some things i forgot to mention
"be sure to set the canceler knob to '0.5'" fucked with my head a bit. There is no canceler knob in the parts list, but anti-skate is a counterforce, right? setting the anti-skate to 0.5 puts the spring in the right place according to the diagram. flawless methodology on my part....
put everything back together and tested everything out by playing my copy of a Crystal Gale - We Should Be Together LP. why? because the distortion is noticeable on You'll Be Loved Someday when "love - what I'd give to be loved" is sung. it also happened to be the first record within sight.
multi-faceted dollar bin LP usage.
the distortion was caused by the cartridge not being properly secured, and too little tracking force.
straightened the headshell, added 1g of force.
done.
from the manual
noticed my turntable's height adjustment was way off, so I decided to fix it. you can watch youtube videos here.
I recommend tracking down the 1200MK2's service manual on the internet. The videos and the manual differ a bit.
threading a greased up three piece mechanism counter-clockwise while keeping the top two parts exactly at zero until it can't go any further, then loosening it slightly until a pin & plate device can be fit into the bottom to lock the entire measurement device at 0 while not getting lube on the pcb = super super fun. please note you do not want your height adj to stop right at 0 as it does in the picture. it will be too short. you should be able to see the red line directly under the arrow when you have the locking plate secured.
i'm not sure if it's visible, but the solder joints had some nasty looking shit on it. that's when I noticed that the thread lube in the tonearm was indeed hand lotion. that's right guy, hand lotion.
anyways.PCB+RCA cable $32 a pop.
i strongly recommend you use your own cables and solder it to the pcb. it's cheaper, the cables will be better, and the soldering is easy.
you could try grounding your 1200 while you're at this stage. you can follow the tutorials here, but if it ain't broke...
