Playing back 78s? Where do I start?

That or an old Dual will do real nicely with an Ortofon cartridge like the OM-10 ($60) or OM-5 ($40). They sell a 78 RPM needle that fit either for like $30.

A lot of Dual came standard with the Ortofon, so if you check eBay, you may find one with it already and will just need the stylus (needle). You could skip the stylus, but it will track better and wear less with the proper one.

Ortofon's and the stylus are available at www.garage-a-records.com

Sugarbrie has pretty much said it all. I can only add that 78's SHOULD be played with a special, conical stylus, not a stereo stylus. There is also a special stylus that has a "V" cut in the end, so the stylus rides the ridge of the grooves, not the valley. This kind of stylus has been used to transfer 78-rpm recordings onto tape for re-issues. The other point, which you may know, is that many 78's were not cut at exactly 78-rpm -- they can vary anywhere from 76-80 rpm, so it's nice to have a turntable that allows you to slightly decrease or increase the rotation rate.

As Sd notes, the speed adjustment is *VERY* important. A friend has a large number of 78's some which reach 88rpm for a correct pitch! He uses a modified Goldmund and an old "Lenco" with pitch control and, ofcourse, the conical styli for 78.