Broken Cue Lever on an Audio Technica record player

December 9, 2022 11:36 AM

I was playing a record, and went to raise the cue lever on my record player and it just...came out. Can it be fixed?

I was playing a record, and went to raise the cue lever on my record player and it just...came out. There's no signs of breakage. The cue lever looks fine and undamaged. But I can't figure out how to get it back in. I've spent a lot of time googling this, but it doesn't seem to be a common problem. Most other posts I found involve broken plastic and other signs of damage, which I don't see here.
I have three questions:
1. Is it possible for me, a person with the technical know-how of a 2 day old goldfish, to fix this?
2. If the answer to 1 is no, is there a convenient way to get this repaired? I'm in the SF Bay area if that matters.
3. If the answers to 1 and 2 are both no, can I still use this record player provided I am very cautious when lowering the needle?

Model: Audio Technica ST-LP120-USB
Picture of the issue

posted by firemonkey to Technology (6 answers total)

I can't see the picture because it requires login, but you certainly can use it without a cue lever. Some turntables don't come with that feature in the first place.
posted by primethyme at 11:39 AM on December 9, 2022

you can absolutely cue the record manually.. just don't slam the needle down or drag it across the record surface or set it down off of the record, and you'll be fine. (and, of course, don't touch the needle, use the little hook thingy off on the right side of the head shell.)
posted by mrg at 11:52 AM on December 9, 2022

from the manual

4.
Lower the tone arm by moving the tone arm lift control lever to
the DOWN position. The tone arm descends slowly onto the
record and play begins.
– or –
Use the finger-lift on the headshell assembly to position the tone
arm over the desired location on the record. Carefully lower the
tone arm to the record surface.
posted by yyz at 12:20 PM on December 9, 2022

My father, a hi-fi buff, taught me when I was a very little girl how to gently place the needle onto an LP. I’ve never scratched a record, so you should be fine with part 2 of yyz‘s instructions.
posted by elphaba at 3:09 PM on December 9, 2022

I used my google account to log in, but I still can't see your picture. Perhaps you could contact this youtuber to ask for suggestions https://www.youtube.com/@Techmoan
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 3:13 PM on December 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

You’re not the first person this has happened to and it doesn’t seem like it’s an easy DIY fix, but like others have said, cueing manually is totally fine, slow and steady, you don’t need a surgeon’s hand! And it might even be better for this model as the cue lever is prone to sudden drops (I have the same model and haven’t experienced this, but have noticed other quirks with the lever).
posted by macdara at 10:25 AM on December 10, 2022