The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Wink Junior · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Portland, Ore USA

Anyone have a take on this offer for a cutting lathe? Lathe not mentioned, just the following info:

"Cutting Lathe with Grampian Head, cutter preamp, cutter drive power amp, vacuum and chip jar, stylus heat for the stylus working and ready to go for $3,500.00. Cut as good as any Stereo system."

My understanding is that the head will cut mono only, which puts this out of my want list immediately, but if it's stereo, that'd be great, seems like a decent price if everything is in good condition, I'm waiting for photos.

I'm also curious what else I might need, aside from experience! From everything I've read that seems like a full system, perhaps needing a new or replacement cutting needle?

I also have an offer of a Vestax VRX-2000 system with a bunch of needles and record blanks for $6000, but my understanding from spending hours researching them is that the quality is shite: they're rated 60Hz to 11kHz before RIAA equalization (which makes me wonder if they use proper RIAA equalization while cutting or if that needs to be applied to the audio source before you cut) - but reviews say they're noisy, tinny-sounding, lots of hiss, and have no bass tor top-end (treble.) Any opinions about this system and what a fair price would be, if it's even worth buying?

Thanks in advance for any help. Looking forward to becoming a full-fledged troll! Cheers, Wink
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Lewis D · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:24 pm Post subject:

Who is selling this lathe? Grampian is a good system. They were used by many companys and labels. Motown, Atlantic, Chess, Sheldon mastering, Columbia, Capitol RCA......

I have never herd of a hit record cut on a Vestax!! WHy do you not want to cut mono?

Lewis

Wink Junior · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Portland, Ore USA

Lewis D · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:28 am Post subject:

Its not really the lathe that can be mono but more the system. Like for example, people still use scully lathes today but with westrex 3D sytems and Neumann SX74's and stuff.

But fair doos, if your clients want stereo, you have got to provie it otherwise you wont make buissness. However, I cut come disks for some Drum and Bass DJ's when I first got my system ( I am still at school so didnt have the time to set up swaft vacuum and stuff), there was swaft (chip) every whear and no stylus heat but they loved the cut. That was a grampian. But I understand that in buisness, you need stereo.

What are you thinking of getting? I like the Westrex 3D or the Ortofon.

Lewis

motorino · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 203

hi

in a discoteque, its very dificult listen in stereo (i have a big one here).....and some djs like the mixer (and my and mi rodec) in mono, its better for mix, for my ears Wink

JayDC · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject:

most if not all club, and touring sound systems are mono... Most of the time, the setup of the speakers are not arranged at optimal angles, distroying the stereo image, and thats why they run them in mono..

emorritt · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 61 Location: Louisiana

I tend to agree. I recommend cutting dubs mono simply because you can pack more bass into a mono disc recording than a stereo disc, and we all know everybody loves bass nowadays. In a club, you can't pick out left and right anyway over sound system distortion and the loudly jabbering drunks dancing to the beats. Stereo in such a setup would be pointless.

I've heard samples of Vestax, Vinylrecorder, and Kingston - with the Kingston being by far the best 'do it yourself' stereo setup, but for bass punch and overall clarity, I'd put my system up against all of them.

I use a Presto lathe & non-feedback head from the early 1950's; all of which I have majorly modified and made design changes to eliminate motor drive noise and improve the response of the cutter; along with the matching 92A vacuum tube amplifier (also major tweeked!) that I feed from a computer through a Mackie mixing board. I hit the input of the amp with the reverse-RIAA EQ'd output from the computer's sound card, and when played back through standard club setups the discs sound incredible. I've switched between the output of the reproducing turntable in our lab and the computer playing the same material, and aside from not having *exactly* the same 'sparkle' (extreme high frequency reaponse, almost un-noticable to an untrained ear) the lacquers I've cut sound almost exactly like the computer playback. Got pictures but no place to host them...

Lewis D · Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject:

Cool, What set up you got? What head? Id like to see the pics. Maybe I could send some of mine to you. My email is lewisldurham@gmail.com. Feel free to email me pics.

Yeah, most clubs where I have DJayed, they mono the output. But most clients still want stereo. Fair enough tho. When you tell someone that something is mono, they seem to think it is going to be worse quality than stereo, don't know why?

If I get a CD, I mono it and record it onto full track 14'' Ampex 300 tape machine (makes it sound better ( fuller sounding) and gets rid of part of that shitty digital sound) then I cut through various vintage filters and an RCA limiter.

Lewis

JayDC · Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject:

I agree.. Went down to a club this weekend to show off my cuts to some local producers. When I told them ithey were mono cuts, they scoffed. Once they heard the cut over the system, they agree that the dubs sound better then a CDJ or sorroto.. Something about the warm pure bass response got their attension.

Hey emorritt what mods did you do to your cutter. I have somewhat the same setup, and would like to see what I can tweak out. The one difference is the soldstate amp I use. I'm using the 1-C head.

Everything sounds sooo greaT!.. except my runout groove, I can always hear the handcrank as I wind it in to lock the runout.

Please send your pics to info<AT>dcdubs.com I would like to see them..