Linn Tables. Where to start? Please Help

I used to own a mid-range LP12 but found it too finicky to set up, maintain, and (without a wall rack) too sensitive to vibration. I now own a VPI Scout and feel that it's superior to *that* LP12 in nearly every way. It's fast, musical, projects wonderful soundstage, and looks great too.

The LP12 may keep on winning awards and earning accolades from magazines like Stereophile and HiFi+, but keep in mind that they are talking about the modern top-end LP12 which those of us with sub-$2k budgets can plain forget about. I've heard the maxed LP12 and it is incredible, but it's also in a price range far beyond what I want to ever spend on a tt.

My advice is to try and hear a range of turntables before you make the decision. I'd suggest the following alongside the LP12:

Michell Gyro SE
Rega P5
VPI Scout
Nottingham Spacedeck

Graham

I owned a Linn for years and enjoyed it. The upgrades are;
Armagedon/ Lingo power supplies
Cirkus Bearing set(mentioned by Musicdoc)
Trampoline Base
New arm of course.
The upgrades are not cheap, typically £800($1500) for power supply, or bearing set and do'nt alter the basic problems. It is hard to set up and looses it's balance easily. It is very musical, rythmical, but lacks detail(helped by Cirkus bearings).
It is an old design and I think you can do better. Here in the UK, Origin Live Avid are good alternatives. In the US you have so many good and good value designs, VPI, Teres, etc. Many would disagree, but I think the LP12 is off the pace now, with all the new low cost designs around.

You may want to check this site out which gives you a comprehensive history of the Linn LP12 and has a linn forum.
http://www.vinylengine.com/linnhistory.shtml

I had an LP12 for over 10 years, and liked it alot.

However, what was stated above about the "finicky" nature of these turntables is true. You need to either know how to do the set up on these tables, or have a good dealer. Most LP12 users out there today, have no idea how good that table can sound, because unbeknownst to them, it is not properly set up.

If you are just entering into analog, you'll need to lean heavily on your dealer for this table.

That said, an LP12 is not the "nth" degree of performance, but it is a very satisfying and musical table which is good enough to stay with for years to come. And you can mod and upgrade it, as others have mentioned above.