New TT for ~$1500

Check Technics Sl 1500C out. Silver or black. It does NOT look like 1200GR. Decent starter cartridge is included.

Check out SOTA. The Moonbeam is around $1200 and the Comet is around $1700. There is a model in between I just don't remember the name of it. They also trade in (buyback) their old models. They also repair their own turntables.

The Schitt Sol looks like a winner to me.
You could try it with a Puffin for $1300 total. Choice of 2 carts.

I have a VPI HW-19 MKIII with Jelco TS-550S and Hana EL. I'm quite happy with the sound, and I plan to get the Hana SL in the future for even better detail and tracking. The HW-19 is well-built too.

I also have a Technics SL-150MK2 with SME Series III and Shure V15 Type IV-MR. Sound is on the clinical side, but could be due to the SME III and V15 IV combo's reputation of CD-like sound, i.e. very accurate. 

You won't go wrong with the Technics direct drive or the HW-19. It all boils down to your preference. 

I initially didn’t want a Technics either. I had already owned a 1200MK2 for many years and with a budget of 3k was looking at upper end Projects, Sotas and Music Halls...something new and different. I’m an industrial designer and I liked the aesthetics of these brands much better. I also looked at the Kuzma Stabi.

Take a close look at the Project and Music Hall turntables. Oftentimes they share the same tonearms. A lot of companies will share parts when they don’t have the expertise to pull the whole thing off or can’t spend the necessary money on R&D.

In the end I decided to spend a little extra and get the 1200G. It’s an amazing TT. About the aesthetics: It’s just too familiar. But when you pick up the tone arm or need to make adjustments, you really do appreciate the expertise that this company has when compared to almost every other TT manufacturer. The gimbal, by itself, is extremely precise.

I know you don’t like the look of a Technics. But put any of those TTs right in front of you so you can see them up close and feel how they work and you will see that the Technics is a better product...and that’s what won me back.

At your price point, it is on another level. I vote for the GR, or MK7.I would vote for a NOS MK2 over a lot of the other brands.