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Last night, I adjusted the speed correctly on my Amberol 30, and it sounds perfect, but alas, my Amberola 75 has some kind of weird Echoong going on. It sounds really eerie!! I think that I am summoning all the ghosts in my neighborhood when I play a BA on my 75 now. There is obviously something wrong, and it's not the speed any longer. What causes Echoing? A Bad/worn diamond? Sounds like I need a reproducer rebuild.. but I probably could get away with just changing a stylus since the volume is loud.. Is a stylus change easy on the DD Reproducer..? It does not look to bad, as I have never done one. Any Suggestions??? Anyone know what is causing this weird Echoing??

Signed,

Help.

)

Thanks,

Tony K.
Melbourne, FL

A web site that deals with Amberola repair FAQ is included at the end of this artcle. The site states that an echo is usually caused by a faulty stylus. As for ease of repair, I use the same analogy I did when I was in the Auto Service business: Its quite easy after the first five repairs you do. Its the first five that are tricky.

Here is the site:

http://www.intertique.com/AmberolaRepair.html

Good Luck,

Mark

Yep, the echo is a sure sign you need a new stylus.

I thought I read somewhere that the stylus can sometimes be turned to move the flat, worn area away from contact with the record?

I experienced a troublesome echo on my amberola VIII and it turned out the floating weight on the repro was binding and not floating properly. Once the pivot point was cleaned and lubricated, it worked fine.

schweg wrote:I thought I read somewhere that the stylus can sometimes be turned to move the flat, worn area away from contact with the record?

You can do that pretty easily on some earlier cylinder reproducers like the Edison Model C. However, that won't work on an Amberola reproducer. First, there's no unused surface to turn around. Second, there's no easy way to move the stylus around without messing up the solder that's used to hold it in place.

Best bet is to get another reproducer with a decent stylus as these sell for about the same price as a new stylus itself.

You need a new stylus. Any less of a fix will quicly ruin your records...

Before you replace the stylus, make sure the reproducer has enough lateral movement. There's a screw on the top of reproducer. Loosening the screw will increase lateral movement. I'll bet you a chocolate malt at Union that this will eliminate your echo. Jerry Blais

I agree that an echo problem on a diamond reproducer is likely to be a problem with the lateral movement of the weight. The weight should move back-and-forth (side-to-side)very easily and smoothly with little resistance and no binding. Loosening the screw slightly may help but the real answer is to remove the weight, clean and lube the pivot shaft and hole and reassemble the unit. I have seen a couple of reproducers where there was not enough clearance and tightening the screw completely would cause binding.
Also, make sure the stylus bar itself moves freely (vertically only). I once repaired a Diamond C where the potmetal stylus bar mounts had swollen slightly and I had to dress the inside surfaces of the mounting flanges to free it up.
If you need advice on disassembly/reassembly one of us can advise you about that.
If this doesn't work, then the stylus is probably the problem. You can get new stylus/bar assemblies from a number of suppliers. The price, I believe, is in the neighborhood of $100.00. I know that Ron Sitko (518-371-8549) carries them.

Jim