Thorens TD150 Mk1 Arm part needed

[waam68]

I was recently given a beat up 150 by a neighbour who dug it out the back of his garage. The chrome was pitted switch & speed change mechanism jammed & was basically shabby but ok. I have done most of the cosmetics, sorted the plinth & change mechanism etc but I broke the black circlip that holds the arm under the board (the arm is a TP13 not the black ball version but the first one), the one running down the turret to the bottom that cups under the bearing. Unfortunately it snapped taking it off. I also need the smaller knurled balance adjuster wheel from the balance weight. Does anyone have any ideas where I might be abe to get these parts or is it spend a lot of cash on a SME time?
Thanks

[Nanook]

I have one, but that's beside the point. Rega RB250 may be the best bet, then rewire it, put on the RB300 stub and a offset counterweight. You'd be suprized at how good it will sound for under $500...


or make your own unipivot.


stew

[Panicos K]

Hi, IMHO NO REGAS on TD150's.SME is THE choice

[simeon_noir]

Thing is, here in the UK he can pick a Rega up for a fraction of the cost of an SME. I have just put an RB250 onto a AR turntable, it doesn't look out of place (the original arm was straight) but more importantly it sounds fantastic even before a rewire or any additional work except replacing the plastic end stub. A decent low cost option in the bendy arm style that might suit a deck of that vintage could be the Rega R200 which will perform very well if rewired and are plentiful on E-bay here.

[Panicos K]

Yes it is true that price for a Rega is lower.And the RB250 is a very nice arm.The reason for my comment is because we have two nice producs(RB250 & td150)which for some reason they don't give their best when put together.If an old SME falls within the budged it would be one to consider.Surpisingly,Regas work great on new Thorens turntables.

[Nanook]

which can be vary cost effective and very good performance wise.

A single quid has got me thus far....

[jrevillug]

I have a DIY arm on a TD150- based on a VHS head drum, a stanley blade, some copper coinage and a peice of bamboo tube.

Pictures here

[Nanook]

the us eof bamboo makes good "sense" to me. The bearing is something that I'd thought about as well (have a few of the VHS drums kicking around). I imagine that the limiting factor is the quality of the internal tonearm wiring, and how you connect it to your phono stage.

Even simpler than my $2.19 tonearm.

stew

[rkay5]

Why is it that people say Rega arms don't work with Thorens TD150 and TD160 it is bull. A stockRega RB250 is not the best but once rewired and a Michell TecnoWeight is used I feel it blows a way anything a Linn Basic or SME 3009 and you can use Moving Coil cartridges to with the Rega . Rega RB250 with a Thorens is a great low cost playback system.Robert

[Panicos K]

It is not that they don't work,they do.But they are not the best combination.Some things just can't give their best when put together.Just to make a point clear,combination is not bad either......(I used it for a while too)Rewiring and especially Technoweight will help,but that will take the cost to that of a SME.Linn basik has nothing to do next to a SME on a TD150.On my SME I never had a problem playing with MC's.Some think that with a MC, knife bearing of a SME will get off its place or rattle.Now that's bull(did I say it right?).It seems to me that rigidity etc is not always everything.Besides,modern MC's with their medium compliance make things easier for arms,compared to older MC's like say SPU's,and yet, users of SME/SPU cannot live without them.