The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

There is often mention in various threads of tracking issues that can cause premature record wear with some makes/types of machines or conditions affecting machines. For example, the topic has been referenced in a current thread about machines with Swiss components. I don't want to hijack that thread on a tangentially related topic, but have grown curious.

What are qualities one should be on guard against with respect to tracking errors?

Apart from the usual things like seeing that reproducer gaskets are in good nick, are there things you can do to improve tracking on your machines?

Clay

Rebuilding the reproducer improves Compliance, but it doesn't affect Tracking.

If the tracking error is built into your machine there is nothing you can do about it short of physical modifications such as changing the angle of the reproducer crook. In general later machines have better tracking - a Victor V with a mahogany horn will look beautiful and sound beautiful, but a common Victrola from the 20's may be kinder to the records in the long run.

Most lateral phonographs track poorly, even when working at their best.

Consider the Victrola sound-box pictured below. In theory the reproducer should be parallel with the record at the needle point, yet this reproducer is at an angle. This angle means extra force is being put on the inside groove. At the end of the record this angle is reduced, but it still is not parallel.

The off brand 'Heineman' tone arm tracks better than the Victor because the reproducer is on the right side of the tone-arm, decreasing the angle.

Had Victor moved their tone-arm over to the right slightly, they could have improved their tracking.

FloridaClay wrote:There is often mention in various threads of tracking issues that can cause premature record wear with some makes/types of machines or conditions affecting machines. For example, the topic has been referenced in a current thread about machines with Swiss components. I don't want to hijack that thread on a tangentially related topic, but have grown curious.

What are qualities one should be on guard against with respect to tracking errors?

Apart from the usual things like seeing that reproducer gaskets are in good nick, are there things you can do to improve tracking on your machines?

Clay

Clay, I think one important thing about "all" these types of machine's should be mentioned. They were not designed or sold for an audiophile market. These machine's were sold to the masses that only cared to hear the favorite songs of the day.....nothing more. As Estott already mentioned....making sure parts like the reproducer are re-built as new along with lubrication, etc... is about all you can do.
Records were designed to wear. That way the company's could sell more records.
It wasn't until several decades later (high fidelity) that the true quality of the recording and how the improve it was taken seriously.
This is why if you have any good, rare and clean recordings in your collection.....you never want to play them on these types of machine's... .
BTW, in the Victor line up from 1-6.....the Vic 2 has the worst tracking error. Reiss makes a point of mentioning this in his book and states....don't play your good records on one.... .

There is one thing I can try to improve the tracking with my VV-50 and it will only involve modifying the flange gasket (which isn't original anyway). I am going to angle the gasket so that the reproducer does not attach straight with the sound tube. I can then angle it to track properly over the record, more inline with the groove. The reproducer will need to be shifted 12 degrees to track properly.

In the pictures below, the paper represents the new angle of the reproducer over the original angle.

-Do Victrola No.2s on fat tone-arms track this bad, or do they have the better angle already built in?

I am going to try this flange gasket mod, if it works I will post it in the 'Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials" section. It may be an easy mod that can improve the performance of the Victrola No.2 and help save your records.

The custom flange gasket worked nicely, below is the link for the full thread in the 'Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials' section which shows before and after pictures. I noticed a reduction in record wear and improved performance with this angled gasket.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =7&t=13306

Interesting work, Playertone...


Didn't HMV revise the geometry of the "crook" to achieve the same result, improving the tracking angle ?


I like the idea of a "revised" bushing to improve performance of the #2 soundbox...

One of my favorite machines is a 1918 Victrola XI,in oak, with the "fat" taper-tube and Victor #2. I never paid much attention to the tracking geometry; it made me a little sad to read that it might be a "record-eater"...

This thread is very relevant to what I've been doing recently.

I noticed a little while back that when I played records with my Kent Adaptor and HMV no.4 reproducer on my C-250, it left more dust on the needle than when I would play the same record with the same reproducer on my VV-240 (small humpback). I thought I tracked the problem down to some slop in the kent arm that caused the needle to be at a less that straight angle. I then got an Oro-Tone adaptor and an orthophonic style reproducer (which, do to its smaller British metal flange, needs to be attached with a bit of rubber hose)and found that on both the kent and the oro-tone more record dust was still produced. Looking closer, it appears that even when I align the reproducer up at the begining of the record, it ends up quite off kilter by the end of the record.

Has anyone else noticed the same thing on their adaptors? I'll try to post pictures when I can.