The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The subject of this thread is perhaps a bit late, 1950s, for this forum, but I will give it a go anyways.

Does anyone have any experience working with a Meztner Starlight transcription turntable?

I have one in storage. The picture below, however, is not of my turntable.
The Starlight was designed by Robert G. Metzner (who owned or was associated with Califone, Roberts, and Akai).

https://museumofmagneticsoundrecording. ... berts.html


Starlight turntables were manufactured in post WWII Japan in the early 1950s, I believe. They have an ingenious tapered drive which allows infinitely variable speed adustment between 16ish and 80ish--sort of but not exactly like a Lenco. They have very large motors which have a lot of torque, and the turntables were probably capable of broadcast startup speeds (back queue, flick the power switch, and near instant on).

And here with the torque lies the problem with all Meztner turntables I have seen. The torque combined with poor materials engineering leads to metal shape distortion. There is a tapered aluminium bushing in the platter to fit on the spindle. The motor torque eventually distorts this bushing out of shape and the platter wobbles. It is also possible that the torque warps the steel motor shaft and/or puts its bearing out of round.

Slight wobble

https://youtu.be/6aMCZlb3sLk?si=za4eCtQ7cLhPlXbS

More pronounced wobble

https://youtu.be/rfdfNX98lhc?si=52Gp1Oj15sRo3Si9

Some machines have very severe wobble.

Someone in Japan working on a motor

https://youtu.be/6oJTET9ZJYs?si=_F4mVVO9nE7qt1Cq

Interesting to hear that the flutter/wobble problem is characteristic of the Metzner-Starlight turntable. For years I had an early Califone school phonograph, probably one of their fancier models; an attractive machine not least because of the M/S turntable. I was never able to cure the wobble and assumed my example had been damaged or had some other unique problem. After reading your post I no longer feel so bad about selling my Califone- some new owner is probably struggling with its troubles.
-Dave

streetmechanic14 wrote: Mon Oct 23, 2023 6:57 pm Interesting to hear that the flutter/wobble problem is characteristic of the Metzner-Starlight turntable. For years I had an early Califone school phonograph, probably one of their fancier models; an attractive machine not least because of the M/S turntable. I was never able to cure the wobble and assumed my example had been damaged or had some other unique problem. After reading your post I no longer feel so bad about selling my Califone- some new owner is probably struggling with its troubles.
-Dave

Well ... that's encouraging.