The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everyone. My Brunswick 207 with the two position Utona head has recently developed a skip. I have tried it it with several records, but each one has started skipping about half way through. If I slide the weight up to the front, it fixes the problem, but I do not like to do that. Any ideas? Should I lubricate something?

lubricate the base pivot of the tonearm, that is usually the cause of such a problem

Since the Ultona has so many adjustments, make sure that nothing has slipped out of place slightly. That is, see that the arm is telescoped all the way back (if you're not playing diamond discs) and that the side of the head with the Pathé or steel needle adjustment in slipped all the way to where it should be. Just a thought.

Also make sure the machine is level ( at least from side-to-side ) so that the record does not have to pull that heavy sound-box "up-hill" towards the spindle.

As the previous replies said, also make sure the tone-arm pivot is lubricated and not binding:it should swing freely from side to side of its own weight if gently nudged.

Even though the Ultona reproducers are counter-balanced to control pressure on the record, they are overall massive when you consider the weight of the head, the counter-balance and the arm. If a record groove is slightly off-center, the Ultona's mass gives it an inertia that causes it to skip over shallow grooves, particularly on Pathé records. I used a carpenter's level on my Brunswick to be certain the phonograph cabinet was perfectly plumb and level.