good turntables for restoring?

[ORNJ]

Hi,

I have decided that I want to look more into getting an old turntable to restore rather than buy new.

Part of this reason is because of the fact that, from what I understand, I can get better results for the same money. I may even save a little.

The other reason is because I love to work on things that I own and know the intricate workings of them. This ranges from computers to cars and I plan to start building my own speakers too.

Now that obviously wouldn't be the case if I were to get a Garrard 301 unless I found someone who didnt know what they had. However, I understand that Thorens TD mk. II can be had for a reasonable price and be restored to be a very nice performer. Especially if I make my own plinth for it.

However, I do not know many other TT that are worth restoring and wanted to know what others though may be worth my efforts.

Thanks for any input.

[3GGG]

check out Lenco heaven

[basite]

indeed, look at lenco heaven.

Lenco L75, 70's 88, 99, 76,... all the heavy platter lenco's are good for DIY'ing and restoring. I've had lots of fun with them myself too...

[pdul]

Kenwood KD-770D and KD-990D

[cyclecamper]

Any direct-drive sidesteps the belt hassles, now and in the future. Denon in particular. The Technics will always hold value because they were the DJ standard. Any Rabco or harman-kardon Rabco, if you like straight-trackers. Some of the B&O, now that you can get a new stylus from the aftermarket again.

[ORNJ]

Hey great! Those lencos look like they might be an even better option as they don't have Garrard fan following that demands the 5k price point

[directdriver]

JVC QL-7

[Nanook]

...are the changers from some of the "big" names (Garrard, Dual, Cobramatic, etc...).

Gut the changer stuff and convert to a manual turntable. Toss the arm and put something modern on it or do a really good job on an arm restoration. Make sure upgrade the tonearm wiring if re-using an old arm.

Garrard Lab60 turntables are cheap, but have the big Lab series induction motors.

Ofr go find a Lenco and do "all the mods". Everytime that I have sought out a Lenco I find out that the going price was beyond my budget.

[dangus]

How about an AR? The best suspension of any turntable I've owned, although I did fit it with a low mass DIY arm. The stock arm may be perfectly adequate, but I wanted some luxuries like hydraulic cueing and antiskate. I believe there's various parts available to hotrod them. Not the most user-friendly if you play records that spin at speeds other than 33 rpm; changing speed means lifting off the platter and moving the belt to a different level on the motor pulley.

[Conrad Hoffman]

The better Duals are good. The AR is a great platform to start with, but IMO it takes a lot of DIY skill to put a decent arm on it. If you can find an old Rek-O-Kut, they have a super platter and Pabst motor. If you just want a good performing direct drive, needing only cleaning and such, the Sony PS-T33 and similar do very well and shouldn't go for much. The Thorens, Lencos, early pro Garrard and other popular DIY upgrade tables have been rising in price because so many people know about them now. I wouldn't mess with the consumer grade Garrards, BIC or other changers.