Tuner tragedy!


Curious question....

My beloved daily driver-66' Mac MR71 has suffered a tuner dial cable break!

Living in SoCal, I do have some repair options:George Meyer in LA and perhaps others.

Is restringing dial an absolute take it to the shop repair? Is there any online reference for a do it yourself job? I realize we, analog tuna guys are now a  dying minority!

Im now forced to listen to my $200 Cambridge Audio 550T. Its not bad, but it ain't the Mac!
I do like the remote and RDS display.

I know my ears will adjust in a few days, but I miss the almost real sound of the human voice/instruments and warmth only 13 tubes can provide. Amazing comparing the guts of the 25 pound Mac filled with components, with the 3 pound,1 board, made in China box.

tablejockey
There is a great tech working at Brooks Berdan Ltd. in Monrovia, just East of Pasadena. Tom is the service engineer at one of the big L.A. TV stations, and does all the repair work for Sheila Berdan. He’s in the shop on Wednesdays and Saturdays. May as well have Tom align the tuner (if it needs it) while he’s at it. The shop is an authorized McIntosh dealer and service center, and Tom has a lot of experience with tube gear from Jadis, VTL, ARC, Music Reference, and Mac.
"Thanks for providing your thoughts on the Rush reissue - I was really hoping that someone had heard it"

Greg-

I may be wrong, since I HAVE NOT heard this reissue. Just can't imagine it being the exception to my experiences. 
I'm  ashamed to admit being a pessimist regarding ANY reissues.
The mono  Beatles stuff, I do enjoy. Real deal period is unobtanium.

My misspent youth listening reissues-Jeff Beck,Floyd,Trower,Zep etc. ALL leave me hungry a half hour later like Chinese food.
Thanks for providing your thoughts on the Rush reissue - I was really hoping that someone had heard it.  I have all the original LPs from back in the day and love them but I was most interested in the new reissue for no other reason than 2112 was remastered in Abbey Road studio, which happens to use the same speakers that I own (why I bought them).

As of late, I've been generally disappointed in new vinyl reissues since they've all inevitably entered the digital domain (which makes playing the vinyl more than a bit hypocritical).

My gut tells me that for $79, I may as well add it to my collection just for S&G's....  I'll get the order in next week and when I receive them, I'll report back...  Which could be months thanks to USPS Media Mail :)

Good luck with your project and let us know how it goes!

Greg
tls49-

Thanks for the information. I have reasonable DIY skills, and the diagrams are invaluable.

Im gonna put my fixit hat on and get'er done next weekend.

 


Do a Google search for "vintage radio dial cord". It's available in different sizes, colors, and from many sources.

Also, here's a link to McIntosh Tuner service manuals. There's 2 different ones for the MR71 and both have a stringing diagram.

http://akdatabase.org/AKview/thumbnails.php?album=8&page=2


Greg-

regarding your post of the Rush 2112 reissue.

Follow your gut... rock reissues, with the exception of unobtanioum, is to be avoided.

Through patience and persistence, bin diving rewarded me with  an unmolested period 2112 not long ago. As always with my findings, no punched up bass and overall "something’s not the same" feeling I ALWAYS get giving in and buying an overpriced, oversized black CD.

I will be boarding the"Thailand Express" at some point this weekend-cheers

I'm almost positive that it's a polyurethane string and if you want to do it "correctly" take the old one into a fabric store and they'll set you up with a perfect replacement.  If you go with the dental floss, I actually think that the waxed versions are better since they are less prone to fraying and will be much easier to create a perfect knot.



Thanks for the insight. 

Im guessing the cable is original, do you know what material  is used? I will also consider the dental floss-unwaxed, I presume.

"The easiest solution (which might sound crazy) is if you can, simply superglue the ends of the broken string together and then refit it."

Greg-
that sounds like something out of the the playbook-"what would Mcgyver do?"

Im gonna open it and assess damage. If your suggestion looks doable, I’ve got a fresh tube in the handy drawer, along with the duct tape.



Sorry about your tuner but don't despair; it's actually a straight forward DIY fix that I've done before a few times.  

The easiest solution (which might sound crazy) is if you can, simply superglue the ends of the broken string together and then refit it.  The only challenging part is to get the tuner display to match up with the frequency that's tuned in, but in most cases, the display indicator, being attached directly to the string via friction, can be adjusted easily.

If the old cable is shot and that won't work... Dental floss.

:)

Greg