I need some turntable guidance

Agree, Sota makes very nice tables, and it's always good to support "Made in USA" brands.

Not ego, Fun! The mythology behind audiophilia is fabulous and the explanation for what people think they hear are even better, without a shred of proof. Any scientist would be laughed out of the community. It is like a ride through a haunted house with gremlins jumping out ready to cut your throat. 
Turntables have two lives. One is to spin records the other is as artwork.
I'm all for the artwork and mechanical dexterity but try not to confuse them. I think the Clearaudio Statement wins the prize for artwork and I would never buy one even if I had the money to throw away.
Daveyf, the Linn platter rings like a bell, the sub chassis rings like a bell, the tonearm board is a flimsy piece of Masonite, the suspension resonance is too high and it is poorly dampened, if you live in a high humidity area like Miami the plinth will eventually fall apart. You can correct all these problems but then you would have a different turntable.
Get a SOTA , SME or Basis. You won't have to screw around and you will be much happier in the end.

Mike 

Dutchydog, saying "always" usually does not work well. Many records do sound better than their digital counterparts like Jethro Tulls thick as a brick. On the CD version Ian Anderson's voice is very harsh but on the record smooth as silk. I just down loaded a 96/24 remastered version of Thick as a Brick but have not listened to it yet. If a record is remastered correctly for digital playback it certainly can sound better than the vinyl. The Leon Russel (blue) album is a good example. The vinyl is somewhat muffled sounding even at volume. The digital version is clear as a bell and more dynamic. So it all depends.

Mike

OP,

one thing that that seems to be true is that you are not a tinkering audiophile. You are a musician who loves great sound.  If you think you might like tinkering or obsessing over adjustments then great. If you want to be less involved with the gear, I think the recommendations for Technics and Rega are spot on.  

@mijostyn, Mike you clearly know VERY little about the Linn LP12 turntable. The more you post, the more you show your ignorance.

Firstly, the sub chassis has been re-worked over the years to address resonances...the current model utilizes a very damped and specific design that is not only highly rigid, but also non-resonant....which again IF you knew anything is called the ’Keel’. Even the entry level model has a new design that addresses rigidity ( Magik)...and is engineered differently than the original design..which was over forty years back!!
The platter does not ring, why because it is mated to a sub-platter..!
The current plinth ( well current in your terms, although it has been available for a paltry twenty years!) is corner braced...as such there are no issues with warpage...even in climes like sweaty Florida, LOL.
BTW, mine is a non-corner braced plinth...and it looks like the day I bought it ( over thirty five years ago!!) ( True, I don’t live underwater in a sweaty clime)
The current ( again modded...oh- thirty years ago and again ten years ago) arm board is either a multi layer wood/plastic base( on the entry level table), or is now one piece with the sub chassis and therefore made of metal!! ( Kore or Keel). None of this you know, since your last exposure to the table was what....25+years back!! Doesn’t stop you from continuing to post your drivel though...
One thing you are correct about, the table from your long bygone era has been corrected....and it is a VERY different sounding table. None of this you would know, as you prefer to stick with your blinkered opinion.