Linn LP12......That good??

A "real Linn" purchased new costs upwards of $10K+. I’ll pass. There is better value to be had for that amount of money than even a new Linn. All I know is that my current analog front end sounds great and does not have the blah sound I suffered with for the seven years I had the LP12. Even after "fixing" it at a Linn dealer it was blah. I’m very happy with my VPI. If I ever have the cash to improve my rig it’ll be a VPI, no doubt.

How much does a "real VPI" cost these days?? Listen to an Akurate level LP12 and up, and then to a VPI that is in the same cost strata...and I think most will come away in the Linn camp.
OTOH, a VPI dealer may not agree, LOL

John Atkinson is still happy with his LP12. But then, he calls an electric bass a "bass guitar" ;-) .

@bdp24 - but Atkinson may be right about that. Last time I heard James Hunter, that blue-eyed soul devil with the killer band, I was reminded of how good rock and roll sounds with a double bass. Tone, tension, and a less "thudding" sound even when amplified. PITA to haul I guess, like a real B-3 rather than an electronic emulation of one. 
There was a lawyer once in a matter that thought it was pronounced like the fish-
Life can be endlessly amusing if you are willing to take the ride.

"How much does a 'real VPI' cost these days??"

Good question! As much a souped up Linn! The VPI Prime Signature is about $6K; the Avenger Standard is $10K; the bespoke Classic Direct is about $35.

Since getting into this insane hobby in 1975, I had always wanted a Linn Sondek LP12. When I purchased it used, I spent about $800. This included the table, the Cotter cables, and the tonearm. I bought a Sumiko Blackbird, which is no slouch when it comes to cartridges, and a Clearaudio phono preamp. Even with all of that I couldn't get good sound out of it, even after tweaking the suspension, it was still not good. I think the comments made here about the table being quirky are very true.

I knew that my table's Achilles heel was the Grace tonearm. But my financial decision came down to this: should I invest in something brand-new, or should I throw money -- at least $1K or more -- at a 30-some-odd-year old turntable with one speed. I chose the former and bought a VPI player. And, I have to say, out of the box, using their internal phono preamp, it sounded worlds apart from the Linn, better than I expected.

That's my story.