mandolink

I need help with my Sony MDS-501 deck. I know this has probably been covered sometime back, but here's the problem - the deck is playing nicely when suddenly, it pauses - not actually in pause mode - but it just stops playing for a few seconds - and then resumes. Sometimes the sound cuts in and out like its trying to play, sometimes it's just silent for a few moments then comes back on. Oddly, the "skip" - if you want to call it that - ends up being in the same place on the disc when I play it. If I play the same disc on my portable, it doesn't do this in the same spot. So, the disc doesn't seem to be the problem. Is my MDS-501 just in need of lens cleaning? Please help me. This problem really hurts when I have a priceless live recording that I'm trying to transfer to CD. If it is just a cleaning issue, what cleaner do you recommend? Thanks so much for your help!