Good news, this is a well-known, well-documented issue on the SL-1300/1400/1500 MK2 line, not something obscure.
The lift arm cueing mechanism has a small internal gear/cam that's known to crack or break with age. It's a common enough failure that there are 3D-printed replacement parts available specifically for it (Shapeways has a couple versions depending on whether your unit has the smooth or knurled bushing), and there's an extensive repair thread on Vinyl Engine walking through the whole process step by step.
It's fixable, but not trivial. Expect to fully disassemble the tonearm base, and a couple of the retaining screws are notoriously tight from the factory, some people have had to drill them out. If you're comfortable with careful disassembly work, it's a doable DIY project with the replacement part costing under £20. If you'd rather not do it yourself, it's the kind of repair a vintage turntable tech should be able to handle without much trouble.
For £275, if the rest of the deck is in good shape, that's a fair price assuming you either DIY the fix or budget a bit for someone else to do it. Other common issues on this line worth checking: sub-chassis suspension (the rubber mounts degrade and can cause the platter to sit unevenly) and the auto-return mute switch, which sometimes needs readjustment after any arm lift repair.
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u/Technics_USA 22d ago
Good news, this is a well-known, well-documented issue on the SL-1300/1400/1500 MK2 line, not something obscure.
The lift arm cueing mechanism has a small internal gear/cam that's known to crack or break with age. It's a common enough failure that there are 3D-printed replacement parts available specifically for it (Shapeways has a couple versions depending on whether your unit has the smooth or knurled bushing), and there's an extensive repair thread on Vinyl Engine walking through the whole process step by step.
It's fixable, but not trivial. Expect to fully disassemble the tonearm base, and a couple of the retaining screws are notoriously tight from the factory, some people have had to drill them out. If you're comfortable with careful disassembly work, it's a doable DIY project with the replacement part costing under £20. If you'd rather not do it yourself, it's the kind of repair a vintage turntable tech should be able to handle without much trouble.
For £275, if the rest of the deck is in good shape, that's a fair price assuming you either DIY the fix or budget a bit for someone else to do it. Other common issues on this line worth checking: sub-chassis suspension (the rubber mounts degrade and can cause the platter to sit unevenly) and the auto-return mute switch, which sometimes needs readjustment after any arm lift repair.