Im about to buy...

Bugsy

ILLIEN
Battle Points: 206
Im about to buy a Rane ttm56s second hand for $500 , was wondering if there is anything i should look out for before i finalize the deal..the guy says its brand new (but i wanted to make sure.)

is there anything that i need to check to make sure its legit?
is there anything at all that needs to be there or to guarantee that it wont fail on me after a week?
should i open the mixer up?

would definitely appreciate any feedback as im new to this. :D

thanks!
 

Pug

IllMuzik Mortician
Moderator
ill o.g.
Hard to tell if shit is legit or not, unless there's some kind of serial number and way to track it. If he says it's brand new, ask him if he still has a receipt as proof.

It's hard to see if something will fail after a week. Unless you're an engineer, I wouldn't open the mixer unless you know what you're looking for. But check all the knobs, buttons, fader. If it's really 'brand new' you should feel the newness. If you can test it in an actual setup, that would be best. Check for bleeding and static, make sure the connections are good, all that stuff. If you're worried about it failing, just ask the guy for a two week period if it screws up or something that you can return it. 500$ is a lot of loot, so I wouldn't be shy to bring that up. Get it in writing, contract that shit.

Good luck!
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Ya, what @Pug said. If it's new, it should feel new. The main things I would check:
  • That it powers on.
  • There's no static/crackle in the faders or from any of the knobs.
  • No bleeding from the faders.
 

Maciek

Member
If you consider live shows or anything what is including moving turntable from place to place, don't forget that stanton str-150 is heavy weight category (18 kg + case) and will give you free gym in this occasion.
Many people use it and seems to be very good device. Personally I was using vestax pdx 2000 and technics 1200 and I would recomend the first one. Especially the fact it is stronger and will not stop/slow down when you push it to hard. If you haven't got 'heavy hand' and do have scratching experience, get technics - it is unbreakable!
And don' forget about the system. For scratching go for shure m44-7
 
Thats a very good mixer, too good if you intend to just use one turntable.
The magnetic faders on that mixer are really targetted at scratch dj's.
If you dont intend to learn how to scratch then I would get a much cheaper mixer.
If you want to be the next Qbert, then knock yourself out, thats the sort of mixer you will need.
I would also seriously consider getting something like serato too. If just carrying around a 18kg turntable is hard work, wait till you need to carry your record collection to a club.
All that said, I really want one of those mixers. I get a boner thinking about it....Sorry.
 

Bugsy

ILLIEN
Battle Points: 206
Thanks for the advice guys! I really appreciate it! :)

@2GooD Productions Im going to use it for sampling and mainly for scratching...LOL! want some pictures? :D

@Fade Yup! I bought the rane mixer and a Technics 1200 mk2 Sorry didnt get to post anything yet, as im busy with jobs, had a play with it right after i got it. the only thing i found that i forgot to check was the lock for the arm height, it too tight that i cant adjust it...but all in all it works okay...is there any way i could fix this?..everytime i try some crazy scratch ( not that im good at it ) it skips a lot...so i thought it might be the arm or the needle needs replacing...it came with the ortofon concorde pro s. :(

now for some battle records and serato...:p

will post my setup soon!
Peace!;)
 

Maciek

Member
What I would advice - check on youtube how to set up the arm properly - there are some videos I am sure. Ortofon which you have is not ideal for scratch but don't worry too much - you need time - practice makes perfect. If not shure m44-7 (you need headshell for it and on S-shape arm needs to be rotated as far as I remember 23 degrees, emulating straight arm what will help with scratching) you can try ortofon qbert needle which can be installed with classic ortofon concorde body

If you consider getting serato, you should have waited... What I did in the past - I was looking for ttm56 as well but on ebay somebody was selling ttm57sl in amazing condition (like new) for £400. You can get great things with great price but sometimes need to wait a bit ;)
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
the lock for the arm height, it too tight that i cant adjust it
It won't move at all? That's weird. Keep trying but don't break it. It could be a number of things to cause it to skip a lot, like the tonearm itself, or how it's connected to the base.

But ya, check YouTube too to see how to set it up properly. I like to put the weight backwards, it puts a bit more pressure on the needle.
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Check out viperfrank on YouTube. A lot of it is about opening up the Technics, but still he gives great tips as well. Actually, WD40 might help too. Search Google, there should be plenty of tips on how to loosen up the lock.

These might help:



 
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