Needle skipping on your Technics: cartridge, weight and anti-skate set up properly

The needle jumps every time you back cue. It slides across the record when you scratch. Or it gets stuck and loops the same bar over and over. It's one of the most frustrating faults on a turntable, because it feels like the deck is broken.

Usually it isn't. Skipping comes down to setup far more often than a fault: tracking weight, anti-skate, a deck that isn't level, the wrong cartridge, or a worn stylus. Bent arms and damaged bearings do happen, usually after a knock or a courier trip, but check the setup first. Our used turntables are sold without a cartridge or slipmat, so this is also the first job when one arrives.

Quick fix

• Check the stylus tip is there and clean. Brush fluff off gently from back to front.
• Level the deck front to back and side to side by turning the feet.
• Balance the arm, then set the tracking weight your cartridge maker recommends.
• Set anti-skate to the same number as the tracking weight as a starting point. Scratching? Try anti-skate at 0.
• Check there's no extra weight screwed onto the back of the arm.
• Back cueing or scratching needs a DJ cartridge. Hi-fi styli jump when you cue.

First: one record, or every record?

If the needle skips in the same spot on one record only, it's that record: a scratch, a bit of dirt or a pressing fault. Try a few records you know are good. If it skips on everything, keep going.

1. Look at the stylus

Take a torch and look at the end of the cartridge from the side.

• Is the tip there? Styli do get snapped off, in transit or by a knock while handling the headshell. Without the tip the cartridge can't play properly. A replacement stylus usually just pulls off and pushes on.
• Is it clogged with fluff? Ortofon say to brush the stylus from the back of the cartridge towards the tip, never tip to back and never side to side.
• Is the cantilever straight? That's the thin tube the diamond sits on. If it's bent or sagging, the stylus needs replacing. One SL-1200MK2 owner on r/turntables had a needle that jumped on every back cue, tried two more styli, and only cured it by fitting a brand new cartridge and stylus.

A worn or damaged stylus skips on every record, whatever weight you set. If yours is old, a fresh stylus is the cheapest test there is.

2. Level the deck

Technics manuals say to set the deck on a level surface protected from vibration. The four feet are adjustable insulators: lift the deck slightly and turn them to raise or lower each corner. Use a small spirit level on the platter, front to back and side to side. A deck that leans pulls the arm one way and makes skipping worse.

3. Balance the arm and set the tracking weight

This is where most skipping is fixed. The steps below are from the Technics SL-1200MK2, MK5 and MK7 manuals.

1. Fit the headshell into the arm, hold it level and tighten the locking collar fully.
2. Turn the anti-skate dial to 0.
3. Take the stylus guard off, release the arm clamp and lift the arm off its rest, keeping the stylus clear of the platter.
4. Turn the whole counterweight until the arm floats level on its own.
5. Put the arm back on its rest. Hold the counterweight still and turn only the numbered ring until 0 lines up with the centre line on the arm.
6. Now turn the whole counterweight, ring and all, until the ring shows your cartridge's recommended weight.

Use the weight from your cartridge maker, not a number off a forum. Ortofon say their recommended force gives the best mix of groove holding and sound, and that going outside the range may cause skipping, poor sound or extra record wear. Some common examples from the makers' own specs:

• Ortofon Concorde MkII Mix and Club: range 2 to 4 g, recommended 3 g.
• Ortofon Concorde MkII DJ, Scratch and Digital: range 3 to 5 g, recommended 4 g.
• Audio-Technica AT-XP5: range 2 to 4 g, 3 g standard.

Too light a weight can make the needle skip. If you want to be sure, a cheap digital stylus scale confirms the real weight. Measure with anti-skate at 0.

Can't reach the weight? Check for the auxiliary weight

Technics decks come with a small auxiliary weight that fits on the back of the arm with the counterweight. It's only meant for heavy cartridges: the MK5 manual says to fit it if the cartridge weighs between 10 and 13 grams. If it's fitted when it shouldn't be, the counterweight can run out of travel before it reaches your tracking weight.

This catches people out all the time. One new SL-1200MK2 owner on r/turntables couldn't get past about 1.6 g, and several replies spotted the auxiliary weight still screwed on. Take off anything that isn't the normal counterweight, then balance again from scratch.

4. Set the anti-skate

Anti-skate stops the arm being pulled towards the centre of the record. The Technics manuals say to set it to the same number as the tracking weight. The MK7 manual says to set it to 3 for anything from 3 g upwards. Treat equal numbers as a starting point, not a rule.

Scratching and back cueing are different. The MK5 and MK7 manuals both say to adjust anti-skate for scratch play to reduce skipping, and lots of scratch DJs simply run it at 0. One MK3D owner on r/DJs had the needle jumping when scratching a 10 inch record. They already had anti-skate at 0, and raising the arm height made it skip less.

5. Set the arm height

The arm should sit parallel to the record when the stylus is down, with your slipmat on. On a Technics you unlock the arm height ring, turn it to the number for your cartridge's height, then lock it again. If you don't know the cartridge height, lower the stylus onto a record and adjust until the arm is level with the record.

The MK7 manual also says that for scratching you can adjust the arm height to reduce skating, which matches what DJs report. If the height ring won't turn at all on an older deck, old grease inside has often set hard. Don't spray anything into it. Freeing it properly means taking the arm out, which is a bench job.

6. Check the cartridge position

If you use a Concorde style cartridge with a built-in headshell, there's nothing to align: Ortofon say it mounts directly with no alignment needed. If you've fitted a separate cartridge to a headshell, it should sit straight on the shell, and the MK7 manual sets the overhang so the stylus tip is 52 mm from the headshell's mounting end. The wires go white to L+, blue to L-, red to R+ and green to R-.

7. Use a DJ cartridge for DJing

Technics say it plainly in the MK7 manual: for scratching, including reverse play, use a cartridge and stylus made for DJs. Hi-fi cartridges with fine styli and light tracking weights are built for playing forwards. Back cue on one and it will jump.

8. The float test: is the arm itself OK?

If you've done all of the above and it still skips on every record, check the arm.

• Float test. Anti-skate at 0, arm balanced to float level, deck level. Let go of the arm over the platter and watch for 10 seconds. It should stay still or drift slowly outwards.
• Bearing check. Fit the stylus guard, then gently rock the arm up and down and side to side near the pivot. You shouldn't feel any click or play.

If the balanced arm swings hard back to the rest with anti-skate at 0, or sticks in one spot on its way across, DJs on Reddit point to the arm bearings or the anti-skate mechanism. Please don't loosen the bearing screws yourself. Setting a bearing so it has no play but no extra friction is fiddly and hard to get right.

Model notes

• SL-1200MK2 and SL-1210MK2: auxiliary weight in the box for heavy cartridges. Anti-skate same as tracking weight for normal play.
• SL-1200MK5: same setup routine. The manual says fit the auxiliary weight for cartridges of 10 to 13 g, and adjust anti-skate to reduce skipping when scratching.
• SL-1200MK7 and SL-1210MK7: stylus pressure adjustment 0 to 4 g. The manual gives an applicable cartridge weight of 14.3 to 20.7 g including the headshell, and says to set anti-skate to 3 for 3 g and above.
• Pioneer PLX-1000: Pioneer say cartridge plus headshell must weigh 2.5 g to 12 g, and that the arm can drift a little even at anti-skate 0. That on its own isn't a fault.

Moving or posting a deck

A lot of arm damage happens in transit. The MK7 manual says to take the counterweight off and support the arm before packing. Take the headshell off too, clamp the arm, and pack the platter separately. If skipping started straight after a deck was shipped or dropped, suspect the arm.

When it's a repair

These signs point to the deck rather than the setup:

• The balanced arm swings hard back to the rest, or sticks in one spot.
• You can feel play or a click in the arm pivot.
• Every record loops the same way whatever weight you set.
• It started after the deck was dropped, shipped or something fell on the arm.
• The arm height ring won't turn.

We check the arm bearings, anti-skate and arm height, set your cartridge up properly, and replace the tonearm if it's bent or the bearings are damaged. A full Technics service is £90 for one deck or £150 for a pair. A tonearm replacement we'll quote after we've looked at it, and it depends on parts availability. If you'd like it checked first, our diagnostic is £30, deducted if you go ahead. Book in on our service and repair page.

What to send us

Send a side-on video at eye level of the needle on a record while it skips, plus a video of the float test: arm balanced, anti-skate at 0, let go and film for 10 seconds. Tell us which cartridge you've fitted and the weight you've set.

FAQ

What tracking weight should I use on a Technics?

Whatever your cartridge maker recommends. The deck doesn't set it, the cartridge does. For example, Ortofon recommend 3 g for the Concorde MkII Mix and 4 g for the Concorde MkII Scratch.

Should anti-skate be at 0 for scratching?

Many scratch DJs run it at 0, and the Technics manuals say to adjust it for scratch play to reduce skipping. For normal playing, start with it matched to your tracking weight.

Why does my needle only skip when I back cue?

Usually a hi-fi cartridge, tracking weight that's too light, or a worn stylus. Use a DJ cartridge set to its recommended weight and check the stylus.

Can I just add more weight to stop it skipping?

Stay inside your cartridge's tracking force range. Ortofon warn that going outside it can cause skipping, poor sound and extra record wear. If it only stops skipping way over the range, something else is wrong.

Need a hand?

Careful setup sorts a lot of skipping. If yours still jumps after the float test, send us the videos and we'll tell you what we see. Buying a pair instead? Browse our used Technics and Pioneer turntables or read the Technics price guide first.