This LP12 came in from a customer who had inherited it – clearly from a smoky environment…
The brief was to get it going without spending a fortune. In this case we couldn’t leave it with internals as they were (see photo) and ended up replacing the Sub-Chassis, Power Supply, Bearing, Inner Platter and Cross-Brace from old donor units that were hanging around the workshop. Then giving it a full service, a new Ortofon Headshell and 2M Red cartridge, and a new Mat.
Before:
After:
Always with these old LP12s, there’s a balance to be had preserving its vintage whilst still making it work well. However, when safety is at stake as per the original power supply where the mains was only a whisker away from touchable items, and where some parts were beyond saving (the original head-shell had come loose from the mounting, and the cartridge was loooong past it’s best), sometimes it’s best to find some alternatives that keep the character without spending a fortune.