Replacement turntable needle finder

Replacement needles and belts by turntable

Every turntable in the finder, with the maker's part numbers. Click a model to open it in the finder.

How to replace a turntable needle

1. Find the right part. Use the finder above or the manual. The replacement needle has to match the cartridge, not just the turntable: if you or a previous owner changed the cartridge, look up the cartridge instead.
2. Lift the arm and lock it. Put the arm on its rest and close the clip, so it cannot swing while you work. Fit the stylus guard if there is one.
3. Pull the old needle out. Most plug-in needles pull forward and slightly down out of the cartridge body; hold the cartridge, not the arm. Your manual shows the direction for your model.
4. Push the new one in. Slide it in the same way until it seats. Do not touch the tip; it chips more easily than you would think.
5. Check tracking force. On decks with a counterweight, set the tracking force again: a replacement needle can sit slightly differently. On decks without one, nothing to adjust.

Needle, stylus, cartridge: what you are actually replacing

The needle or stylus is the tiny diamond and the thin cantilever that holds it, usually in a plastic carrier that plugs into the front of the cartridge. The cartridge is the body that turns the vibration into a signal. On most decks you only replace the needle; the cartridge lasts for years. Decks with a fixed cartridge, and P-mount arms, are built so the needle is the only part you change.

When to replace the belt

A belt that has stretched, cracked or gone shiny slips: the speed runs slow or wanders, and some decks struggle to start. Rubber ages even unused, so a turntable that sat for years often needs a new belt before anything else. Check the speed with a strobe disc before and after; the right belt for your model is in the finder.