Most of you guys know that I do most of my own work on my Technics RS1500 but there are some things that I just don't want to mess with myself (or shouldn't). A couple of weeks ago, I got it in my head that I should lubricate the capstan bearings. I pulled the capstan/motor and without disassembling it I put some medium weight oil were I figured it would reach the bearings. The motor was pretty quiet before I did this but the oil loosened some bits of hardened grease (I believe) and
now my capstan was making intermittent noises. I pulled the motor apart and tried to clean the bearings but no go. I decided that replacing the bearings (with the urging of a helpful email from Doc) was the way to go. There are two bearings, one in the motor and one just behind the capstan. The one behind the capstan is pressure seated and needs a puller and press to replace it. I read the specs on the side of the bearings (they're both the same) and orders some really nice (read $$$) ones. On another great suggestion from Doc, I contacted Jeff Jacobs to find out where a likely local spot with the right equipment would be (machine shop?). Jeff told me that the motor needs to be assembled just right or the speed would be inconsistent and that he never found a shop with the right puller but that he could do it.
Well, to make a long story shorter, I sent my motor to Jeff. The bearings I had ordered were going to cost $85, I would have had to find a guy to pull and press the new bearing onto my
unobtainium capstan shaft and I would have had to trial and error my way though getting the motor reassembled correctly. Jeff charged me $138 and I was without it for a total of 10 days. And the motor,.. just perfect! I obviously couldn't A/B the motor work but if my aural memory is accurate, the sound is improved too.
There's nothing like having someone who specializes in your machine do repair work on it. They're faster and many times, cheaper since they probably know what's wrong or what needs to be done without spending hours familiarizing themselves with your deck. So, just like Doc knows the mods inside and out, if there's something wrong with your Technics, contact Jeff and I'm sure he'll take good care of you and your pride and joy. I couldn't be happier!
http://www.j-corder.com/