“To service or to service properly?” That is the question!

Well, that’s one question owners of turntables like the Technics SL-10 must consider periodically, say every five years or so. It’s a question worth considering too, because ‘service’ clearly means quite different things to different people. The differences can make or quite literally break a piece like this.

Join me as I discuss some service considerations and show how differences in technical approach and attention to detail can make a big difference to owners of beautiful turntables like this Technics SL-10. Just as “Oils ain’t oils”, services ain’t services either!

Background

I won’t run through all the details of the legendary Technics SL-10 direct-drive turntable as I wrote a detailed review back in 2017. This stimulated a lot of interest, and I truly love these LP jacket-sized beauties. I reckon they are one of the best bang-per-buck machines available. Amongst their peers in terms of price, I’d probably pick a Technics SL-10 above most others.

Linear trackers are cool anyway, as my Pioneer PL-L1000 and Technics SL-M3 articles show, and one of my serious collector-customers with a great collection of irreplaceable classics, Scott, decided he wanted a Technics SL-10 after a chat. He subsequently bought this SL-10 locally, described as having “Just been professionally serviced”:

Scott brings all his purchases to me for inspection and service. Whilst he was initially pleased to learn that this SL-10 had “Just been professionally serviced,” he mentioned that, upon closer inspection, he had some doubts about this claim.

I was also skeptical of the claim of professional service, which from experience often turns out to be far from the truth, and because of the greasy residue covering the deck, the dirt inside and out, and the various ‘tell-tales’ showing me that critical items had been missed.

Should you need to service a just serviced Technics SL-10? Well, that’s the real question, isn’t it?

Analysis

Some love my articles, some would rather I didn’t write them at all, and others get upset with me for not sharing enough service and repair technical details, etc. I’d simply ask, how many people write anything at all, let alone create useful, original, respected content for nearly 15 years?!

There is a balance in terms of wanting people to see and understand the details vs not helping competitors and letting people figure things out for themselves, of course. You’ll never take the teacher out of me though and I like to present information and allow people decide what to do with it. Most seem to like the balance; that’s the goal.

A closer look at this Technics SL-10 showed a ton of original factory grease, an oily residue all over the chassis, a cheap replacement stylus on a non-original Technics T4P cartridge, a likely never-been-lubed direct drive motor and perhaps the original 40-year-old carriage drive belt. No kidding, this turntable had not been professionally serviced in a very long time.

Liquid Audio began life as a turntable specialist, and I’d humbly suggest that two Perth businesses continue to work with the majority of turntables here in a way that discerning owners appreciate and trust above others. Neither Jason nor I leave turntables looking like this, so where did it go? We will likely never know.

Service

Thoroughly servicing a Technics SL-10 requires attention to a few key areas. Keep in mind that Technics has an excellent service manual for these, but did not publish extended-service maintenance procedures because, like other manufacturers, they never developed them. That’s because they never expected equipment like this to still be in service 40 years on, but it is. I’ve written about this.

As a result, many of us working on older equipment have developed specific extended service procedures for them, and I apply mine to every Technics SL-10 and other vintage turntable that visits my workshop. Key areas of attention with any SL-10 that visits me include:

• Carriage drive
• Record clamp
• Platter/motor/spindle
• Platter drive electronics
• Arm/cart adjustments
• Lid/chassis/suspension
• Cartridge/stylus

Note that this doesn’t mean each SL-10 needs the same amount of work. It depends on the condition and service history of each unit, but I carefully examine each area. I use three types of greases and light lubricants for my SL-10 service procedures, along with various cleaning materials and consumables, belts, styli, etc.

So, how about we finish this job? Note that this is not a tutorial, and I will omit some technical details to keep a few things up my sleeve.

Results

This Technics SL-10 direct-drive turntable has come up beautifully after thorough service and sounds great. Tonearm and deck operations are now smoother, quieter and more precise, and she sounds more revealing and refined now with her new stylus and a bit of TLC.

Yes, she is missing her EPS-310MC moving coil cartridge, and that’s a bummer. I have one, but it’s not for sale. Scott will be looking for one though, so if you have one to sell, let me know. In the meantime, the new Nagaoka stylus significantly improves upon what this deck came with.

The best part of all this is that service work of the type I’ve shown here is just as affordable as the pretend service and costs even less in the long run. Skilled work always represents real value vs doing little to nothing of any use, slapping on an almost impossible-to-remove sticker, tagging a mains cable and saying it’s ‘professionally serviced’!

That approach helps neither the equipment nor the people who own it. Equipment then has to be looked at again properly, just as we needed to do here, saving nobody anything at all.

Final Thoughts

As always, thanks to all for visiting and especially my loyal customers and readers. I hope you found this article helpful, and if you have any questions, let me know.

I always do my best to assist customers needing equipment serviced. I only draw the line where equipment has been badly damaged. The takeaway from all this is to simply remember that, like all things, technical service and repair work exists on a spectrum.

If you’d like me to look at your Technics SL-10 or any other lovely Technics turntable, just get in touch via the contact page.

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