TD-124 found; what have i got here?

[miket1117]

hi all.... new to this forum and joined because just yesterday evening i discovered a Thorens TD-124, there might actually be a second one (path to it is blocked). my wife agreed to organize an estate sale for this gentleman, and she told me he had several thousand record albums and "a bunch of stereo equipment."

when i first saw it, i knew right off that Thorens was high-end stuff, but that's all i knew. i wrote down TD-124 and the number that appeared right after that, 9622. took no pics...

so i started researching it this morning, including reading an 8-page thread here, and i was totally shocked to learn how special this thing is. my wife was planning on selling the entire collection of gear and records to a guy who runs a used record and equipment for a few hundred bucks.... i told her that she needed to rethink that...

the overall condition looks good, but what else should i look for?
if the wood frame it sits in is called a plinth, then it has one.
i'm pretty sure it has the sub-platter, but cant say for sure... can i tell just by looking?
is 9622 the serial number? if so, is that high? low?
i did not plug it in and turn it on... have no idea how long it's been sitting, not hooked up to an amp... is it ok to start it up?

im not an audiophile or even hi-fi enthusiast, but i understand and appreciate good audio (make mine analog, please), and the people that are...

so thanks in advance for whatever info you can provide on the Thoren... and any tips on what else to look for?

miket.

 

[jeffpaletz]

The turntable alone goes for a few hundred on Ebay. People here really like Thorens.. If you are thinking about getting into playing records it sounds like you've found everything you need. They may also have a higher end receiver and speakers. I'm sure some Thorens experts here will advise you soon.

 

[ferninando]

by all means take the thorens if nothing else

 

[heyraz]

More like it's worth a couple of thousand if it's got an arm, cartridge and plinth.
That's a cherry...you're intuition is correct.
I'd recommend you get it.
It's a classic.

 

[BassKulcha]

Do an Ebay advanced search an you'll see that an unrestored unit (with no plinth or arm/cartridge) goes for quite a bit of money. If is has a working SME tonearm or Ortofon "Hi-Jack" cueing lever, that will increase the value as well...)

This is one of the "Holy Grail" idler drive turntables for many people, so you'll definitely want to get it if you can. If you do, there are a couple places to get it restored (Jim Campbell in Pennsylvania is well known and respected here on AK—), and I'd advise to do that if you can't do the work yourself.

Others will certainly chime in on what to look for, but I'd personally keep an eye out for any vintage tube gear or original Blue Note/Prestige Jazz records .

Good luck!

 

[Luckyorleans]

Find out what the number the record store owner was going to do and just buy it all yourself. It there are 1 or 2 TD 124, the other gear should at least be decent.

 

[miket1117]

Do an Ebay advanced search an you'll see that an unrestored unit (with no plinth or arm/cartridge) goes for quite a bit of money. If is has a working SME tonearm or Ortofon "Hi-Jack" cueing lever, that will increase the value as well...)

This is one of the "Holy Grail" idler drive turntables for many people, so you'll definitely want to get it if you can. If you do, there are a couple places to get it restored (Jim Campbell in Pennsylvania is well known and respected here on AK—), and I'd advise to do that if you can't do the work yourself.

Others will certainly chime in on what to look for, but I'd personally keep an eye out for any vintage tube gear or original Blue Note/Prestige Jazz records .

Good luck!

More like it's worth a couple of thousand if it's got an arm, cartridge and plinth.
That's a cherry...you're intuition is correct.
I'd recommend you get it.
It's a classic.

it has all those... dont think it has a cueing lever...

i'd love to keep it, but it will stay with the estate... i just want to be sure we accurately describe what it is, if it works, and establish a fair value. we're not going to be one of those who puts it on ebay and asks for $5k or something ridiculous like that... just what is fair, all things considered.

no tube gear, stand-alone amps or pre-amps... in fact, his amps are newer AV style, 1990s stuff... except he does have a marantz 2215b amp/receiver that i'll test today... and he has a pair of loudspeakers about 28" - 30" square on 5" high legs... need to figure those out...

thx for the tip on the records... they're all jumbled up making it difficult to flip through quickly... most seem to be classical... but a smattering of big band, 50s and 60s crooners, and i think every single release by johnny mathis..

 

[miket1117]

thanks! not much else equipment-wise, but he has a vintage marantz 2215b and some awesome loudspeakers i need to research... of course i'm going to look around a bit more closely now...

 

[majick47]

Depending on the content the record collection could also be quite valuable. Tube amplifiers etc and vintage speakers , JBL for example, would be from the same generation as the TD-124 turntable and are highly prized by collectors. An offer of a couple hundred bucks would not even scratch the surface of the total value. Ebay recent completed sales usually is a fair idea of what the audio equipment and records potential value is.

 

[miket1117]

probably why the owner of that store got so excited... we dont want to gouge folks or overprice something... but we dont want to give it away either... just want what's fair... i'm sure it would please the owner greatly to know that we figured out what he had and sold it at a fair price to someone who appreciated it. no doubt the thoren was expensive in it's day... man paid good money for it then, should realize fair value out it today.

 

[vaathi]

Mike.. If you can post some pics of the equipment and records. Experts in here will chime in with more information.

 

[asilker]

If you join here as a subscriber you'll be able to access the buy and sell section of the forum.

People here will buy everything that guy has. It's worth the $25 to get in.

I for example would buy another 124 to fix up. We are here.

 

[Tarl Of Gor]

I would also look through the record collection and determine what genre it is. If it is jazz then there could be some really valuable records as well.

 

[onwardjames]

Wow, this sounds like a honey of a deal. Subscribed.

 

[twiiii]

I hope its a mark II model so yo can use Moving coil cartridges in the future . You will need to lube the motor and replace all the rubber goods. Belt, drive puck, (intermediate idler), motor mounts and turntable rubber mounts. . And the trust pad for the TT bearing. Then buy yourself two 30 HZ high pass filters to go between your phono pre-amp and the control pre-amp. Personally the best decision I ever made was to buy a TD 125. If you have full range speakers capable of high levels a TD 124 is not the answer.

 

[Erocka2000]

You can use moving coils with the iron platter as well. I have a Kiseki Blue NS on mine with no problems whatsoever. You can just compensate for the attraction with the counterweight.

 

[beatcomber]

s/n 9622 is an early MK1, and can we put to rest that myth about MC carts on TD-124's once and for all please?

 

[jgordon]

I'll second that. Been using mc carts on a 124 for years. No explosions yet.

 

[jgordon]

I hope its a mark II model so yo can use Moving coil cartridges in the future . You will need to lube the motor and replace all the rubber goods. Belt, drive puck, (intermediate idler), motor mounts and turntable rubber mounts. . And the trust pad for the TT bearing. Then buy yourself two 30 HZ high pass filters to go between your phono pre-amp and the control pre-amp. Personally the best decision I ever made was to buy a TD 125. If you have full range speakers capable of high levels a TD 124 is not the answer.

Not for nothing but this seems like you've had a 124 in need of a tuneup and some maintenance. I have read about 124s in any number of reference systems with any combination of components, and this is the first I've heard about incompatibility. If you're hearing something audible enough to try to filter out, somethings wrong with the table.

 

[miket1117]

thanks all for the replies so far, and insight on the refurbish. again, not buying the thorens. just trying to understand what we have.

i did take pictures, but they're on my phone and will upload later...

but i DID plug it in, and the platter did not turn. i figured out the "brake" switch on the side and made sure it was off, still no turn. orange light up front was visible. i did not have it set up on a bench, so unable to view underneath when on.

ideas on cause?

also, still would like to know if the number on the nameplate following the TD-124 is the serial number... stamped 9622... is that low? high? significant?

finally... the gentleman did not have a second TD... it was a Norelco!! some designer probably saw a 124 and said, "hey we can make one like that!" no. they could not.

we did find however a The Fisher 400C, with owners manual. i do not know yet if it works. he also has a pair of Bozak 302As, and they work mighty fine, yes they do!

we also uncovered a manual for a macintosh amp, but have not found the unit as yet. i dont this guy sold anything... ever... so im pretty sure it's buried under some other stuff.

more soon... thanks again!!