Beogram 4002 (5513): Test Drive with Idris Muhammad (KU-17) After Platter and Tonearm Adjustments

A good day in Beolover's shop! Another Beogram 4002 (5513) looking sharp and performing like new! I finished up the unit by adjusting the sub-chassis and the platter to be freely floating and being flush with the aluminum surface of the deck. There are two videos on my YouTube channel that show how to adjust the platter bearing and the subchassis (in a Beogram 4000, but the process is very similar in the 4002). Once that was done, I adjusted the tone arm lowering limit. There is another video on my youTube channel that shows how to do this adjustment. This is a very important procedure since the control system of the 4002 cannot guard against photosensor failure in the sensor arm. If the sensor fails the arm will be lowered whether there is a record or not, possibly endangering a very expensive cartridge. The correct adjustment of the arm lowering limit can prevent stylus failure if that happens.

This shows the limit properly adjusted that the needle just misses the lower rungs of the platter 'ribs':

The final step was to calibrate the tracking force after upgrading the counter weight mechanism with an M3 nut. This shows the original setup with a circlip. Somebody added some glue to stabilize this normally pretty wiggly set-up:

I usually install a M3 nut and a washer, which allows to lock the mechanism after calibrating the tracking force, but makes it much easier to redo the adjustment should it ever become necessary again:

Once the zero weight is properly adjusted, the tracking force can be calibrated with a scale:

After this it was time to take this Beogram for a spin! I selected a recent acquisition from ebay, Idris Muhammad's absolutely wonderful 'Power of Soul' issue:

After cleaning this 'near mint' record with my recently developed CleanerVinyl record cleaning attachment for an ultrasonic cleaner it sounded like new again. In my opinion this is one of the best KUDU Records releases (KU-17). It is a beautifully arranged (Bob James) lush and melodic record that brings together some of the greatest jazz talent of the 70's. Grover Washington, Jr is in top form and even Randy Brecker sounds sharp and right on point (usually I am not such fan of his output, but here he is just awesome!)! Check out Loran's Dance and Piece of Mind. My only complaint is that these two tracks are not on the same side...;-).

O.k...pretty much done with this Beogram 4002! Polishing the hood is left, and I will need to find that perfect moment where a three-hour polishing workout on my work bench is just what I need...;-).