Columbia Grafonola Dragging When Playing 78's

[52089]

Another thing that causes drag is when you play a 78 that has been played with a worn steel needle or where someone put the soundbox in the first groove(a real no-no)THEN started the machine.edisonplayer

I kind of have to disagree with you on putting the needle in a groove and then starting the machine. I agree it's not the preferred method. However, when a disc has edge chips, it's definitely safer to put the needle down first. This is especially true when using a semi-permanent stylus like an Edison diamond or Pathé sapphire.

[OrthoFan]

I don't think this has been mentioned, but another source of drag can be a semi-frozen sound box or reproducer. Has the sound box been overhauled with new soft diaphragm gaskets, or are the old, hard ones still in place? Also, has the needle bar pivot been adjusted to allow the needle to track the groove with as little resistance as possible?

OF

[kendphono]

I have seen this problem many times before. Assuming that your tonearm is free to move and the reproducer is at the correct angle (i.e.. seated on the tonearm properly) I would say you have a spring problem. Likely the springs are fine but the lubrication has become sticky and the springs cannot slide properly against each other. Before you spend a lot of money, I would pull the springs and clean them. WD 40 and 4 "0" steel wool will clean them just fine. Lube them properly and put them back in.

Ken Danckaert