Some versions made on 3D printers have become available. They have appeared in Teflon, hard rubber, plastic, brass, and probably a few other materials. They can be expensive but still a lot less than a new tonearm.
Replacement is reasonably simple for most DIYers and there are a few sources for V blocks to be found on the Web. Most of the many Lencos that I have purchased over the years had worn out V blocks. The Lenco arm wand pivots on two V blocks that are made out of some kind of soft rubber. Installing this headshell actually solved a hum issues that was present on one of my turntables.Īftermarket Headshell Aftermarket - Side View V Blocks It's quite rigid, cartridge mounting and alignment is easy and solid, and the contacts to the arm tube are very good. This headshell has been running on one of my Lenco's for over a year and is performing very well. Of course, many sources for better quality jumper wires at various price points can be found on the Web. The jumper wires are not the best quality but they do the job. It comes with jumper wires and a collection of shims to aid in matching with various cartridges. It is a bit expensive but still way cheaper than a new tonearm. It can be easily found on Ebay, just punch in “Lenco Headshell” in the Ebay search box and it should appear near the top of the list.
Happily, there is now available an excellent replacement for the original headshell. Lenco used a non-standard connector between the headshell and the wand so any after-market headshell using a standard (a.k.a. This bizarre design would take way too many words to adequately critique so please refer to the photos below. Another big irritation is the cartridge mounting arrangement. Over the many years since their production, corrosion and wear issues with the headshell wiring and connectors typically becomes a problem. In the post RB300 era (launched in 1983) such a design would generally be considered totally unacceptable. They are made of a light gauge metal soft enough to bend with your fingers. There have been several versions of the L75/78 headshell over the years however they are very similar and have the same weaknesses. Pierre has a lifetime of turntable and arm design experience and has provided some interesting comments about the Lenco arm. Part 2 will discuss some additional Lenco arm tweaks yet to be tested, and relies heavily on the very extensive expertise of Pierre Lurné who has recently joined the TNT-Audio team. This is the Part 1 of what is intended to be a two part series. The most important issues or deficiencies of the vintage Lenco tonearms are with the headshell, the pivot V bocks and the counterweight shaft connection. However, that being said, there are some fixes for these issues and a repaired Lenco arm can be a great temporary solution for those who want to put into service an old Lenco without spending a lot of money on a replacement tonearm. Well, they are right, a 50-year-old Lenco tonearm typically has some major issues. They are generally considered to be not worth keeping on the original turntable and should be the first thing to go if the budget permits. A lot of people have criticized the original Lenco L75 / L78 tonearms.
Put on a used RB300 series tonearm or a Jelco (this writer has done both) and the result will outperform some turntables at more than twice that price tag. Manufacturer: not for sale, TNT-Audio DIY designĪ vintage idler drive Lenco in good condition, cleaned and adjusted, with no modifications other than to the tonearm, sounds better than any new $1000 turntable on the market.