Orthophonic Self-Supporting Tone-Arm Problem--Any Advice?

[Ethan]

Hello,

I have a question about Victor’s large-diameter, jointed, self-supporting tone-arms, as used on the early Consolettes, Colonies, Granadas (all with nickel finish), and Alhambras (with dark finish).

I recently (well, a few months ago; but I was busy with school then and couldn’t attend to it properly) bought an Alhambra, because of its straight horn and possibly-better needle-tracking alignment than some of he larger models; but when I place the needle on the record, the soundbox is tilted over on its face by a few degrees. (See first two photos, below.) The needles that I have are a standard length, about ⅝”; the soundbox that I am using is from a VV2-55 portable Orthophonic; the turntable doesn’t scrape on any part of the brake mechanism; and I found no evidence of the motorboard, tone-arm mounting-board, or motor being installed incorrectly. Also of note, the angle of the needle compared to the record looks to be just under 60 degrees, which seems rather low; I thought that the angle was supposed to be around 68 degrees on Orthophonics. When I insert the needle just enough to be grasped by the thumbscrew and twist the soundbox forward enough that the angle is about 68 degrees, the sideways tilt is less severe, but still noticeable.

As everything appears to be installed correctly, it seems to me that the some part of the tone-arm must be bent; can any other owners of Orthophonics with this tone-arm give me the following measurement on your machines?

- Distance from raised outer part of turntable felt to tone-arm crook locking-ring. (About 1 ⅛” on mine.)

OR

- Distance from lower inner part of turntable felt to tone-arm crook locking-ring. (About 1 3/16” to 1 ¼” on mine.)

If these measurements are larger than usual on mine, would it indicate that either my turntable is too low (the metal rim is about ⅝” up from the motorboard) or that the main part of the tone-arm has been bent up from the turntable?

Also, does anyone know whether the tone-arm crook is supposed to be vertically symmetrical—that is, if someone were to commit the crime of cutting it in half horizontally, would the two halves be mirror images of each other (aside from the slot for the soundbox locking-pin and the pin that supports the crook in the non-playing position)? On mine, it looks as though someone bent the narrower end of the crook relative to the large end (see third photo), but as this is my first floor-model Orthophonic, I haven’t been able to determine whether this is correct.

Alternatively, if it turns out that the tone-arm is not bent, has anyone any other ideas about what might be causing the problem?

Thank you for any assistance or advice you may have!

- Ethan

[startgroove]

It's hard to tell, but is it possible the rubber mounting flange is compressed to an unusual angle. Look into the throat of the reproducer, see if the opening is true and centered. Cheers, Russie

[Ethan]

Unfortunately, it looks as though that isn’t the case; I just checked, and the brass mounting ring is definitely centered in the isolator and sleeve—not off-center or crooked at all.

I also re-checked the tone-arm and crook, and looking straight-on at the front of the locking ring, the left side of the crook appears to be bent slightly up and the right side appears to be bent down—although, as I mentioned, I haven’t enough familiarity with the Orthophonics to know whether this is intentional. The end of the main part of the tone-arm also look as though it may be slightly crooked (I can see a sliver of light at the top when I hold a square object next to it), although it may be too slight to make a noticeable error.

- Ethan