Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

Dear Geoch,
the felt mat I am using on top of a Micro Seiki Cu 180g mat weighs 5,9 g. It is very thin. On the back it is covered with a black laquer bringing it into good contact with the Cu 180g mat, also keeping everything absolutely flat (!).
I recall that I payed 100 Euros for the felt mat.

It is always a matter of try and error - but this combination really convinced me and believe me I tried some...

I think Halcro's experiment with the pig mat might have been successful because it is flat. Nevertheless I know some guys swearing on a wave like mat...

all the best for your experiments.

Fun Only

all the best with experimenting

I knew this guy that used a pigskin platter pad... he would buy *raw* pigskin at the local slaughterhouse, cut it out and kept the thing in a jar in the 'fridge when not in use, until the bacteria got to it... the LPs tended to get greasy and smelled like bacon.

The idea is that it was 'natural'- natural sound, get it? The slaughterhouse stopped selling to him when they found out what he was up to...

Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.

This is Halcro's original premise and sadly I now have personal experience confirming its truth.

I longed to live dangerously so I bought a mal functioning tt101 with the idea that it could be fixed, a la Lewm's proposal, by a 'trained professional'. It could not.

The 'cannot' in the depressing sentence 'Your Victor tt101 cannot be fixed' is not, however, metaphysical. A trained professional with loads of time, resources and good will can probably fix such a machine, but such a person, if such there be (the guy who runs www.amp8.com is probably one such person), will need to charge a fee disproportionate to the value of the table. So, for all intents and purposes it is dangerous to live with these tables, well, at least the tt101.

So, Halcro, I have to withdraw myself from the 101 club before even attending the first meeting.

What a shame Banquo,
I really feel for you :^(
I hope you didn't outlay too much on this tragic episode?
I must admit that looking at the photos of the innards of the TT-101 that I posted.......I can't imagine it worthwhile trying to 'track' a problem?
So far mine is working faultlessly.
I can only enjoy.....and pray?

Banquo,
Very sorry to read your sad news. I would hope that someone responds with a great repairman that will rescue your machine without mortgaging your house.

I am retaining my TT-81 as a spare and every once in a while I think of letting it go, but your experience confirms that that would be a bad idea. By the way there is a QL-8 (TT-81) on ebay right now and after a quick step-out of the plinth you would have a great alternative to the TT-101.
Gary