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Snagged a beat up record player for $5 at a yard sale in Dayton last month
The turntable was sticky and the needle was bent, but I figured for five bucks I could try fixing it. Cleaned the belt with alcohol and straightened the needle with tweezers, now it plays clear as day. Turns out most of the junk in those bins just needs a little elbow grease. Anyone else find something broken that turned out to be an easy fix?
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parkerh382mo ago
Respectfully, I gotta disagree a little. A bent needle and a sticky belt is one thing, but most of the junk at yard sales is that way for a reason. You probably got lucky. A lot of those beat up players have bad motors or worn out bearings that no amount of cleaning will fix. Plus, those cheap old turntables can actually damage your records because the tracking force is too high. You might get it to spin, but it's probably chewing up the grooves. I'd keep an eye on it and not play anything you actually care about on there.
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mary_patel592mo ago
Honestly, I had the exact same thing happen with a Fisher Price turntable I pulled out of a dumpster. It spun after I taped the belt back together and straightened the needle with pliers, but I finally checked it and the arm was digging grooves into my records like a plow. Ngl, I learned my lesson and now I only use cheap thrift store vinyl on those old beaters.
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