Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?


I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
128x128halcro
Halcro - indeed it is quite something to have designed a bridge. When you mentioned designing a bridge in your earlier posts I thought you were a dental technician, until I found out that you were an architect. I studied engineering at university and most architects only do a couple of basic engineering papers for their degree in New Zealand.
As regards vibration - yes I agree it is an issue. The Final uses a superplastic zinc alloy chassis base that dissipates any vibration between 10 & 100hz at room temperature internally at a molecular level. Both the platter and arm pod are bolted to this SPZ energy sink to achieve both loop rigidity and deal with vibration. 

Dover,
When I graduated in 1970, a University Architecture degree in Sydney was 5 or 6 years of full-time study with Structural Engineering being a compulsory subject for each and every year.
But it was really 40 years of professional practice consulting and co-ordinating with all the relevant engineers (Geo-Tech, Structural, Civil, Hydraulics, Mechanical, Electrical, Acoustical) that taught me more than a mere 6 years of university study ever could...😎
I'd appreciate it if you could send me the Post where I said I had designed a bridge....as I haven't and I don't believe I wrote it? As I said.....very few bridges are designed with the input of an Architect.

When you say you studied engineering at university....did you graduate? 

Halcro - Yes in finance - switched to finance after a couple of years, decided engineering was not for me. I should have done an architectural degree in hindsight as that interests me more than civil engineering. Cheers.

I am a direct drive enthusiast and have become interested in JVC after reading this article:http://www.soundhifi.com/images/DC%20Technics%20SL-1200.pdf

Do any of you have any experience with the Victor TT-801? It appears to be even better in some regards to the 101. http://www.thevintageknob.org/jvc-TT-801.html

I am the proud owner of a Technics SP-10 MKIII, an SLP 1200 MKII, a Teac TN-400 and a Micro Seiki FVG RX-1500. I also have an Empire 698 which isn't working at the moment.