Advice on PL-518 purchase

[pigpuddle]

Hello folks,

This is my first post here. I discovered you folks through reddit, of all places, and I'm glad I did! I am a complete TT virgin. I remember my dad having a (what seemed to me at the time) nice Pioneer setup when I was a kid, so it's kinda funny to me that the first TT I'd be looking at for myself is a Pioneer.

I've investigated most of the threads here on the PL-518, and reviews seem to be fairly positive (I especially love the resto threads). That being said, many of the threads feature buyers who have lucked into paying very, very little for them, and I wonder if that alters the price/satisfaction scale a little. A local CL ad has one up for $115, which seems a bit high to me. I will hopefully be going to listen to it today. He admits outright that the feet are in bad shape (surprise, surprise), and after a short correspondence he knows the cartridge is an Audio-Technica, but wasn't sure of the precise model.

I imagine that price would not seem outrageous if everything were in fine working order, and considering it seems to be a decent cartridge. But I'm wondering if I should attempt to offer less because of the feet. Through my digging here I've noticed that options for replacing them include everything from a <$5 fix with furniture sliders and wooden spheres or ball bearings to getting replacements from eBay at ~$40.

What do you think? What advice do you have for me? I'm all ears.

Thanks!

 

[4-2-7]

Make sure the cue lift is working right, it's plastic and there is a small set screw hole at 1:00 oclock. Look and make sure it's not cracked there.

Asking price is just that look over the table and it needs to have a clean dust cover at that price. If the seller is unwilling to budge on their price they don't know the game and I would walk. That doesn't mean you need to get it for 25 bucks.

 

[pappylon]

I owned a 518 and its a good TT.
Look it over carefully and be a good negotiator.
Condition is everything.
If the tonearm drops too quickly it needs damping fluid.
If the stylus is worn it will need to be replaced. Ask him its history.
If dustcover is scuffed badly, it will take a lot of elbow grease to buff it out.
Mention the feet and how much it will cost to replace them.
(I actually used mine for a while without feet and it worked fine.)
Check the base for damage....check cables.
Its not possible to tell you what to offer without seeing it.
As an example I bought mine at an estate sale in excellent condition(except no feet) for $100.
I always take a long time looking at an item before making an offer....
even long periods of silence where it seems you are just thinking it over....
if the seller is motivated he sometimes will drop the price.

 

[7miles]

Good advice from 4-2-7

The Pl 518 is a very solid table..very constant. I would get to hung up on the feet. It is rare to find them with the original feet on them. I got really luck when I found mine. I would throw a lower offer out there. What it gonna hurt. But really 115 is a bad price, if it is function properly.

 

[kermit z]

Do a search on eBay of completed sales. 115 is not bad. Don't let the "scroe" threads on AK get you too confident. Cheap turntables are mostly a thing of the past, though you could still get lucky. Also, questions of value will get this thread moved to "Dollars &Sense" forum.

 

[pigpuddle]

Thanks for all the helpful advice! It works/sounds great! The feet were about like I figured. I almost wonder if I could use sugru on them to reinforce them. The dust cover has a few scuffs, but most of it is in fantastic shape. It came with an Audio-Technica AT-92E cartridge, so decently happy about that.

The worst part of the exchange was when he asked if I was looking for anything else, and proceeded to show me a couple Sansui receivers, vintage Bose 501s, etc...luckily I made it out without spending any more money, hah.

 

[cubiclecrush]

Well Done! Sounds like a good start. Welcome to the dark side! Those Sansui's can be nice...they can creep into your dreams and whisper to you at night....

 

[Eric Lloyd]

Good for you! I'm using a PL-518 now and it's a fine, reliable and attractive machine. You should continue to be very happy.

 

[Mister Pig]

Like the nick... like the nick.....

Could use a more pig appropriate avatar though. Just a sayin........

Regards
Mister Pig

 

[Essay]

Congrats on the PL-518! The versions with preserved feed are extremely rare, son don't bother and just replace them. Mine had a bad dust cover, which I replaced with a dust cover from a cheap PL-514 I got.

What you can do is clean the speed pot, as this one tends to make the speed flutter a little bit.

 

[Montycat]

Good on you for a decent turntable at a decent price. I sold a similar turntable at a similar price tonight, which I might have gotten at a "scroe" price, but I spent a good amount of time fixing it up, plus added a new cartridge and repaired the strobe display etc.

As it turns out the guy who bought it said he had been to see about a dozen turntables in the last 2 months and had passed on all of them as they were not as advertised or were in need of too much work, or other concerns.

In most cases the feet should be far down the list of things to worry about as there often cheap or DIY alternatives that can be better than stock.

 

[pigpuddle]

Well, you guys are a terrible influence. Decided to take it to a local shop to show me the ropes, give it a tune-up (and man, did it need one...I thought it sounded fine when I got it, but with all the controls cleaned and the cartridge aligned properly, whoo boy)...and get a new cartridge (went with a Grado Black). Now I want new speakers. I'll have to have some good thrift store luck for those at this point.