Recordio 6B10 - info

Topics regarding professional record cutting.

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muffinass
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Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:52 am

Recordio 6B10 - info

Post: # 25766Unread post muffinass
Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:59 pm

Hi everyone,

Just joined after reading through the forum for a month or so.

I'm coming here with a gramophone hobby, pushed towards several music projects that I hope to get started on after some advice-seeking on these boards.

As of yet I do not have the money to invest in a Presto or Rek-o-kut machine, but locally a Recordio 6B10 came up for sale ($200).
The owner says it's stayed in the family for 15 years, radio & mic both work, but cannot vouch for its cutting capabilities anymore.

It does come with 5 blank discs.

As I'm a complete newbie to this, I'm thinking this would be a simple machine to learn the basics and get what I want (for starters) from 'cutting' some music.
However, my lack of knowledge regarding the cutting needle and the ease/affordability of replacing it make me wary of shelling out $200...making me think whether I should simply wait, save $ and go for a Presto machine.

I've looked as much as I could but if anyone would like to chime in and give me the basics regarding the Recordio machine, what's involved in refurbishing it to get the most out of it, etc., I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

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Angus McCarthy
Posts: 760
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:22 pm
Location: Bloomsburg, PA, USA

Re: Recordio 6B10 - info

Post: # 25775Unread post Angus McCarthy
Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:42 am

Welcome!

A Recordio (General Industries style cutter) is a great machine to get started out on. There's not a whole lot that can be adjusted on it, and that gives you a chance to get familiar with the basics of the process. If the head in the (large) recording arm is a crystal type - often designated by an "X" at the start of the model number - then it has likely dried out and will have to be refurbished before you can cut anything. The same might be true for the pickup head if it is also a crystal cartridge.

These machines use short-shank cutting styli. You'll often run across NOS ones on eBay for anywhere from $10 for steel or stellite styli, or upwards of $35-$75 each for sapphire styli (depending on condition). The bright side is that the jewel-tip styli keep their edge much longer than the steel ones, which are really only good for a handful of cuts before quality starts to slip noticeably. If you want to go whole hog, you can get freshly-manufactured styli and dub-quality lacquers through Apollo.

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