Inexpensive Good Vintage Turntables?

Great thread! I have several vintage tables, both belt-drive and DD variety. Three Thorens (TD-160, 160 Super, TD-320), a JVC QL-5, and a Denon DP-72L. My 'modern' table is a Music Hall MMF-5SE with Goldring 1042 purchased in the early 2000s. I just made a minor upgrade on the interconnects to the MMF-5 that paid off big time. CD players have improved (along with DACs) over the years, but they still can't match vinyl for sound that just seems 'right', for lack of a better, more nuanced term. But I am not a Luddite....I own and use 8 or 9 CD players

Get this classic AR turntable off of EBay for $600.

@clearthinker to retain an already extant product in use for a longer period and not replace it with a new one, however environmentally friendly its producer claims it to be, will always trump the production of a new item.

The methods you use are very much in place and maintained within my system.

Racks Built using Repurposed Wood and Salvaged Granite Stone cut into the correct dimensions. The same Granite was used to produce a Idler Drive Plinth approx’ 20+ years past.

Wall Racks produced from a Salvaged Material that was a Surplus Gallows Type Brackets, the used Shelf Material that has been a Salvaged Item that is a extremely highly compressed material, it is actually the most compressed form of the used material.

The Power Amp’s are seated on a Construction of a Salvaged Sub Floor Material used in Laboratories to assist with Vibration Management and rested on this Structure is a 200Kg repurposed Engineers Granite Slab.

Most of my equipment is a, 'one off', Bespoke Built Device, either built from scratch or from a Donor Model of which the youngest donor used to date, is from a product produced from the 2000 era.

The last 'usually used' concept of of purchasing an item I have bought,  is a used sale item CDT. The DAC I use with this is a Prototype from a EE, belonging to an earlier design of theirs, I had some of their latest designs added to the device, as there were New Parts produced using modern manufacturing approaches that were offering improvements over the earlier ones used in the design.

Apart from Two Types of Tubes, all other Tubes in use are Vintage, ranging from early 1960’s Production with the youngest Vintage being 845’s produced from the 1980’s.

I know through experiences that a Item produced in another era, can excel as a device when a use of a modern produced material is added to it, or when a design intent has a modern approach as part of the fundamental for the rethink of the devices function.

I have no desire to condemn any Technology from any era, even though some of the sins of the designs are glowing clearly in the spotlight when assessed, I know these supplied devices have been able to supply numerous hours of enjoyment for their users, I will not poo poo on that, with unnecessary commentary .

In general when modern Technologies are adopted by Industries as a global usage, there are benefits for all flora / fauna that are impacted on by the improvements of the industrial practices are creating, the only shortcoming is the speed at which these approaches are being adopted.

In the normal World with the usual occurrences taking place, Industry is here to stay, any other thoughts about its future is fantastical.

It is better that the practices being adopted, even though slowly are seen to be beneficial other than detrimental.

I have very little concerns about using wood, I use densified woods produced by a few Brands known for the quality of their products. I have peace of mind where maintaining stability and dependability is the requirement for the use of a wood. These materials will not turn into anything other than what I intended for them in my life time and very likely a few other life times as well,  if the devices using my selection of densified wood are around for the that long.

No to a vintage LP12.

Even it's most ardent admirers often like to say how much it's improved in the last 20 years, and how the opinions of previous owners count for little.

Besides, why subject yourself to sleepless nights fretting over possible 'upgrades', of which there are innumerable?

If it was me I would personally go for an AR deck if I wanted a vintage turntable.

And in fact that's exactly what I did when I wanted one.

@cd318 I was ideologically opposed to the LP12. (UK press...) then I heard one that had the full full Funk Firm treatment, and another by Vinyl Passion. On both occasions it just simply sounded great - very entertaining.