UK - Simon Sound Service Lathe Cutter CDR48A: Information needed

[NordicGroove]

Hi.
New to the forum and new to the lathe community in general. Been enjoying vinyl for years and as a band member I found interest in an old lathe, probably the 40s to cut some low-fi stuff. I have been restoring turntables for a long time, so this is both a challenge and an opportunity to create some cool add-ons to the band I am in.
The unit is a CDR48A from Simon Sound Service in the UK. Good working condition, but needs a new belt before I can say it is working. Motor starts and pilot-lamp for the built in amp is lit up. All knobs and switches seems to be in place and not stuck, needle is intact and the moving parts have been cleaned and lubricated.
What I am looking for is some kind of manual for this unit. Sadly there are limited stuff to be found online, and the obvious ones are already found, and that is mostly ads and info of the business, not any manuals for the unit itself.
If you have any resources or information on this item, please keep me posted. I will in the mean time dismantle this unit and restore it to the best I can before I can start any cutting.
If there is a general rule-book or step-by-step guide that explains settings in a general matter for cutting discs, that would also be of great interest - as I would think that the same steps is universal, regardless of brand. At least for these older units.

- This is probably a mono, no speed selector (78 only?) and seems to have a cutting head with a sapphire needle.
- Rebuild kit for 33/45 - would be nice!
- Audio inputs, sure, probably several ones! - but where?
- Outputs, oh yes! - Hmmm
- Settings, plenty! - but how/why/what/when?
- Needle weight for cutting on different surfaces - bring it on!
- Available parts, probably not - Please advice

Well, well.
Looking forward to dive into this universe.
Here is a pic of the item



Thx
NordicGroove

[displacedsnail]

Hello, NordicGroove,

Welcome to the world of lathes! I have not seen that unit before (I'm in America), but wow, what a beauty. I'd snap that right up and want to keep it looking like it does, too, haha. I'm not master at refurbishing lathes, but I've taken apart and put together a few of them at this point and have been mono embossing for a few years, so here's my advice on your questions just to get the ball rolling:

- This is probably a mono, no speed selector (78 only?) and seems to have a cutting head with a sapphire needle. - Rebuild kit for 33/45 - would be nice!

Probably. If you get the new belt and there's still too much wow and flutter, Jed in Poland makes wow/flutterless external motors that work great, and they're pre-programed to cut at 33/45, but you can also change the speed if you ever want to do 78s. Or you can build your own if you're handy with that kinda stuff.

- Audio inputs, sure, probably several ones! - but where?

If the internal amp is working and you want to go that route, start really quiet and go from there. Personally, on all my old units, I usually bypass the interals and connect the cutting head to a spade terminal brick straight out to a modern amp, and put a 1A quick blow fuse into the line to protect the head. I have a great looking old Rek-O-Kut Challenger with a working amp, but it blows fuses regularly and doesn't sound great, so I only use it when I want to make old-style records.

- Outputs, oh yes! - Hmmm

I usually don't keep the outputs on my lathes, but yours looks like it has a nice tonearm, so go ahead and get it set back up.

- Settings, plenty! - but how/why/what/when?

For cutting/embossing, you'll want to at least apply an IRIAA curve, and you can find info on this site to map your cutting head. I'm guessing your unit has a bass and treble knob? Or something like that? Flat and scratch? It'll take some tinkering. Or you can bypass the internal stuff and do all that in your DAW or through analog EQs. Do you know if the head works? There are lots of people in this community who can usually get an old head working again if it isn't.

- Needle weight for cutting on different surfaces - bring it on!

If you're looking to emboss, keep the weight at 38-40g. Can't speak to actual cutting myself.

- Available parts, probably not - Please advice

Can't help you here.

Hope this helps to get you started, and maybe some of the member of the community who have seen this unit before will chime in. Feel free to follow up and i'll try to help if I can!

- Joe