[drewfus420]

I have pulled my old Pioneer PL-L1000 TT out of long term storage and it no longer seems to work
Issues:
1 The cartridge elevator no longer works, I suspect it is just the belt, this is after all a 30 year old TT and it will probably be an easy fix.
2 The rubber on one of the feet (it covers the spring portion) has fallen apart, anyone know a good fix for this?
3 The damn thing doesn't spin! When I first plugged it in before leveling it it spun for a little while, but was scraping, so I leveled it as best as I could. Now no spin, What????
 
Anyone with any input on these issues PLEASE chime in as I really want to use this great old 'table again!
 
Thanks in advance, Drew

 

[drewfus420]

 
anyone out there have any advice regarding these issues?
I am weighing out just how much it would be worth putting into it for repair, or if I should just save for a Rega or other reasonably priced TT as I am doing a disservice to my vinyl using my Vestax DJ tables.

 

[ortofoninc]

I would pay to have it fixed, as it will probably perform really well once the arm suspension is serviced and the motor issue is fixed.
 
Plus, a nice linear tracking tonearm like that will likely sound great.  It's clearly not a cheap table or arm, and it's a unique piece of audio history.
 

 

[drewfus420]

It is a lovely table when it works, I just can't understand what happened with it while I balanced it that would cause the motor to stop.....

 

[ortofoninc]

Pull the platter off of that beast!
 
It's a direct drive motor, so maybe there are extrusions on the bottom of the platter that lock directly into the armature of the motor. 
 
That would certainly explain the issue with the rubbing before.
 
Hey, that table is a beauty...  I'm jealous!  It's said to have a higher mass arm, so it'll even be great for MC cartridges!!
 

 

[memepool]

That's a serious collectors item, one of the best linear tracking decks made and cost a fortune back in the day. Real statement product from when Pioneer were serious turntable makers, up there with decks like the Revox, Beogram 4000 or Sony Biotracer for sure.
Your best bet would be vinylengine.com, as there is bound to be somebody there with one of these.

 

[memepool]

What's your Vestax BTW? these arn't half bad for a modern DJ direct drive. You can improve them hugely by upgrading the tonearm to a Rega RB250. Mounting plates are available from World Audio Designs.
 

 

[drewfus420]

My Vestax's are PDX2000's, great for what they were made for, but not really an audiophile deck. I have had them about 6 years and love them for mixing.

 

[memepool]

I have the even older PDT-5000's on one of which I've replaced the stock arm with a Rega. The plinth is still plastic wrapped MDF on this model which I think is better than the later ABS plastic. I've added extra ballast to the bottom plate with thick layers of sorbothane to absorb vibrations and deaden the plate which rang like a bell.
Next stage will be to replace the feet or I may just built a completely new plinth as it's all just screwed together so the motor could easily be transplanted to something more solid.
 

 

[drewfus420]

that's a nice setup you have with that Vestax deck
I will be pulling apart my Pioneer soon to see what the deal is....

 

[ortofoninc]

Oh man, this deck is so cool.  I always wanted a PDT-5000 when I was younger, and you rarely EVER see a good picture of one.  Thanks so much for sharing!
 
I bet that you could dampen the platter with some sorbothane as well, and I bet that it also help speed stability because of the added mass.

 
Quote:

I have the even older PDT-5000's on one of which I've replaced the stock arm with a Rega. The plinth is still plastic wrapped MDF on this model which I think is better than the later ABS plastic. I've added extra ballast to the bottom plate with thick layers of sorbothane to absorb vibrations and deaden the plate which rang like a bell.
Next stage will be to replace the feet or I may just built a completely new plinth as it's all just screwed together so the motor could easily be transplanted to something more solid.
 

 

[Erndog]

I had the same problem.  Fixed it by tightening all the foot screws.
 

 

[DJSKB]

I have a pair of Vestax turntables, the digital model that one that needs to be fixed and would like some info. on it...I can't find the correct parts or anyone to repair them. One was mangled pretty bad in shipping.  Thanx to UPS I need to totally replace the tone arm and arm stand.
 
Dj SuperkillerBadass
Superkillerbadass@hotmail.com
337-296-1387

 

[drewfus420]

DJSKB-
I had to have my Vestax mixer repaired and I went to my local Guitar Center and they were able to hook me up with the info on where the local Vestax service center which I think was in New Jersey (I was in NYC at the time) and they took care of it.