phononewb:

Adjusting a new turntable is no joke from I have experienced. I would contact my nearest audio shop, or a friend with a turntable, and ask for advice. It is too much detail to go into here, and I myself would have to re-look up references on the correct way to setup a turntable!

Rest assured; however, your turntable is probably "ok", but it most likely got out of whack during shipping.

A few terms I can state are "anti-skating"...which i think is your main issue...when the forces down on the tonearm are not enough from the counterweights, the tonearm will "skate" or "skip" across the record. I think that may be your issue.

There are also other issues such as lateral tracking force...which could also cause skipping...

I wish I had the exact steps outlined, but either a more Senior member with better vinyl knowledge can chime in or you can use the 'net to resolve the issue or a local shop or friend.

**Important: In the mean time, do resist the urge to play any records as they may be damaged by your out-of whack turntable!!

Best Of Luck,

Ron

The fundamental problem is that the arm is sticking. Using increased spring pressure is a good way to damage the records and the stylus.

To get it working right you would need to take the pivot assembly apart and clean and oil it.

The entire mechanism probably has old oil and grease everywhere that needs to be cleaned away with solvent and replaced with new lubricants.

Wear in the mechanism also may be a problem. Those were very poor-quality record players to start with, and I wouldn't want to play any of my records on one, even if were in fairly good shape.

Until it is repaired properly you will be permanently damaging your records, so use care.