I have modded an ariston Q Deck replacing the stock rubber feet with brass speaker cones.I have removed the plastic guard under the table as it resonates but you have to be careful of the wiring.I also damped the plinth underneath with "Brown Bread" tar damping material in open spots.The arm is good.Same as that used on the Sota Moonbeam and the wiring is good too.You could put better RCA plugs on it.Check the speed.I found a new belt put it right on.They are available online.The cartridge should be a relatively cheap Grado Prestige Red Model and the table really makes music with this.Much better than the stock Ortofon OM 10 that the table was shipped with.The Ariston Q deck was in competition with the Rega Planar 2 early on(80's/90's) it is not quite up to it but close and therefore I think it's a good table.In good condition it has a recent blue book value of 199 English pounds.You can isolate the table too it likes a firm,hard non-resonating surface.
Also I should add that there was a design fault with the lift-off mechanism on the Ariston Q Deck,and users report that the arm would automatically lift and the player would halt before the end of a record.This can be addressed by removing the mechanism altogether and the player will now continuously spin,but so do lots of other decks.The bearings in the arm are adjustable by the tiny screws at the sides and top of the tonearm,just check they are firm and there is free play in the tonearm that is not restricted.I did damp with Blu-tac inside the tonearm as well after taking it out of the plinth but this is up to you.A Linn arm could fit the Q Deck as they are the correct spindle to pivot distance(211mm) I have seen a Rega arm on one but it is too long.The tonearm is on the light side I think and the compliant moving iron Grado's are a good match.
I took the tonearm out of the plinth being careful of the wires which are still attached underneath.The tonearm base has some obvious hollow areas that can be damped for resonance.I did not think it made any real difference though,but it cannot hurt.You could damp the straight part of the arm with plumbers teflon wrap or a propietary tonearm wrap if you wanted to.I haven't tried this but it may be worth a shot.A third of the way back from the headshell is a good spot I believe,or the whole arm.You can experiment.
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