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Basement find JVC VL-8


ArnieZ

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Have looked at the box many times but kind of forgot the turntable was in it

20170424_073448.jpg

Apparently servo motor needs new belt but everything works, and yes I do have the cover:lol:

I have recollection that when I bought it in 197xx the tone arm was favorably compare to a Sure SME.

Box says quadrophonic ready? anyways loaded with a Pickering cartridge have no idea how good it is

what's it worth I have another turntable and doubt I'll switch them out

Also found a Pioneer Tuner and an NAD tuner down there as well

ArnieZ

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What's the model number of the turntable? 

So you're saying it's a belt drive turntable? What's the story on that big wooden plinth it's mounted on? Is that how it came from JVC or is that a broadcasting setup?

"Quadraphonic ready" may mean that it came with a CD-4 capable cartridge with a Shibata stylus and frequency response up to 40Khz. Or it might mean that the tonearm is able to track frequencies that high.

When you say "tuner" do you actually mean "receiver," which has the radio tuner, phono stage, line stage preamp, and amplifier (for driving the speakers) all built in?

What are the model numbers of you Pioneer and NAD electronic units? NAD had a legendary receiver back then named the NAD 3020. It had a robust power supply and an excellent phono stage.

What's your other turntable?

 

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1 hour ago, JohnnyB said:

What's the model number of the turntable? 

VL8

So you're saying it's a belt drive turntable? What's the story on that big wooden plinth it's mounted on? Is that how it came from JVC or is that a broadcasting setup?

that's how it came it is sitting on a wood table in the pic. It is made out of some type of pressboard engineered material

"Quadraphonic ready" may mean that it came with a CD-4 capable cartridge with a Shibata stylus and frequency response up to 40Khz. Or it might mean that the tonearm is able to track frequencies that high.

When you say "tuner" do you actually mean "receiver," which has the radio tuner, phono stage, line stage preamp, and amplifier (for driving the speakers) all built in?

No They are both tuners I have had separates for years but finally pare down to an integrated amp and Tuner, which I don't use

What are the model numbers of you Pioneer and NAD electronic units? NAD had a legendary receiver back then named the NAD 3020. It had a robust power supply and an excellent phono stage. see above

What's your other turntable?

Ariston Q deck somewhat obscure I think

ArnieZ

 

 

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I did a bit of Googling about the JVC VL-8 and found out a few things: 

  • It has some market value. Here's one that went for $350 on eBay two years ago. Not bad for a 45-yr-old turntable. It's probably worth more than your Ariston Q Deck.
  • My question about whether the mechanics were sitting on a studio plinth weren't so far off. JVC product sheets sometimes referred to it as a "studio model." I don't think it was a real studio turntable, but it was made to look like it, where the mechanical guts are mounted in a large wooden plinth. This was a popular styling trend in the '70s and '80s, where the amplifiers had meters, rack mount dimensions and mounting holes, and front plate handles. 
  • If you want/need a replacement belt (most likely) you can get one here.
  • The platter bearing no doubt needs oiling. You can pay a tech to do it or if it looks pretty obvious, you can get some bearing oil or (I've heard) that sewing machine oil will do just fine.
  • I got a lot of info from its data sheet, including what "4-channel ready" means. Discrete quadraphonic is what brought on the '70s obsession with ultralight tonearms and cartridge tracking forces because it had to track a groove modulating at 40Khz. It took another decade or two for the audio industry to return to 2 gram tracking forces even though quadraphonic was pretty much dead by 1975.
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