Advice and recommendations needed for a turntable rig...

Again guys, thanks for the recommendations. I have an old friend, Mike, for whom I have been close with off and on for decades. He passed with Covid about 1 year ago and his wife told me he wanted me to have his turntable and albums. We used to listen to the Beatles when we were early teenagers. The Dual TT is shot, but I now have 3 crates of old albums. I think buying a TT and listening to those records will help keep my good memories of him alive. So that will be part of the ritual for sure. I have waiting long enough to do this, even though I am a digital guy now. I do understand the big investment part. My budget is upper limit, I might spend much less but I will need a decent phono stage, since I don’t currently have one.

@2psyop  

Sorry to hear about your friend's passing. Old friends like that are a treasure chest of memories. I have a notion that whatever TT you end up with will be a very enjoyable time. 

@bigtwin

"Vinyl strikes me as a waste in 2024." Really! The OP was not asking for opinions on what people think of vinyl. He is looking for..."advice and recommendations for a turntable rig." I don’t see how your opinion helped him. Apparently, reading comprehension is not your strong suit.

I would look at VPI. The VPI Scout 21 would be a good choice. My first foray into high end tables was a VPI. It was a great choice. I think I prefer heavy tables overall.