lot for your great video! Two weeks ago I purchased this great reliable turntable. It works perfectly, except one small issue: the tonearm drops completely undamped and I'm afraid that I'll damage the stylus. Do you have any advice about a place where I can add some oil to slow down the dropping of the tonearm? And what should I use? Silicon oil? Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!
Great tutorial. Would you have any advice on the tone arm bearings? Mine seem to be sticking a bit even though I can still set tracking force okay. The turntable was handed down to me and went a number of years without the dust cover. And how reliable is the anti-skating on the SL-23?
Anti-skating should be reliable. If your arm's vertical bearing is stiff, you could try gently loosening the bearing screws on the sides. If the horizontal bearing is stiff, there could be corrosion present.
@@TurntableGuy Thank you. I discovered another quirk of the SL-23. There were two variations, the second being the SL-23A. Two different belt sizes were used as well; 22.4" and 23.2" but no reliable method to determine which one applies to a specific turntable. I thought the "A" designation would help distinguish one from the other but other sources state one should go by the unit's serial number.
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. This answers most of my questions. Real question. Not criticizing. If the bearing originally had grease, why not put lithium grease or something like that?
Hello, just subscribed. I followed your instructions after finding my 45 switch not working. I bought contact spray and managed to get the platter moving steadily. However, when I tested it the TT I found the left channel on the rca is not working. I tried cleaning the cartridge contacts with alcohol. Still no luck. Then when I opened it again and started to explore I managed to break the 1st phono arm cable on the audio board. My question is could this be spliced together and soldered?
Great video! Fixed my pitch adjustment pots right up, and now speed is dead on. Was wondering if you had any thoughts on this: my SL-23 has an annoying faint hum. It’s not super loud, but just loud enough to notice during silence between tracks etc. I think the tone arm isn’t properly grounded because I also get a slight buzz in addition to the hum when i touch the tone arm with my hand. All the solder joints under the ground/shielding plate look good though. And yes, the ground wire is properly connected to the ground screw on my amplifier. Any thoughts on fixing this? Thanks!!
Humming and buzzing can be such a pain to locate and resolve. If you have another headshell/cartridge to swap in, try that first. If that does nothing, it's time to check for continuity on all the audio connections in the table. You can check if your tonearm is grounded by using your multi-meter on continuity check. Put one probe on the end of your ground wire and another in the headshell socket's body.
Thanks, I’ll pull the multimeter and check for continuity. Already tried switching out the cartridge. If no continuity, I guess I’m in for a real fun job finding out where the break is.
I have an SL-23 that's been in storage for probably 30 years. The belt was toast, I have a new one but the platter won't come off. When I press on it like you showed there's play but it doesn't pop off. The spindle seems to be stuck to it. Do I need to worry about breaking anything if I force it? Can I put some oil at the base of the spindle to try to get it free, or could that ruin anything below? Is there some other trick to get it loose?
Hello, i have the 23A that I got from a friend, I don't think it has been used for 20-30 years. I have bought a new belt for it since the one on it had turned into some sticky substance. The motor hardly turns even with the belt off and it makes a squeaky sound and it also just stops like there is a bad connection somewhere. I have not sprayed anything on the pitch and speed controls yet, was it standard electro cleaner you used?
Hello I have sl 23 when I plug it in my pioneer sx3800 the left/negative has no sound/signal. How do I change the rca cable to a new one check that connection and spray doxit and still no sound. Can I just cut the cord and attached the new cable. Any advice will be greatly appreciated your very expert with this player. Thanks
I have an SL-20. With an AT71E...one of the BEST sounding turntables I've heard in my life. Only catch: mine has loose tonearm bearings. I mean, SERIOUS unacceptable play, side to side, back and forth. Someone might have knackered it in a move. Unlike some of the other Technics turntables (the 1200Mk2 especially), the bearings seem not to be accessable from the outside-they're concealed, kind of like on the SL-2000. Any experience fixing loose tonearms on these turntables?
@@TurntableGuy that's a testament to how well-built these turntables are. I guess that means someone would've seriously abused mine to get it to where it is. Shame. My SL-20 was a rescue from a console stereo of all things! Let's all give Panasonic a little pat on the back for their engineering finesse.
Can you tell me the specific release date of the sl-23. I saw an ad in Australia magazine from may 1976, but I want to know if it came out earlier than that. Thank you! @turntable guy
Thanks for this great video. Picking a mint 23 up today for $60 and this give me a good idea what to look for. Haven't had a Technics TT for years. Mainly run Garrard Zero 100s for years. This is wayyyyyy easier ti service :) I used to service incredibly sensitive 1 hour photo machines and the lube of choice for gears and stepper motor related items was always lithium grease. Any experience using it for bearing lube?
Hello, Thanks for the advice, I decided to replace it with a new set of ready to install rca cord, while trying the remove the old ones I accidentally pulled all the wires and now can not find the order of these wires soldered back to the board can I please with expert knowledge where these wires goes to each soldered board, green white black brown from green ground & black left to right order. I should removed the old one while they were screwed in and would not have the moving that cause of the wires pulled. If I can get a clear picture of it or the order of them in the board. Again thanks a million whatever help or anything so that I can put this awesome technics sl23 to work again. Thanks
Hello again I did put a new rca cable set and replace the left and right cord and the ground. Now when I plug it in my receiver it hums and when I touched the tone arm it becomes louder.Maybe the new cord set is defective. i found a used cmplete phono board from organdonor website just connect the tone arm wires. problem the black wire from tonearm broke in half. Can I soldered it with ground I remove to reach the board and ebay has the wires but no black wires in it. Any suggestion or advice very much appreciated. Thanks
You can use the Technics protractor from vinylengine.com which I believe is based on the Stevenson alignment. Or, do as the manual recommends and mount the cartridge straight 52mm from stylus tip to headshell gasket.
Hi man, can you help? I have a sl 1200 mk5. It has a rough scratchy pitch slider. It feelss like it needs re greasing, do you have any suggestions for it without having to dissasemble?
There is no way to properly service the pitch slider without taking it apart and servicing it correctly. You could try spraying a contact cleaner in the slot, but it won't help much.
Hello, Do you have advice on why the belt pulley starts for a split second, then stops? Keep in mind, I'm thinking about buying one that has a belt that's deteriorated, so there is currently no belt attached. That being said, the belt pulley starts, then stops right away. Any ideas?
@@TurntableGuydo you have a video how to correct this and service the micro switch? 3 in 1 oil at the base did not fix it for me. Great video overall, I really appreciate it.
I've never had to do it, but it is a bit of a challenge. This thread at Audiokarma touches upon the process: audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/will-led-light-work-for-a-turntable-strobe.626849/
Hi Guy, i have this turntable from 1976. I have a problem with the tonearm : I have a problem with the lowering of the arm. There is no brake for the descent. On the documentation we see a spring on the descent axis. Is it easy to access it to try to repair? Thanks for the answer. I'm in France.
@@TurntableGuy Thank you very mush for the answer. I thought about this solution. I have already purchased this particular oil 300.00 cst. I poured it into the pivot, but unfortunately everything sank inside and the problem is still there. Unless I haven't put it in the right place?
@@redphotax You need to completely disassemble the arm-lifter mechanism. The silicone oil needs to coat the lifter pin completely. I recommend you download the service manual at vinylengine.com.
Hi, thanks for this. Bought one of these a while ago for a fair price but notice that the arm does not lift high enough on auto return. The needle is dragged across the platter and vinyl (imagine the horror!). Any idea of how I can fix this? Thanks!!!!
Hi Mr 🙂 I found an old SL-23 up on a ceiling..Ii think it has been used in a mobile discotek in start 80" 😊 but I wondering what the third cable is? It comes out on the back on the same spot as the red and white cables 🙄 maybe an mono cable? The sound is really low when i connect the SL-23 to my amplifier? Even when the volume is up on 90% 🤐 I hope you can help 🙏 //Lasse
@@TurntableGuy Thanks for the quick answer 😊 Does the ground cable have something to do with the sound being so low? Or is there something you think I can do to fix the sound?
Dear Turntableguy, would you say all of the same nice things about the SL-230 ? Is the SL-230 an automatic version of the SL-23 but with controls on the outside of the cover?
I did everything you talked about and man what a difference. The speed is steady now and she sounds good. Need advice on a new stylus. The original has been discontinued.
Working on a second Sl-23. This one has a weird issue. It plays fine but gets stuck at the end of the last song. I tried 2 different head shells with different cartages and they both do exactly the same thing. Seems like it is getting stuck there for no reason. It just starts skipping before getting to the end. I tried adjusting the anti skating and the return adjustment screw but neither fixed the issue. Other than that it works perfectly. Could the anti skate spring be bad. It looks file... any advice would be helpful.
Check to see if the tonearm is touching the arm lifter (cueing arm) when it is getting towards the end of the record. You can adjust the height of the cueing if it is.
@@TurntableGuy I figured out the issue. There is a white plastic arm under the table that has a small ball barring in it. I took of the cover and found it with a bunch of gunk on it. Cleaned it with a q-tip and alcohol, cleaned the channel it rides in an put a little grease on the barring and wa-lah the arm now tracks all the way to the end and returns! Without this video I would have never had the guts to take things apart to that level. THANK YOU! Love the SL-23. I have a Pro-Ject debut carbon that I repaired that was damaged and the USB board did not work. Its an old version... I removed the board and soldered on a new set of RCAs and that works well. I think the SL-23 is quieter plus it has auto return and the Project has no return or auto off.
For the SL-23? I would recommend the Audio Technica AT-VM95 series of carts. Choice of 5 models: C-Conical, E-Elliptical, EN-Nude Elliptical, ML-MicroLine & SH-Shibata.
Hello.. Not sure what happened to my comment.. I have an SL23 but it can't keep pitch. I cleaned the pots many times.. can you tell me what to try next?
Update: I ordered all the capacitors and replaced them. I also ordered the trimmer pots but I found that the three prongs did not have the same dimensions as the ones on the board. I didn't replace those. The speed seems to be better/stable now. If I wanted to replace the trimmer pots, do you know where I can get the right ones? Thank you @turntableguy for your help!
