Presto 75A Restoration

This is where record cutters raise questions about cutting, and trade wisdom and experiment results. We love Scully, Neumann, Presto, & Rek-O-Kut lathes and Wilcox-Gay Recordios (among others). We are excited by the various modern pro and semi-pro systems, too, in production and development. We use strange, extinct disc-based dictation machines. And other stuff, too.

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boryo
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Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 47334Unread post boryo
Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:27 pm

Hello Trolls,

thank you for all the info you share here, priceless!

A couple of days ago I won an ebay auction for Presto cutter and from the pictures I got from the seller to me it looks like Presto 75A lathe.
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In Presto's website it is listed with amp and speaker, but the auction was only for the record cutter.
I don't know what is inside the cutter but my intention was to give it to my friend and he will change all the electronic stuff and build a new amp or something like this.
But due its big size there were difficulties with the shipping from USA to Europe, so at the last moment the seller removed this box from the package and some blank records and cables. I don't know what it is or what it is doing but I guess it is used for connection between the cutter and the amp or speaker
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So, is it worth to pay additional price to get these to me or I can go on without them?

Thanks,
Bob

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boryo
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Re: Presto 75A cables and box/switch

Post: # 47435Unread post boryo
Tue Jul 25, 2017 7:32 am

Hello guys, my machine has just arrived.
From first look it looks great. Still waiting for my friend to come and check the electronics inside so I wasn't able to turn it on.
I've read the manual and then played a bit. I'm not sure if this is related to the electronics but I think there is something strange here.
When recording direction is set to "neutral" the cutting arm can move far right, but in when I try to move it left it is blocked by one big piece of metal inside. You can see this in the second video.
When direction is set "inside out" the cutting arm is blocked really well, 0 moving.
When set "outside in" the cutting arm is also blocked but can move a little bit.
Is it suppose to be like this? Any info will be priceless.
You can see the above in the 1st video, and the big piece of metal in the second.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=QYxQDY8d5WQ

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=ymh6UJ7yDUM

Thanks,
Bob

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Soulbear
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Re: Presto 75A cables and box/switch

Post: # 47436Unread post Soulbear
Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:48 am

Hi Bob,
boryo wrote:You can see the above in the 1st video, and the big piece of metal in the second.
The YT Video links to the above doesn't seem to be working, can you re-post them??
Regards
Soulbear :wink: :P :D


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boryo
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Re: Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 47438Unread post boryo
Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:59 am

Ahhh sorry guys and thank you SueDenim!

Can't edit the msg to change the links :(

1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYxQDY8d5WQ
2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymh6UJ7yDUM

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boryo
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Re: Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 47440Unread post boryo
Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:38 pm

I removed the plattern and found what was it. Beautiful machine, looks well built.
Any recommendations for stylus? Both cutting / embossing.

Thanks,
Bob

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boryo
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Re: Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 49322Unread post boryo
Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:08 pm

Hello Trolls,

After I have been dreaming for the last six months about seeing this machine running I had a chance to visit Magnetic Fidelity studio in Greece with my lathe.
It was my first time in such a place and it felt like I was in the paradise...

On the first day we were mainly chilling. His wife, Sabine cooked some great food and we had really good time all together.
Later he showed his cutting room with the AM44 and tons of other great equipment. Ilias even let me spent more than an hour into his mastering room listening records and tapes that he mastered. Wow!
On the second day we started to inspect the lathe.
According to him, it was in very good condition.
IMG_3854.JPG
My biggest concern, the motor, started spinning immediately after we plugged it in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFOXmK6mlqc
Unfortunately, when I changed the power cable I put a cable with EU plug instead of USA and there wasn't an easy way to run the motor with the correct speed. Also some probably rubber thing was missing from the motor assembly with the base of the lathe and the motor could not press strong enough the rubber belt of the platter.
motor-assembly.jpg
Next thing was to test if it can do the job it is supposed to.
A friend of mine built a homestyle amplifier and the Presto 1C cutterhead was rewound to 8 ohms by Todd from Deep Grooves Mastering.
amp.jpg
We put a lacquer disk and here is the first run of the machine from several decades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDKPpKk9SkU&feature=youtu.be
Because of the missing rubber parts of the motor to the base assembly this produced very loud noise recorded on the disk but at least the cutterhead sounded good.
And my first work with lacquer disk :D
IMG_3901.JPG
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jesusfwrl
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Re: Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 49373Unread post jesusfwrl
Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:24 am

Thank you for your kind words, good to hear you enjoyed your time here.
This Presto lathe was indeed an interesting machine. The motor spindle did not have any rubber parts, just a stepped (steel) shaft for the two speeds. The platter is rim-driven, with the rim having a rubber belt around it.

Once you fit the missing rubber mounts, it should be fairly easy to get the rumble/vibration down to acceptable levels.

Good luck!
~~~ Precision Mechanical Engineering, Analog Disk Mastering ~~~
Agnew Analog Reference Instruments: http://www.agnewanalog.com

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boryo
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Re: Presto 75A Restoration

Post: # 49568Unread post boryo
Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:32 pm

Hello Trolls,

Since I'm in EU and the machine comes from USA I faced the frequency problem with the motor speed.
Here in the forum someone mentioned this inverter https://www.motorcontrolwarehouse.co.uk/ode-3-210105-1042-01.html but I'm not sure if it is going to work.
Does anyone know how is the frequency stability of this inverter and could I use it to drive the platter?
Here is the motor info:
Type: FBL
HP: 1/100
RPM: 1500/1800
Volts: 115
PH: 1
Cycles: 50/60
Amps: 4/.3
Capacitor: 2 MFD

Thanks,
Bob

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