Tonearm linear-drive apparatus

In a record player for a rotatable disc record having a spiral groove, said record to be oriented in a given plane, and a tonearm provided with a stylus to track the record groove which pulls the tonearm in a generally radial direction parallel to the record disc, the improvement comprising a tonearm support apparatus including a carriage having pivot-forming means which pivotally supports said tonearm for pivotal movement in a plane generally parallel to the record disc, carriage guiding support means providing guide track means extending along an incline to the horizontal for supporting the carriage for free movement under force of gravity in said radial direction in the absence of a braking force on the carriage, and braking mechanism including braking means normally holding said carriage against movement when said tonearm has a given reference orientation in said plane and control means responsive to an incremental pivotal movement of said tonearm in said given direction for momentarily terminating the braking action of said braking means to permit incremental bodily movement of said carriage and the pivot point of said tonearm thereon in said radial direction by force of gravity, which bodily movement causes an incremental reverse pivotal movement of said tonearm on said carriage and re-establishment of the braking action of said braking means on said carriage until subsequent incremental pivotal movement of said tonearm in said given direction by said record disc groove.