Who LOVES their under $ 1000 table combination ?

I bought my TD 124 for $250. Granted that I spent $60 to recondition the bearing, $30 to make a plinth, $20 to replace the armboard, $400 for a pristine SME 3009, and $150 for a Denon 103 cartridge (So that is about $910).

I will compare it head to head to any $1000 plug and play table currently available here or overseas.

My point, explore vintage tables. Rek-O-Kut, Thorens, Lenco, etc. except the Garrard 301/401 because they now command stratospheric prices!

regards

Amandarae, you'll have to admit one has to be quite a DIY guy with knowledge and experience to proceed with your recommendation.

Meeeeeeeee! I looooooooooove my Technics SL 1210 M5G. I've tweaked it enough that it comes in just under $1K, but it's those tweaks that have made it so musically endearing.

Breakdown:
Turntable from Guitar Center: $500
Used Oracle Groove Isolator mat: $10
KAB fluid damper: $150
Parts Express threaded brass cones: $20
Ikea butcher block cutting board: $25
Vibrapods: $24
Sumiko headshell: $40
Denon DL-160 cartridge: $180

Tonally neutral, extended at both frequency extremes, fast, rhythmic, great transient slam, good midrange transparency. But most important of all, draws me deeply into the music. Music from extended playing sessions haunts my mind for days afterward, much like the experience after a live concert.

Now, I know there are a lot of much nicer, way more expensive rigs out there in this refined-taste, well-heeled crowd, and I've personally heard some tasty Rega, and knock-yer-sox-off Linn and SME rigs at the local high end stores, but my previous description accurately describes what this tweaked, mass-produced rig does for me on a daily basis. Of course YMMV.

Headsnappin,

It is not really that hard to do. My TD 124 MKI (I also have an MKII) is the first vintage table I work on. Just a little perseverance is all it takes.

regards