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Hi, I was wondering if anybody could answer a quick question. My mum recently bought me a second-hand record player (Akai AP-D33). When I went to play something on it, it soon became apparent that the speed was wrong. LPs sound fine if they're played at 45rpm, whereas 33 1/3 rpm is way too slow. So I can't play 7" at all. Is this a fixable problem or will I have to buy another turntable? Thanks in advance, Sarah
Hmm. That's a good question. I've seen this symptom from bad motors but I've also seen it from sticky rubber on the mechanism. Obviously, if it's the motor, you'll need to repair or replace it. But if it's just that the mechanism is dirty on the 33 RPM side, you may be able to clean it. Honestly, I've seen the "gummy rubber" symptom most commonly on roller-drive turntables when the pinch-rollers got sticky. Those containing pinch-rollers are usually not really quality tables, so if it has a roller-drive, I probably wouldn't mess with it. But if it's a nice turntable and it has just gotten dirty, then cleaning might take care of it. One last thing about solvents. Do be careful what you use to clean with. If you find rubber deposits on a pulley, there's a good chance that whatever rubber wore off on the pulley is pretty well decomposed. So you may need a belt or pinch-roller anyway. But be careful with stuff like alcohol and other solvents. It will clean that metal pulley nicely, but it might turn any rubber it comes in contact with into gummy bears.
Interesting. Its been my understanding that the large LPs had to be played at 33rpm, and the smaller records had to be played at 45rpm. I find it strange yours is the other way around!
The question seems to have come up at the link below as a common problem with that unit. It's the Electronic Technicians Association so there might be more followups there. Electronic Technicians Assn. forum
Wow! Great link, cool site. Good catch, thanks!