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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
pryso
1,941 posts
 
chakster, in your 5/16 post you make reference to "armwands".  However it sounds to me like you refer to armboards?  To me an armwand is a single tonearm arm tube/headshell assembly, such as in the EPA-500 and other arm examples.

Anyway, congrats on the P444.  That was on my list when looking for a vintage DD table, but a SP-10 Mk 2 was much easier to find.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
thanks @pryso 
oops, my mistake
6 times, sorry

I've meant metal armboards for PD444 :) 


Yes, this is one of those decks i've been looking for a long time and finally placed an order for PD444 with 3 ARMBOARDS. I've noticed those ARMBOARDS alone goes for crazy prices on ebay. I hope my Reed 3P with 3 screws mounting style will fit one of the ARMBOARDS. But for this arm i don't actually need any hole in ARMBOARD except for the mounting screws. I've heard that someone in Japan can make a custom ARMBOARDS for luxman. Do you know anything about it? 

I have 2 ARMBOARDS model TP-MT (3 fixing screws)
and 1 ARMBOARD model TP-SG  (medium size hole)

I would like to find TP-LH (large hole) for Technics EPA

dgarretson
2,601 posts
 

Chakster, The only differences between those PD444 armboards is the top plate that covers the locking frame that clamps the armboard to the turntable rails.  It's a simple job for a machinist to make interchangeable top plates from 3/8" to 1/4" thick and with holes of varying size to accommodate pretty much any tonearm.  For a particularly tall tonearm(like the Kuzma 4P), I needed to remove the top plate entirely and mount the tonearm directly down into the locking frame.

The PD444 is definitely a top performer.  You might try replacing the stock elastomer feet with Stillpoints or Audio Points.    

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@dgarretson I've noticed that yesterday, hope i will find the right person who can do that for me if that's cheaper than original armboard.

BTW which metal can be good to make a custom one?  
dgarretson
2,601 posts
 
I've used brass for ease of machinability and stainless steel should be good as well. 
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