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Just joined and my first post. I have a Columbia 117a gramophone equipped with the plano reflex tone arm. Of late, it has developed a most annoying buzz or vibration during louder passages on a record. This has begun recently, as it was not present when I acquired the machine. At first I had thought it was the sound box, but after fitting the machine with two completely rebuilt No. 9's, the annoying vibration happens with each of them. Lacking a stethoscope, it seems the offending vibration is emanating from the area of the tone arm joint/crook to which the sound box connects. I am wondering if any of you have experienced this or know anything about it. I will say I feel that joint is sloppy to my eye and does not join as seamlessly as I'd like, but for the life of me cannot divine what is causing the buzz. I tried tightening the rest (the device which supports the tone arm crook in the backward position when raised off the record or inserting a needle), to no avail. Is this a common issue and can the tone arm be disassembled for inspection? I am most careful with this machine and do baby it as it is my "daily driver," but am hoping some of you out there might have experience with this issue. I hope I have explained it well enough. Thanks in advance, and I am happy to be a part of this forum.

I can't solve your problem, but I truly believe the actual NAME of the tone-arm is plano-reflex. Not PIANO, but PLANO.

Try removing the crook stop, and unscrewing the crook from the main part of the arm. Clean the threads in both halves, then smear the threads with vaseline, or thick grease. Reassemble, and wipe of excess squeezed from the threads. That might cure it.

Phono48 wrote:Try removing the crook stop, and unscrewing the crook from the main part of the arm. Clean the threads in both halves, then smear the threads with vaseline, or thick grease. Reassemble, and wipe of excess squeezed from the threads. That might cure it.

Thank you very much for the info. I shall try doing just that today.

Best regards ~

Follow-up: Did just as you suggested. First off, I was unaware that the crook simply screwed off, so thank you for that information. Recall I mentioned that the joint was sloppy. The reason for that seems to have been that somehow over time the crook had managed to back out of the joint by 2-3 turns and was hanging, of a sort, out of the tone arm. After the cleaning and regreasing, the crook is adequately snug, but obviously not so much as to impair the smooth movement of the joint. But as I say, the joint was not that sure when I acquired the machine. At any rate, after reassembly, I played one of my loudest records (an HMV 12-inch of Bach's Toccata and Fugue) and heard nary a vibration. Thus, it would seem your suggestion worked! Many thanks again.

What type of needles are you using ? These machine soundboxes are extremely Loud and the vibrations may be caused by this , soft tone or Extra soft tone needles always seem better with Columbia machines of this period

Phototone wrote:I can't solve your problem, but I truly believe the actual NAME of the tone-arm is plano-reflex. Not PIANO, but PLANO.

Quite right and thank you. I love learning something new every day!

Phototone wrote:I can't solve your problem, but I truly believe the actual NAME of the tone-arm is plano-reflex. Not PIANO, but PLANO.

Quite right, and thank you for that. I love learning something new every day!

soundgen wrote:What type of needles are you using ? These machine soundboxes are extremely Loud and the vibrations may be caused by this , soft tone or Extra soft tone needles always seem better with Columbia machines of this period

I couldn't agree more that the No. 9's do seem to pack quite a punch. I have two of them, both rebuilt, as mentioned, which is why I was mystified at the vibration noise mentioned in this thread. I knew it couldn't be coming from either sound box. That said, I use Laubscher piano needles and other NOS Columbia needles, from soft through medium ("brilliant") tone. A loud tone needle is not only unnecessary but almost painful to the eardrums on this machine. As well, no matter what type needle I used, that annoying vibration was present, albeit to a much lesser degree with softer tone needles.

Can you video the machine playing with sound so the vibration can be heard ? You could put it on youtube , this may help

CharliePhono wrote:At any rate, after reassembly, I played one of my loudest records (an HMV 12-inch of Bach's Toccata and Fugue) and heard nary a vibration. Thus, it would seem your suggestion worked! Many thanks again.

Glad to have been of help!

Barry