Abstract: To prolong the useful life of a diamond guide element which serves to guide a transducer and which is provided with a contact surface via which the element in use bears against the surface of a record carrier while the carrier moves relative to the element, the element is constructed so that the direction of such relative movement corresponds to a high wear resistance direction of the diamond, and the contact surface thereof is periodically ground in an opposite direction in which it has a lower wear-resistance.

Abstract: In a pickup for the playback of a high density signal recording stored at the surface of a record carrier, which pickup includes a scanning element and a mechanical-electrical pressure transducer connected to the scanning element by a layer of adhesive, undesired vibrations of structural parts of the pickup during playback are prevented by providing at least that part of the surface of the pickup where the pressure transducer is connected to the scanning element with a layer of a hardened casting mass, which is applied in the liquid state in which it has a viscosity of between 5 and 50 cP at 20.degree.C. Preferably, the remainder of the surface of the pickup is also covered with such a coating, with the exception of the scanning surface of the scanning element.