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Hey guys... I've got everything done on my Victor VV-VIII except the needle bar adjustment on the reproducer. I am trying to get the needle to barely touch the mica, but the only way I can do it is to run the right screw down pretty far, and leave the left screw almost all the way out. This is as you are looking down at the face of the reproducer.

This puts the right spring under a lot of compression, and the left spring under very little. Both springs are new.

This doesn't sound right to me. Any help greatly appreciated!

You might try GENTLY bending the needle bar to make it seat properly. You don't want to bend it much at all, but much shouldn't be required. Also, be careful not to "twist" the needle bar very much so you can get the screw through the mica to seat properly in the needle bar. A little trial and error should get you through it. If it frustrates you, leave it for a couple of hours or until tomorrow. You will eventually get it.
Good Luck,
Matt

Is it normal to have to run the right screw in pretty far and the left one hardly at all?

banjo_picker wrote:Is it normal to have to run the right screw in pretty far and the left one hardly at all?

No, they should be more or less equal, your needle bar is likely bent.

Hi,
With your needle bar held on with your fingars, make sure the pivot edges are seated properly, and with the needle bar resting lightly and squarely on the mica, check to make sure the needle bar and needle are straight and not tilted out or in. This will give you an idea if the bar is bent . Mike

I agree with HMV; needle bar is probably bent. That or one of the springs is bent, are the springs both equal?
Also make sure the balance spring screws are both the same length. I had this happen to me where one of the screws was a millimeter shorter than the other resulting in one side being tighter until I replaced it.

-Here is how it should look, both screws being pretty much equal:

Mike,
In your second picture the knife edge looks bent and not 90 deg to the soundbox.
BTW-How did your rebuild of the #2 go?
Howard

howardpgh wrote:Mike,
In your second picture the knife edge looks bent and not 90 deg to the soundbox.

Thanks for pointing that out Howard, it does look bent in the picture. Actually it is straight, it just looks bent because of my finger's reflection on the edge making it hard to see:

howardpgh wrote:BTW-How did your rebuild of the #2 go?

The rebuild worked out nicely, it's working like new again. Thanks for sending the needed parts Howard!

Thanks for the info. I took it apart and can't see what is wrong. The screws seem even, as do the springs. And the needle bar looks straight. Maybe something will stand out to you guys. I have to screw in the right screw about 4 ½ turns, while the left screw is only in 1 turn. The left one makes the needle get farther away from the mica as it turned in, while the right one makes it get closer to the mica. I definitely have the needle fulcrum seated right.

With the caveat that I am quite new to this, the springs appear to be bent (at least one of them does) to me.

One is at a different angle, relative to the needle bar, if I am viewing the photographs correctly.