Hi everybody!

I recently picked up a Phonola suitcase record player. It has a BSR UA14 record player inside it which is not working properly. Naturally I want to clean it all up and try to get it going again. Unfortunately I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the actual turntable from the suitcase.

Can anybody offer some insight?

Thank you!!

Nick

Hello Nick,

Please post several photos of inside and
outside of the Phonola.
Also, give us the Phonola model number.

Usually there are 2 tie-down shipping bolts that
loosen and or release.

Without photos, we're working in the dark.
Hotwax

Thank you very much! I wasn't able to post photos yesterday because I am a new user. However I recorded this video which explains my predicament:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLvDCyJ8udI

Thank you in advance for any advice!
Nick

Nick,
Saw the video.
1. Do you have the model number ?

2. There is a panel in the inside front of the
record player. Is it attached with screws ?
If so, take off that panel, and tell us what you see.

3. Have you looked underneath the record player for
access ?

Hotwax

The two large screws on either side of the changer are holding it down. They have a metal clip underneath, on the bottom side of the wood shelf the changer sits on, which has to be either flipped to a vertical position or removed in order to lift the changer out of the case.

Somewhere, perhaps on the back side or the bottom, will be a small access plate that when you remove it is large enough to get your hand or a tool through to "flip" at least one of the mounting clips. The opposite side is sometimes notched so that once the first clip is released, the other screw will slide sideways through the notch. Otherwise, you have to flip or remove both of the retaining clips.

OK that's like your basic DeccaLite late 60s classroom or library phono w the generic GE changer - almost as ubiquitous as a BSR.

Here is a slightly more detailed description:

There's a couple ways to do this. The right way and the fast way

Right way

If you had it apart already to blow out the dust from the amp and polish up the tubes and etc then take it apart the same way.

1. Directly inside maybe a half an inch under the buckle and above the wiffle holes should be a row of screws. Take em out and set em aside in a dish so you don't lose em. That should loosen up the top of the wiffle board so you should be able to take it out and set it aside.

2. If the speaker board in the front does not come loose as well, look for screws holding that in. They might be behind a little piece of trim at a 45 degree angle.

3. Most of those - the amp speaker and knob assembly comes out all in one piece.

4. BE CAREFUL do not YANK anything because your phono cartridge leads are probably tied right into the amp and these are F-R-A-G-I-L-E.

5. Once you have the speaker board free, reach in and feel around to see if the cartridge leads are wired directly to the amp or whether they are wired to an RCA jack and then an RCA cable goes from there to the amp.

6. If it's an RCA plug disconnect it and the amp and speaker board should come out leaving the turntable behind.

7. Find the two (or three hard to tell) flathead silver screws almost countersunken into the grey turntable base. Unscrew them to where the platter base bounces freely.

8. Reach in with your hand underneath - remembering to be careful about phono leads - find the protrusions underneath where you just unscrewed the shipping brackets at.

9. Press down on the turntable base with one hand and with the other hand reach under and flip the little metal bracket from horizontal to vertical. Repeat with all the others.

10. The turntable base and all associated wiring should now come out on its own by lifting vertically but BE CAREFUL AGAIN - remember your phono leads could still be attached to a jack underneath - so you have to slowly turn it out of the way so you can see.

If so - fish in and disconnect the power leads and the sound lead from under the turntable and remove if you weren't able to do it from the front.

Fast Way

1. Unscrew flathead silver screws from near the edge of the turntable base as in #7 above.

2. Stuff a small square pillow into the cabinet on top of the turntable and close and buckle the lid.

3. Flip cabinet over on its head.

4. Take staples out of the bottom (should be a ridge around 1-16 of an inch around the edge holding the bottom board in which hould be around 1-16 of an inch thick. Wood may be fragile so be careful. Remove bottom board and set aside.

5. Proceed with step 8 above. Brackets should be a lot more visible here than going through the front. If you need to - pull on the silver shafts they are connected to in order to compress the springs temporarily so you can flip the brackets to the vertical position. Repeat for other brackets.

6. Look and see where your audio cable and your power cable is to the bottom of the turntable and disconnect them. The power should be a 4-wire keyway in a plastic plug that only goes on one way - and the adio cable should be a normal RCA to RCA plug.

Make sure you HAVE an audio cable because like I said a few of those have phono wire all the way to the amp and are wired directly whereupon you have to make note of which color goes where on the terminal and either desolder them or clip them - desolder - clean the terminals - stip the wires and resolder with fresh.

7. Flip the cabinet back over on it's bottom - open the lid, take out the pillow and the turntable base should come out completely disconnected by reaching underneath between the bottom of the base and the top of the plinth/mounting board and lifting straight up.

If it binds - probably you didn't get the brackets to flip up all the way and they are catching on the hole.

8. Remove platter and set aside.

Reassemble the way you disassembled it and you should be fine.

I'm sure there is a very easy way to do this. Please post clear photos of the phono from all angles.

-David