Just to add. Apart from servicing my 1990 P2, Phil replaced the cartridge on it, aligned it beautifully, organised all the courier return and was always happy to chat on the phone. In 2022, he is a throwback to the times when we had immaculate customer service. A master craftsman who has immense knowledge. Cheshire Audio is a unique and fantastic business. The likes of Phil have all but disappeared. Please buy all your hi fi from him. He deserves all our support.

I have just serviced my 1981 P3 which has been in a box for 25 years using this post as a guide, everything from the stuck ball bearing to the capacitor, needed fixing but for £4 its now running like a dream. So I can now introduce my teenage son to the joys of vinyl. Can't thank you enough.

Lem me hugely thank you for this manual! I have a 16-year-old Rega P1 and never ever has it been serviced. two days ago after watching this video I did the cleaning and lubrication of the central bearing. What to say, the bearing was almost dry. After I finished during playing the first record I noticed a big improvement in sound! The main thing was disappearance of harsh accented sibilants! I was surprised to say the least! Later I figured out what could be the problem. Dry bearing caused some kind of micro-vibration (inaudible squeaking) which interfered with recorded HF sounds. Shoutout to everyone reading -- do the service of your player!

As a Rega owner this is amazingly useful, thanks

Phil, Thanks so much for your multiple videos that include maintenance and adjustments on the earliest Rega Planar 3s (from the early) 80's. I just completed lubrication of subplatter bearing, belt change, RB300 tonearm bearing checks, and cartridge change (from something labeled as RB100 to an AT VM540ML) , I even managed to successfully spot solder a disconnected cartridge clip to the light gauge green wire at tonearm! . First album to sound check was old favorite Derek and Dominoes' Layla track. WOW! and then compared to a mastered CD of same track. (admittedly on a 38 year old Rotel CD player ) but no comparison ! turntable brighter with more crisp bass, and louder at same volume - and that's with a 50 year old album that was seriously abused early in life. With your clear advice and demonstrations, I felt confident to address all issues I found. Thanks again! Fred in Seneca, SC USA

What a breth of fresh air. I love watching your leayed back aproch to how easy things are to do. But it is your expertise that makes it look so easy. Thank you once again for a great video. Gerald

Absolutely fantastic video very detailed description from a true expert

Just viewed this very well presented video. I am now looking forward to receiving and testing my used P3 with confidence! We need more practical presentations like this as we hopefully move away from the disposable society.

Very helpful - thanks.

Thank you ever so much for an extremely useful video. I was planning on a trip to Crewe to see if you could fix a couple of problems with my 2001 Rega P3, including it being very slow to start. Your videos have enabled me to cure them myself with nothing more than a drop of glue on the motor spindle and a couple of little tweaks of the tone arm. My only concern is that you might be putting yourself out of a job.

I immediately pulled the spindle out of the bearing hole, and LO and behold the oil had indeed tracked up onto the brass bushing nd the plastic spindle assembly. I cleaned all off, then also cleaned the belt, a the only t edge. No more slow starts and and no more squeaks at start up. Thanks!

Great info on tonearm drift at end of video. Good video for those that need the info. Interesting take on standard subplatters, equally interesting why Rega changed subplatters on higher end models. 😉

Very useful - even if it is just to help us isolate what a problem might be before taking the deck to a dealer :) I've had the arm drift recently, so thanks for including that :) I knew the anti-skate was set correctly, so your tip is very welcome :)

Thanks for a great video, there is so much attention detail that comes from your years of experience. Thank you, I found it very useful and there is an ASMR quality to this video as well !

I found this so interesting,I actually felt I’ve come away feeling that I would give this a go if ever I needed to service my rega,Thankyou!

Thanks Phil, great video

Thank you so much for creating this brilliant video - clear, concise and so informative. Going forward, I think a visit to Crewe will be in order for any turntable needs :)

Nice video👍...Very informative and helpful...demystifying as well.

Great, thanks for the informative video 👍 Greetings from Germany.

Also make sure you are getting the correct 50 or 60 HZ frequency from the plug socket. If it is not correct, it will affect the overall speed. A lot of people assume it is correct, but it can be high or low sometimes.

great job, nice to watch. Thank you

Thank you so much for this video! I just ordered the replacement belt and oil repair kit from your website! Going to revive my father's vintage RP2 from the 80's 🙌

Great video! Going to try to service my Rega this weekend which is running really slow

Hi Phil there is a place for good advice , it right here on your channel . I’ve often wondered about upgrades my p3 new model , but listening to you it’s obviously not needed . Apart from regas own better quality belt . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍

Phil serviced my P2 and did an amazing job. He is Mr Rega.

If you think you are running slightly over-speed, stick a 7" single on top of your strobe mat and play it. The stylus drag will bring the speed back correctly as you need to check it under load.

I changed the motor belt a few weeks ago. Broke one of the screws. Used a metal one until I get a plastic one.

Another informative, engaging video, thanks. Just looking at your technique for ensuring grit and dust removal, prior to doing the cleanup proper on the plinth and cover... It might be worth thinking about giving tack cloths a try for this purpose? They have a light impregnation of sticky resin and are more generally used in woodworking for treating surfaces prior to polishing and when painting car parts where you definitely don't want to paint dust into the finish.

When got my RP# years ago I had to adjust the tonearm lift because it was set just a touch high. The needle was just barely contacting the record surface and had to be lowered a mm or two.There is a very small hex grub screw that lets you set the height of the tonearm lift height.

Nice work, pal. I reckon that deck will be singing again, once you've installed a new cartridge.

Imagine trying to convince someone 30 years old or younger that some members of the "boomer" generation own a piece of audio electronics built between the late 70's to early 90's that still runs and/or is still repairable, perhaps even repairable by the owner of said equipment!

Thanks so much

Get out! I just picked up a clone, NAD 533 - and you just taught me two impo things: 1. the year of mfr on the motor (looks like mine is week 45, year 1994! and 2. The cap is why it ran backwards a couple times when i was rapidly turn on/turn off! Speed seems ok (per a strobe dics). and sustained good speed for over 1 hr continual running (4 sides of lp's). The NAD 533's motor is NOT suspended with a band!! IT's glued to the bottom of the deck! Hmmmm... have no clue if this is good or bad, better or worse (i assume the band is for disconnecting vibrations)... Thanks.. I def subscribed and liked!

I used to work for a Linn/Naim/Rega dealer and have owned several P-3's ( I've owned an LP12 since 1988); they're good turntables, and the RB300 is a very good arm, but one thing really irks me: using one of the signal ground wires to "earth" the tonearm. Keeping the metal parts of the arm and table electrically separate from the audio signal pays off in lower hum and noise ---- so why didn't Rega add a ground wire to the arm for the purpose of earh-grounding the arm and keeping the audio isolated? I have added a ground wire to RB300 arms on several occasions; it's a pain to do, and all too easy to screw up the cartridge wires if you're a klutz, but it's worth doing, or having done by a technician ---- especially if you use moving coils and are having issues with hum (typically louder on one channel than the other). Properly done, the tone arm and the metal parts of the turntable will form kind of a Faraday cage around the signal-carrying wires and reduce electromagnetic interference.

Watched both of your videos. Thanks ever so much. I brought the mk3 for £50. Ive replaced the RCA cables with Cambridge Audio ones due to hum...upgrading the cables makes a big difference. Im lucky because mine works perfectly bar the rca, but i was going to upgrade them no matter what as hardly any standard cables sound good. Thanks ever so much for the video in how to service the deck...im just about to service it now and put on my new Trichord Dino phono which i upgraded from an Edwards Audio Apprentice mk2. As it is the deck sounds bloody good, im hoping for better results from the Dino. I cant recomend the dual 505 enough...just dont use audio technica stylus and stick to Ortofon!

Great video and appreciate all your videos. I just put in the new DC motor upgrade kit into my original RP2. Can you do a video on how to set the phase dials? I can’t seem to find anything on that. I adjusted them a little bit and didn’t seem to do anything.

I liked watching this and the capacitor replacement. For some reason the video kept buffering. 53 mins took an hour plus already.

Hi Phil sorry i did manage to sort this out months ago but forgot it was only the fact i have just repaired another 2 Rega's i remembered . Just to say all it was is the motor suspension belt was in the wrong Position.

Just one critique: alcohol has a drying-out effect on rubber, and you're better off cleaning the belt with a non-alcohol tape-head cleaner such as Intraclean S-722. Do *not* use Intraclean on the plastic parts, however, as it may damage the plastic (it will also damage some low-quality tape heads with plastic construction, such as B&O tape decks, uggh).

Hi Phil. Really helpful video. Could you use methylated spirits to clean the belt and bearing out, I've used it on tape Decks with no problem. Thanks.

The Rega sub platter obviously has a properly hardened spindle. My guess is that the aftermarket ones are made in China with poor steel and not heat treated at all.

You forgot my trick of using a drinking straw to get the ball bearing out.

Thank you for the video how brilliantly you went through the whole process of serving Rega Planar decks. I’ll set some time to look at mine been sitting around for years, time to dust it off and see how it performs. Is it still possible to get the covers for them.

Enjoyed the video...especially the camera juggling. 😅Have you ever changed the hinges on the lid? While Rega sell them the replacement seems a less than easy job what with drilling out the old rivets. Have you ever tried this?

Great video I have a 3 year old Rega RP10 it’s performing well when would you recommend a service for it ?

Great video, thanks for uploading, very useful, with regard to removing ball bearing might it be easier to use a small magnetic screwdriver or similar if it were available, just a thought, seems less hazardous than turning it upside down.

Thanks for this. My Planar 3 hasn't been used for a few years. Fired it up today and it's running at about 36rpm. Any idea what the problem is likely to be? Thanks.

I see the advice to clean the lift/lower arm, but my RB300 still skates back to outside, platter is level in both planes. I have read there is a spring which breaks inside the arm base which controls bias/skate. How is that fixed, is part available, and is it awkward replacing it, if that is the reason for the swinging to the outer edge of the platter. Hope to hear if you know the answer. Cartridge is a V15-4. Or is it a back to rega to fix it.

👍👍😎✌️🤟

Here is my issue Rega P1 plus. Lightning strike killed the board and also my Marantz receiver. Can't get replacement parts. I'm in Windsor, Ontario Canada

HI Phil , my regar planar 1 has the noisy motor thing )whirring noise , when runnning without belt connected , obviosuly annoying when record volume is low , any ideas on this -am I meant to "oil " the motor ? cheers , Liam

Hi Phil. I’m hoping you will answer this question for me. I would really appreciate it. I have a Rega Planar 3. After a little over one year, the spring loaded VTF has failed. No matter what I set the dial to, it moves on its own to just slightly past 3 and that’s where it’s been ever since. So I’ve just left it in that position and make my adjustment with the counter weight at the end of the tone arm. Is there any harm or problem with me doing this? I’m just hoping it’s okay so I don’t have to bring it in for servicing when it really isn’t necessary. Thanks so much in advance!!

Good day Sir! So you mentioned, to use gearbox oil for the bearing. What viscosity is preferred? (Rega P25) Thank you in advance. -T

Does the stroboscope mat with incandescent light source work better than the One Little Bear strobe disc and light? Anyone?

In light of Phil's video here, can anyone recommend an excellent 'how to solder' video for beginners?

Hi, I've just got a brand new p1 plus but having problems with looping on some records, its very annoying it's not just old records either does it on new ones aswell. And others it plays through ok, everything is setup up right too.. I cant figure it out, any ideas? Cheers.

Hi, What would cause slow running but intermittently or on heavier vinyl? Thanks

I was wondering where the best place to get a strobe disc downloaded? And are they all equal accurate or do they vary?

Is it possible to convert an old rega planar 2 from British 230v to USA 110v?

I have a Rega Planar 3 with R200 tonearm could it be the same fault regarding no turning speed of the platter.

i have a big problem brought a planar 3 from ebay the motor hasn't got the suspension bracket or rubber band and screws

How can we put up with the faster speed?

My Rega Planar 2 will be 5 years old this year and has stopped working. I'm guessing it's either the dropper resistor or the switch??

Have a P3 and when it is cold it goes "tick tick tick tick". When it is warmed up (been on for a while) it doesn't do this. Warm-up takes 4-5 minutes, then doesn't come back until the next morning when it is cold. What is going on?

Is the Mr. Muscle Cleaner just a basic window cleaner? I know it comes in a blue color and according to SC Johnson, not made anymore and goes for what I think is a ridiculous price.

My P2 is about six months old and when I turn it off there seems to be a kind of squeaky-grindy-whiny noise as the platter stops. Is this normal or do I need to have my dealer look at it for an exorbitant sum of money?? It's my first manual turntable and replaced a Technics SL-5 after all the buttons stopped working and wouldn't even turn on anymore.

hello on the RP6 should the belt be placed on the top or the bottom of the pulley. knowing that there are two grooves thank you…

My pulley came unstuck so wasn't working at all hence why everything was running very slow. A bit of glue and now perfect.

Do you sell any of your speakers? I see you have a good collection!

Hi there wondered if you can help have done a lot of regar planer 2/3 but one i have at the moment in repair needed new support belt as it was broken and new drive belt i also replaced center bearing. The unit now runs but the glass platter is just ever so slight scraping on the underneath of the glass plater any ideas. Kind regards Robert. UPDATE i managed to sort out what was causing scraping noise and returned repaired to my customer. 5/3/23.

the thing you can't remember is solder wick but get the one with a built-in resin the other type is useless. really those capacitors are not very good you should use Kemet 0.22uF an LC filter class 2 on the mains worth putting in one thing I forgot to mention it should run fast anyway a little bit if you're doing a test you have to do it with a record playing ideally with basenotes the slows down the record you can cut strobe disc card centre part out and just have the markings and place it carefully centred on the record and play the record.

When turning the turntable over to access the bottom, will any oil leak out from the pulley/motor area?

Got a late 80’s P2, can’t set the anti skating as should, stylus set at about 1,7 and anti skating should be accordingly, if set so arm runs fast towards the center! ”Guess-set it” to indicated 1 now to be able to play back, any ideas?

I'm surprised that there isn't a speed adjustment! I guess the motor is a quartz type! that is what the Fluance uses!

I am not a fan of those rubber band motor supports and replaced mine with a Sorbothane pad.

Hi, thanks for the video, very informative, deck set up spot on. Do you have an email address I have some spares to send to you. Ian.

Aren't you meant to use a heat shunt to protect the item you're soldering ?

What next, cheap MDF guitar bodies?

Why do experienced vinyl guys buy Rega turntakes

That’s a toy!

😂Rega. Poor Man's Turntables

Do you really need more than 15 min to replace a capacitor. It’s almost embarrassing to see you do this. If a turntable is this old please change out the belt. A normal over haul like this is should be done in 15 mins max even if your filming it. Bu hey who am I to judge. Been doing this for the last 30 years as well.

Any DJ turntable with direct drive motor are better than this... The piece of MDF, very complicated to change the cartridge... Very poor.

Hi I have been given a Rega planar 3 turntable..it does have a power cable with a odd looking small 3 pin grey plug on it saying 6amp 250v... So I can,t run or test the turnable is there a way to fit or buy a adaptor for the old plug ???? Thanks Andy..

Hiya do you have an email or something I can chat to you about purchasing and any questions for the old rega planar 3 cheers

☝️ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐦