Newbie question about tone arm on a Brunswick

[Lyonsronnie1]

Hi folks!
I've got an old Brunswick model 6 (I believe, can't find a badge) and I've got a couple questions I don't quite understand yet.

1. On this model and it appears most models, you can turn the reproducer head around 360 degrees, but there seems to only be one position you can use it in (needle pointing down). So my question is, is the purpose of that just to make it easier to change the needle? Seems kind of over designed since it doesn't play the edison records (I don't think)

2. Probably my most stupid question I see on some models there was a little piece of felt that you rest the needle on so it doesn't scratch up the cabinet when in the 'stored' position, is this something that was built in, or on this model are you just supposed to turn the head upside down, needle up?

3. I've got a ton of 78's that came with it, and I'm cleaning them... they don't appear to be horribly scratched but do have some scratching. I'm having trouble getting any of them to play all the way through without skipping, if they skip and I push down on the tonearm a little bit it'll play right through. It seems the closer it gets to the center the more it skips. I've got the 'weight' that's in the tone arm adjusted all the way forward so it doesn't counterbalance the head, and the tone arm moves freely of it's own weight, I can't find anything binding. Do the records have to be in very nice shape to play without skips, or am I missing something here? I'm using a new needle each time.

I've had other players but this is my first acoustic machine!

[bigshot]

Ultona Reproducer Manual http://www.nipperhead.com/old/brult.htm
History of Brunswick e-book http://www.mulhollandpress.com/styled-2 ... index.html

The reproducer rests upside down when you aren't using it. Your tone arm is probably not swinging freely. That causes the skips. Someone here will help you figure out how to fix it. Shoot some photos for us!

[Lyonsronnie1]

Thanks for the manuals, Bigshot! I didn't realize the needle at the end also rotated, that makes it a little easier to understand. I can't get it to 'elongate' so that it can play the Edison ones but I'll figure that out some other time (I don't think I've got the 'diamond needle' installed anyways). The arm seems to move freely and easily but I'm sure I've got something wrong

Here's some pictures, I've removed the front door (it's plain) because the veneer had lifted, I'm gluing it back down. All in all it's in fair shape and sounds good considering! Sorry the pictures are dark!

[BiliBug]

There seem to be a whole bunch of things going on here:

1) Your Ultona is the single sided version, which does not include the diamond stylus. Rotated, and pointing down and forward, it was designed to play the Pathé vertical cut disks with a sapphire ball stylus (commonly missing or broken on these machines). To play regular lateral cut 78s, be sure that the reproducer is rotated so that needle hits at an angle as shown in the manual provided (figure 5), not straight up and down.

2) It's hard to tell from your photos, but your tonearm may already be extended, which will cause the needle to track incorrectly and potentially skip. The needle should be positioned in a path perpendicular to the spindle when playing - pushed in for lateral cut and Pathé disks.

3) It looks like your pivot hinge may be broken. Unlike Victors, there is usually a little stop molded in the hinge that prevents the tonearm from angling all the way down, thus preventing needle from hitting the wood surface of the top of the enclosed playing area.

[Lyonsronnie1]

Gotcha. I'm still messing with it. Yes, it's the 1 sided version, I guess this is the earlier model before they upgraded it.... I've only got regular 78's anyways so that's fine with me.

The tonearm wasn't extended, but I took all that apart just now and cleaned it, and lubricated it lightly. It does extend, it was just froze up. Since I don't need that for regular 78's though I put it back full in...

I did have it rotated at 45 degrees and was playing it that way, so I think that's correct now...

You're correct, the 'hinge' is broken, I couldn't tell but now that you mention it I looked, and the bottom casing where the two pieces meet has a chip missing, I suppose that's the stop you're talking about. Makes perfect sense! I'll just turn it upside down so it doesn't stab the wood.

Finally, about the skipping records... when I took the arm off, there is a set screw inside the very back of the arm where it attaches to the cabinet, that screw I guess is used to raise the entire tone arm. It was pretty far out... I turned it in some more, which made the arm lift in the back, making the reproducer swing farther down... and now it's playing even the badly scratched records all the way through!

Thanks for your help! Now I need to figure out the auto brake....

[52089]

The single sided Ultona does not have an extending and retracting tonearm. The extending arm was used only on the Edison side of the double sided version to correct the position of the stylus relative to the grooves.

The single headed Ultona plays Edison Diamond Discs by rotating the head to the Pathé/vertical position and using a diamond point stylus instead of the Pathé sapphire ball. My experience with these styli has been completely unsatisfactory and I would recommend not even trying this.

[Lyonsronnie1]

I likely won't because I don't have any of those records or that stylus... this one does have some sort of slide where the arm extends (on the bottom there's a little set screw that goes into a slot that runs the length of that part of the tone arm) so maybe since this was the cheaper model they just used the same arm but the cheaper Reproducer.

I looked at the auto brake, I think there's just a spring missing... and of course the grill is missing. I haven't been able to figure out if this is the model 7, or the model 20, not sure what the difference is in those two.

[Lyonsronnie1]

After looking at more pictures I'm pretty sure it's a 7, the 20 is slightly more ornate.