I'm a big Grado fan, but for this table, given the age and arm mass, I'd tend to lean towards an Audio-Technica, or maybe an Ortofon 2M Red/Blue. Just seems like an appropriate match.
Back in the day, We sold tons of PL12Ds as our entry level table, and they seemed 'happier' with an A-T than a Grado. The Ortofon VMS20E (ancestor of the 2M Red) was a bit rich for most folks, but worked & sounded wonderful.
Note: these were not the quietest turntables ever made, but they were dead reliable, even in college student beer-soaked hands. Maybe that's why we favored the A-Ts - as I recall they didn't seem to break cantilevers as often as other carts.
Back in the day, We sold tons of PL12Ds as our entry level table, and they seemed 'happier' with an A-T than a Grado. The Ortofon VMS20E (ancestor of the 2M Red) was a bit rich for most folks, but worked & sounded wonderful.
Note: these were not the quietest turntables ever made, but they were dead reliable, even in college student beer-soaked hands. Maybe that's why we favored the A-Ts - as I recall they didn't seem to break cantilevers as often as other carts.