New to vinyl, looking for some advice/info about my turntable

[RowBearToe]

Hey guys, I'm new to the game, started collecting vinyl about 4 months ago, and have been using the record player that my grandfather happened to have in his garage and gave to me for free. It's a Sears SR3000 from who knows how long ago haha. I don't really know much about it, anyone know anything about it?

 

But I was hoping someone could enlighten me on maintenance/upkeep/cleaning. This thing has been sitting in his garage for years, is there anything I should do to clean it or anything like that? And in general are there things that I should periodically do?

 

Also, I've heard that it's the needle, not the turntable, that makes for a great player, is that true? If so, would I be able to buy almost any needle to replace this one if it's not so great? Or would I just  need to upgrade my setup all together?

 

Any help and advice is appreciated, thanks!

[ajxd]

Remove all dust and dead bugs living in it.  What you heard was wrong. You could find a replacement stylus, but you'd be better off replacing the entire cartridge. If there are automatic functions, make sure the gears aren't brittle. Lube up the cueing level and tonearm.

 

And always, upgrad the entire system. Its 2013.

[RowBearToe]

Remove all dust and dead bugs living in it.  What you heard was wrong. You could find a replacement stylus, but you'd be better off replacing the entire cartridge. If there are automatic functions, make sure the gears aren't brittle. Lube up the cueing level and tonearm.

 

And always, upgrad the entire system. Its 2013.

 

 haha yeah, i know, I'm just trying to hold out for a bit until I can do some research as to what I want and save some money up for it. But awesome, thank you!