345-O3D cartridge myth

I got my seeburg G all restored and had the opportunity to try a brand
new O3D cartridge .
The cartridge that is in my machine now is a gold colored aluminum cased
one the same physical size as the original red head .. numbers are
rubbed off , no info .

this gold cartridge sounds twice as good as the O3D it has more gain and
far more trebble and bass . All i can really describe is the needle is
tiny L shaped and comes with a little tool to install it .

I am glad i never pain 300$ for an O3D and will cant understand why
these are so highly rated .
I can understand maybe modifying the amp for this but why when you can
get a cartridge for 25$ that sounds better .

interesting - is that gold colored cartridge a stereo unit with the adapter?

Mike in Dallas

"Ken G." wrote in message
...
I got my seeburg G all restored and had the opportunity to try a brand
new O3D cartridge .
The cartridge that is in my machine now is a gold colored aluminum cased
one the same physical size as the original red head .. numbers are
rubbed off , no info .

this gold cartridge sounds twice as good as the O3D it has more gain and
far more trebble and bass . All i can really describe is the needle is
tiny L shaped and comes with a little tool to install it .

I am glad i never pain 300$ for an O3D and will cant understand why
these are so highly rated .
I can understand maybe modifying the amp for this but why when you can
get a cartridge for 25$ that sounds better .

One reason - proper tracking angle of the stylus related to the record groove.

Most of the conversion cartridges are simply two regular phono cartridges
mounted back to back. This arrangement ensures that one side - the "A" side,
unfortunately - is not oriented at the proper tracking angle; it opposes the
direction of rotation of the record. If you compare this with the original
cartridges the styli on each side "face" the direction of rotation of the
record.

You can see this more easily on a Seeburg stereo redhead - the styli mounting
blocks are arranged so the stylus meets the record at the proper angle.

End result - most conversion cartridges cause more wear on the "A" side of the
record than would occur with the 03D.

The reason you need to modify the amp when using the 03D is simple. When
Pickering built the 03D they simply an existing stereo cartridge and wired the
outputs of each channel in parallel. This means the impedance of the
cartridge no longer matches that of the amp's input stage. Changing the grid
bias resistor on the amp corrects the impedance mis-match.

Yes, the 03D price is out of sight; it's a shame Pickering stopped making
them. Unfortunately, they were the best solution to the problems of record
wear associated with the original Seeburg mono redhead cartridges. Using the
"high compliance" (L-shaped) needles with a Seeburg redhead is probably the
next best option.

Joseph "Tony" Dziedzic

In article ,
(Ken G.) wrote:
I got my seeburg G all restored and had the opportunity to try a brand
new O3D cartridge .
The cartridge that is in my machine now is a gold colored aluminum cased
one the same physical size as the original red head .. numbers are
rubbed off , no info .

this gold cartridge sounds twice as good as the O3D it has more gain and
far more trebble and bass . All i can really describe is the needle is
tiny L shaped and comes with a little tool to install it .

I am glad i never pain 300$ for an O3D and will cant understand why
these are so highly rated .
I can understand maybe modifying the amp for this but why when you can
get a cartridge for 25$ that sounds better .

If you are unhappy with the 345 and want to get rid of it,
please email me. I could use it.

(remove the X's)

I know what you mean about needle angle as i have played around with
many cartridges on all kinds of phonos .
The angle of the needle on the O3D is in line enough to not affect the
sound this bad . the one i tried is new old stock still in its original
bottle .
The only reason i can see using this cartridge and changing the amp is
to reduce record wear in a hard use jukebox .

The gold cartridge i have is an original replacement fit for the seeburg
tone arm .. no adapters , it is a magnetic type .
The needles are tiny metal ``L`s``no plastic body, that slip on a metal
post .

I can see why these have more power per say because the needle is
mounted right on the armature that goes right into the pickup coil
inside . Other cartridges i have seen all pickup the needle through a
magnetic field which reduces everything .

The differance between these cartridges is like listening to AM radio vs
FM radio , the gold cartridge sounds very crisp and bright comparred to
the O3D .

Sorry this O3D belongs to a local juke guy who would want retail price
i`m sure if he would sell it at all . i can find out if you are ready to
pay top $ .

Ken G. wrote:

I got my seeburg G all restored and had the opportunity to try a brand
new O3D cartridge .
The cartridge that is in my machine now is a gold colored aluminum cased
one the same physical size as the original red head .. numbers are
rubbed off , no info .

this gold cartridge sounds twice as good as the O3D it has more gain and
far more trebble and bass . All i can really describe is the needle is
tiny L shaped and comes with a little tool to install it .

I am glad i never pain 300$ for an O3D and will cant understand why
these are so highly rated .
I can understand maybe modifying the amp for this but why when you can
get a cartridge for 25$ that sounds better .

Back when I could buy directly from pickering and they cost I think $37,
I installed lot's of the 345-03D's, changing the grid resistor. Besides
lacking a little on the output, I thought they sounded great. I'm
curious, did you change that resistor when you tried the pickering?
They *will* sound worse than the original red head without changing that
one resistor. And most important, where can I buy the $25 cartridge you
are using?!!!???!!

--
Tony

Ken G. wrote:

I did not change any resistors , i dont know which one .

That explains why the 345-03D didn't sound good.


Question .. do you need to change that resistor in a Seeburg C also ?

Yes.


I bought this cartridge from a local vending shop from a junk box he had
.
I then saw several of them on ebay selling for 25$ or less . they come
in both gold colored and black cases same insides . they will probably
need rebuilt . I think people are over looking this cartridge .

Ken, the 345-03D needles may be warn out...can you take a pic. of your gold
cart. and post it for us?? George
Tony Miklos wrote in message
...
Ken G. wrote:

I did not change any resistors , i dont know which one .

That explains why the 345-03D didn't sound good.


Question .. do you need to change that resistor in a Seeburg C also ?

Yes.


I bought this cartridge from a local vending shop from a junk box he had
.
I then saw several of them on ebay selling for 25$ or less . they come
in both gold colored and black cases same insides . they will probably
need rebuilt . I think people are over looking this cartridge .

Like i said The whole thing is brand new

Is it ok to put pictures right on the group ?
some groups freek out if you do that :-)

Done !