Beobloke
Super Member
There is a problem with being a turntable collector namely that, when you buy the item at the top of your 'wanted' list, a new model invariably moves up the list and takes its place at the top. On my turntable lust list it was the Nakamichi TX-1000 for over 20 years then, when I bought one, it was the Sony PS-X9. Having found one of those, too, the top of the list for the last couple of years has been the Yamaha GT-2000.
Now, most people know the best place to buy one of these is Hi-Fi Do in Japan. I bought my PS-X9 there and their service was impeccable and their packaging absolutely astonishing, so I was biding my time and waiting for the right GT-2000 to come along.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I spotted one on eBay in the UK a couple of weeks ago. Surely there had to be a catch? Sadly, there was. The seller had bought it from Japan (not from Hi-Fi Do I hasten to add) and a combination of poor packaging and unsympathetic courier treatment meant it arrived in pieces. He sadly had no insurance on it and so took the decision to offer it on eBay to recoup whatever he could. Well, I couldn't say no, now could I?!
Here's how it looked on arrival:
Yamaha GT2000_1s by ADAM SMITH
Yamaha GT2000_2s by ADAM SMITH
Yamaha GT2000_3s by ADAM SMITH
The motor was seized as the spindle had taken a clout and deformed the bearing support plate. The arm had pulled out of the plinth and the arm rest and cueing platform were snapped off, and the counterweight stub bent. Chunks were missing from the plinth, it was bashed in the corner and he didn't even bother sending the lid on to me as it was apparently more of a jigsaw than a lid. Heck, even the metal covers on both of the switches had come unstuck!
Well, at the weekend, I set to, tackling the motor first, with the theory that, if this was destroyed, then there was no point in going any further. The motor was stripped and refurbished and the bearing support plate straightened. With heart in mouth I powered it up to find it dead - damn! Luckily, a quick check revealed a blown fuse and a new one had it spinning at the right speeds. The one thing I did notice, however, was some up and down movement on the rotor as it appears to have been shifted slightly on the shaft. It's a press fit, though, so it's off to a friend next week to be straightened. Buoyed by this, last night I stripped the thing to pieces and it now looks like this:
Yamaha GT2000_4s by ADAM SMITH
The next plans are as follows:
- Arm off to Audio Origami for a bearing health check
- Buy new lid (did this last night from eBay!)
- Plinth off to my brother-in-law who works for a metal fabrication company but works on all kinds of bespoke projects and knows a good woodworker or two. I'm thinking a repair and a nice re-veneer, maybe in a glossy rosewood.
- Put it all back together and pray it works...
Wish me luck!
Now, most people know the best place to buy one of these is Hi-Fi Do in Japan. I bought my PS-X9 there and their service was impeccable and their packaging absolutely astonishing, so I was biding my time and waiting for the right GT-2000 to come along.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I spotted one on eBay in the UK a couple of weeks ago. Surely there had to be a catch? Sadly, there was. The seller had bought it from Japan (not from Hi-Fi Do I hasten to add) and a combination of poor packaging and unsympathetic courier treatment meant it arrived in pieces. He sadly had no insurance on it and so took the decision to offer it on eBay to recoup whatever he could. Well, I couldn't say no, now could I?!
Here's how it looked on arrival:
Yamaha GT2000_1s by ADAM SMITHYamaha GT2000_2s by ADAM SMITHYamaha GT2000_3s by ADAM SMITHThe motor was seized as the spindle had taken a clout and deformed the bearing support plate. The arm had pulled out of the plinth and the arm rest and cueing platform were snapped off, and the counterweight stub bent. Chunks were missing from the plinth, it was bashed in the corner and he didn't even bother sending the lid on to me as it was apparently more of a jigsaw than a lid. Heck, even the metal covers on both of the switches had come unstuck!
Well, at the weekend, I set to, tackling the motor first, with the theory that, if this was destroyed, then there was no point in going any further. The motor was stripped and refurbished and the bearing support plate straightened. With heart in mouth I powered it up to find it dead - damn! Luckily, a quick check revealed a blown fuse and a new one had it spinning at the right speeds. The one thing I did notice, however, was some up and down movement on the rotor as it appears to have been shifted slightly on the shaft. It's a press fit, though, so it's off to a friend next week to be straightened. Buoyed by this, last night I stripped the thing to pieces and it now looks like this:
Yamaha GT2000_4s by ADAM SMITHThe next plans are as follows:
- Arm off to Audio Origami for a bearing health check
- Buy new lid (did this last night from eBay!)
- Plinth off to my brother-in-law who works for a metal fabrication company but works on all kinds of bespoke projects and knows a good woodworker or two. I'm thinking a repair and a nice re-veneer, maybe in a glossy rosewood.
- Put it all back together and pray it works...
Wish me luck!
