[raker]

Hi.
I'm new here so please forgive me if this question has been asked or
answered before.
I have a Dual turntable model 506 which I'm fond of.
I need to replace the stylus but can't find an original anywhere and
am faced with purchasing a copy.
The firm i see mentioned the most is 'The Diamond Stylus Company'
I maybe have an unreasonable predjudice here as the only two copy
styluses I've bought in the past turned out to be useless. They were
for a Sure cartridge in the 70's and were bought at Tandy.
I'm on a tight budget and live in Aberdeen where there are no second
hand hi fi shops so basically my choices are
1. copy stylus
2. Somehow adapt the arm to take a cartridge with a
standard 1/2" fitting
3. Goldring gr 1.2 turntable / debut iii

I feel there are too many possibilities for chaos with ebay so
that's not an option.

Any thought would be greatly appreciated - the heart of the matter is
to preserve my vinyl collection whilst still being able to enjoy it.
Raker

--
raker

[mp]

raker wrote:
Hi.
I'm new here so please forgive me if this question has been asked or
answered before.
I have a Dual turntable model 506 which I'm fond of.
I need to replace the stylus but can't find an original anywhere and
am faced with purchasing a copy.

You may try:

www.needledoctor.com

www.kabusa.com

Give them a call or send an email and perhaps they can help you out.

mp

[MC]

Actually, the word is "styli" (plural of "stylus"). Admittedly there are
some vendors that spell it with two I's for unknown reasons -- maybe to be
more Latin than the Latins.

There are several good online vendors of styli. I suggest
www.needledoctor.com and www.lpgear.com.

Another that looks good is http://www.turntableneedles.com/. Type "Dual
506" in their search box and you'll get a page of pictures of styli and
other components.

What make and model of *cartridge* do you have in your Dual turntable? I
gather, from a quick web search, that the Dual 506 was sold with many
different kinds at different times.

Also, if it's not 1/2-inch mount, is it by any chance P-mount or something
else? I'm not familiar with that Dual turntable.

One thing you might do is take a picture of the cartridge and/or existing
stylus and either post it on the web (for us to see) or send it to the
stylus vendor. You can even photograph a stylus by laying it down on a
scanner.

[Adam Sampson]

raker writes:

2. Somehow adapt the arm to take a cartridge with a standard 1/2"
fitting

It looks like you can get an adaptor to do that -- Googling around
finds a few references to:

http://www.garage-a-records.com/mounts.html

but it does seem to be awfully expensive for a couple of bits of
plastic and some screws! (That is, a significant fraction of the
second-hand value of the turntable...)

--
Adam Sampson http://offog.org/

[JimC]

Raker,

I also have an older turntable with a Shure cartridge, and I replaced
the stylus several years ago with one bought on-line. It worked fine and
improved the sound substantially. So, in my opinion, it's worth your
time and trouble to update your cartridge.

Somewhat off the subject, I note that you live in Aberdeen. We
(Galveston-Houston citizens) have one of your ships here! The Elissa, a
three-masted barque built in Aberdeen in 1877, was extensively
refurbished and is now docked in Galveston and maintained by a volunteer
crew and support from the Galveston Historical Society. It was selected
by the Historical Society because it was one of the ships that docked in
Galveston in the 19th century on voyages from England and South America.
The ship is kept in sailing condition, and, in fact, the crew sails it
in the Gulf of Mexico several times each year. (There are some
interesting accounts and pictures of the ship on several websites easily
found via Google.- Search "Elissa Galveston".)- I served on the crew
several years and conducted tours of the ship, often mentioning the
seafaring traditions of your city in years past. The Elissa crew members
gets extensive training throughout the year and, under sail, climb the
rope ladders and walk out the foot-ropes under the topgallant yardarms
to furl and unfurl the sails, as your ancestors did years ago.

I understand that Aberdeen no longer has much shipbuilding business. If
not, are there any historical remnants or museums celebrating its
maritime traditions?

Jim

raker wrote:
Hi.
I'm new here so please forgive me if this question has been asked or
answered before.
I have a Dual turntable model 506 which I'm fond of.
I need to replace the stylus but can't find an original anywhere and
am faced with purchasing a copy.
The firm i see mentioned the most is 'The Diamond Stylus Company'
I maybe have an unreasonable predjudice here as the only two copy
styluses I've bought in the past turned out to be useless. They were
for a Sure cartridge in the 70's and were bought at Tandy.
I'm on a tight budget and live in Aberdeen where there are no second
hand hi fi shops so basically my choices are
1. copy stylus
2. Somehow adapt the arm to take a cartridge with a
standard 1/2" fitting
3. Goldring gr 1.2 turntable / debut iii

I feel there are too many possibilities for chaos with ebay so
that's not an option.

Any thought would be greatly appreciated - the heart of the matter is
to preserve my vinyl collection whilst still being able to enjoy it.
Raker

[raker]

Thanks MP, MC, Adam and Jim for your replies.

I realised over the weekend that the stylus I have at present must itself be a generic model as it has no markings of any kind. Doh :-)

So, a replacement it is then.

Really the point I was interested in was about not damaging the vinyl I have rather than any other considerations and if a generic stylus is safe, then that's fine by mee.

I'll check out all of the links later :-)

Yes, I saw the 1/2" adaptor online - seems like extortion to me for a wee scrap of plastic.



http://www.compassnet.com/concept/tables/506.htm



Jim, that's very interesting about the ship. My boss sails with the tall ships out of Aberdeen - He'll be fascinated.



Here are some links that may be interesting;



http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...ll+ships&meta=



http://www.information-britain.co.uk...?Place_ID=3080



http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/...t_Maritime.asp



www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc/YourCity/webcam/



http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...ks/webcam.html

[raker]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I realised over the weekend that the stylus I have at present must
itself be a generic model as it has no markings of any kind. Doh :-)

So, a replacement it is then.

Really the point I was interested in was about not damaging the vinyl
I have rather than any other considerations and if a generic stylus is
safe, then that's fine by mee.

I'll check out all of the links later :-)

Yes, I saw the 1/2" adaptor online - seems like extortion to me for a
wee scrap of plastic.

http://www.compassnet.com/concept/tables/506.htm

That's very interesting about the ship. My boss sails with the tall
ships out of Aberdeen - He'll be fascinated.

Here are some links that may be interesting;

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...ll+ships&meta=

http://www.information-britain.co.uk...?Place_ID=3080

http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/...t_Maritime.asp

www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc/YourCity/webcam/

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...ks/webcam.html

--
raker