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Repair or replace my

I have a Rabco ST-8 straight arm turntable, marketed as a harmon/kardon when they were still a real audio co. It is, to say the least, not a youngster; I purchased it in 1978., but it has always worked well. It currently is sporting a Signet TK7e cartridge that was installed in 1982 (yes, 1982).It has a few creaks and groans, which probably means it needs a new belt, lubrication, and some alignment to the arm, and the very thin fixed RCA cables need replacing. The issue is should I spend the money to fix it up, and upgrade the cartridge, or just get a new TT?
The prices for new TT's seem totally outrageous, or perhaps I'm just showing my age and how out of touch I am with the current audio market.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, any recommendations for a repair facility in the Los Angeles area?
pjsugar

Showing 1 response by speedy9194

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speedy9194
10 posts
 
I have that same turntable and I still use it, If I were you
I go ahead and try to fix it yourself. If you go to www.vinylengine.com there you will find the service manual
as well as the owner's manual. You can still get the belts for
this turntable online as well as a new cartridge. Also there
is a knob on the back of the tonearm to adjust tracking. If you want the cables replaced I would have someone install two
rca jacks on the back and you can use any interconnects you like. I did this with my hk st-7. You could buy a new turntable but I don't recommend it, I would buy a used turntable.
I recommend: Revox B790,791, pioneer PL-88FS, Technics SLQL1/SL-10(p mount cartridge only).
I wouldn't recommend a Rega, I sent it back because the s's
were spitty and the speed was fast. It's your decision, you
can go either route.
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