Castle Precision Engineering Ariston RD 11

[theophile]

Given that the newly formed Linn products acknowledged in their first advertisement that they were now producing what was formerly known as the Ariston RD 11 as the Linn Sondek LP 12; I thought that I'd post two photos of a very rare Ariston which has the two button power switch set-up that was on the first Linn Sondeks. It is highly probable that this is one of the Aristons that was machined by Castle.


The text of Linn's first advertisement(Hi-Fi News and Record Review May 1973):

"Please note that Castle Precision Engineering(Glasgow) Ltd., 241 Drakemire Drive, Castlemilk, Glasgow, G45 9SZ, wish it to be known that they have designed(Design Copyright), Developed(Patent Pending) The special bearing and bearing housing assembly, and pressed steel chassis incorporated into the transcription deck sold up to December 1972 under the name Ariston RD 11. In order to satisfy consumer demands, we have purchased new premises adjacent to the present factory and formed the company of Linn Products Ltd and are now manufacturing our own unique product, the "Linn-Sondek LP 12" transcription deck."

You can find a reproduction of the ad in an article about the LP 12 in Hi Fi News magazine Yearbook 2009 (page 133).

 

[tube-a-lou]

That's the one I've been looking for, the real early two button long board, I heard
that on you can exchange Linn parts for, enjoy it!

tube

 

[theophile]

That's the one I've been looking for, the real early two button, long board I heard
that on you can exchange Linn parts for, enjoy it!

tube

I haven't got one.I merely wished to post photos.These items are rarely seen and need to be acknowledged.

Linn say that they changed from the two switch set-up by serial number # 2000.I have seen photos of Linn Sondek # 1940.It has a single switch in the front left corner,thus the change took place before # 2000.

 

[jimfet]

I bet you had to clear cob webs. This forum has been dead for awhile. That is a nice table.

 

[theophile]

I bet you had to clear cob webs. This forum has been dead for awhile. That is a nice table.

Indeed.I guess that if I wanted this thread to get wider exposure,I might have posted it on the 'General Audio' forum. :scratch2:

Moreso,I wanted to document this extremely rare turntable.I saw the twin switches and was struck as to how unusual the arrangement was,because every early Ariston RD11 I had seen photos of up until that point, had the single switch in the left corner.Upon digging,I saw that the first Linn LP-12s had exactly the same arrangement.That was the eureka moment when I realised that I was looking at a pre-Linn Ariston RD11,one which was manufactured by the Tiefenbruns at Castle.This 1970 design(which is when Robertson first contracted the manufacturing work out to Castle) is the turntable which had supplied the template for Linn to copy in 1973.

In the photo one can see the single speed 33 1/3 pulley on the Ariston,which was carried-over unchanged,onto the Linn.People cite the Thorens TD 150 as the inspiration for the LP-12.The Thorens was a two speed deck.As Linn themselves in that initial advertisement acknowledged, the Ariston provided all which is considered unique to the Sondek LP12.Single speed pulley,and all.

Castle would have held a stock of the switches in anticipation of the ongoing contract they had with Robertson as the fabricators of the RD11.When Ariston fell upon hard times and were unable to pay for the work completed,these completed RD11 units were labelled with the 'house-brand' and sold as the first LP-12s.Twin switches thus remained in situ on the LP-12,since that RD11 was in that manner fettled.Once the on-hand stock of twin switches was exhausted,a switch substitution was introduced.

These early Ariston RD11s are the elephant in the room which Linn would hope would be ignored.It's terribly embarrassing when your unique product existed,was sold and was exhibited at shows around the UK for over two years before the company purported to have invented it was established.

 

[HolgerDanske]

What is the prevailing wisdom per se one of these units (RD11s) go for...say one with a SME3009 arm?

 

[theophile]

This is an interesting post from an owner of a 'two-button' Ariston:

http://vinylengine.com/phpBB2//viewtopic.php?t=34613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Here's another.The comments pertaining to the two-button Ariston are almost at the end of the post:

http://groups.google.com/group/lecson-audio/browse_thread/thread/ab4c6513449e1e1a

 

[theophile]

Here's a photo of the original RD11 fitted with a Linn armboard:

 

[theophile]

Post # 5 in this thread is scary:

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/sho...D11S-Turntable?p=113640&viewfull=1#post113640

There are quite a few stories about the common heritage of the LP12 and Ariston.Some years ago I was at an Industry dinner in Scotland and I met a chap who had been a close friend of Hamish's.The story he told was a bit more sinister.According to the chap I met, Hamish designed a new bearing but didn't have the required manufacturing ability , he approached a company called Clyde engineering , which was owned by Ivor's father, to do the work for him.
Well to cut a long story short the LP12 came into being using a bearing that Hamish claimed was his design and there was a huge court case which Ivor won.Hamish committed suicide soon after the end of the trial.
All very sad.
Gordon

 

[Machineghost]

Very interesting!

 

[theophile]

Very interesting!

Here's a Linn advert from August 1973 where the photo shows that they had moved-on from the two-buttons(see thumbnail)

ferg(at the Linn forums)told the posters there about his LP-12 on page 105 post # 1049.

http://forums.linn.co.uk/bb/showthread.php?tid=31&page=105


By page 107 GandRalf has chimed in with a photo of his Ariston RD11 saying:


"Hi Ferg,

Sorry to disilluse you.

This isn`t a Sondek.
This should be an Ariston RD 11 equipped with a Linn Armboard."




He even posts a picture of his RD11 as evidence(second thumbnail).
In response,ferg goes on to say that he got his from the factory direct from Ivor's hands.



"Interesting! Apart from the Ariston logo, that looks identical to mine. As I said I bought mine directly from the factory, and it hasn't been touched since. I also verified just now that the serial number label says Linn Products, and the base plate under the turntable is etched with a Linn copyright. So either the Ariston one is a "fake" Ariston, or something strange happened in the factory."

"Well done! I think I must have bought it in 1973, maybe 1974. At that time the plinths were fluted, but this one came from (if I recall correctly), a small store room on the left hand side as you entered the Castlemilk factory. I guess it was a pre-production model. Ivor Tiefenbrun sold me it, with the SME3009 arm at a discount. Knowing me, I probably still have the receipt... Rolleyes This is actually the only turntable I have ever owned (as is the Quad 33/303 the only amp)."




**After digging around on the Linn forum,ferg sees that the switch substitution occured way before his serial number:**




"Found it - under the turntable - appears to be 002940. Doesn't exactly sound like a low number. Anyway, I think my cloth ears are more in need of an upgrade than the deck, so that's not something high on the priority list.

Edited to say that after digging around on here it appears that mine must have been built prior to the documented changes made from serial number 2000. So maybe they had some old stock lying around and put a serial number sticker on it before offloading it. Anyway I've been happy with it for nearly 40 years, so who cares Big Grin"

There are a few stories on the net of pre-Linn Ariston owners taking their RD11 to the Linn factory for conversion to the LP12:

I own two Linn LP12s; one is a (relatively) straightforward LP12 from
the 80's with a Linn LVX arm, the other is an "LP12" with a Grace G707
arm which the sales receipt describes as having been converted from an
Ariston RD11. I have owned the latter since the late 70's having
bought it secondhand. Reference this page:http://groups.google.com/group/lecson-audio/browse_thread/thread/ab4c6513449e1e1a

.It would seem that Linn were entirely happy to be associated with the Ariston brand at one stage.

 

[Machineghost]

Yup - I once saw an Ariston RD-11 and thought it was a Linn with the wrong arm-board.

 

[theophile]

So far, we have a number of (pre-Linn) Ariston RD11 owners with the two switches,alongside that we have 'ferg' who picks-up his two switch Linn LP12 from Ivor at the Linn factory in 1973.ferg's LP12 is a pre-production model with two switches that is identical with the pre-Linn Ariston(right down to the non-fluted plinth).

Now I doubt that there would have been many of the two switch models that ended-up with the Linn brand upon them.As I said previously,I have seen photos of a Linn LP-12 serial number 1940 which had the single button.The change to the single button came before serial number 2000.

 

[Hamstall]

Oddly enough, last year I was offered S/N 3503. An LP12 also picked up from the factory by an employee of "a new start-up company" in the early 1970s. That company turned out to be LInn.

It was fitted with a newer armboard and a Basik LV-V, but guess what?

Yes. Two buttons.

 

[theophile]

Oddly enough, last year I was offered S/N 3503. An LP12 also picked up from the factory by an employee of "a new start-up company" in the early 1970s. That company turned out to be LInn.

It was fitted with a newer armboard and a Basik LV-V, but guess what?

Yes. Two buttons.View attachment 845940

I've seen this type of thing before. The speculation was that it was one that they'd made before, put away and overlooked. Slapped-on a serial number sticker and Bob's yer uncle.

 

[Hamstall]

Sold to an employee at a discount.

"Here ya gae son. Thirty sponds off fae an aaald model!"

 

[STD305]

Well to cut a long story short the LP12 came into being using a bearing that Hamish claimed was his design and there was a huge court case which Ivor won.Hamish committed suicide soon after the end of the trial.
All very sad.
Gordon

Take a look at a more recent thread. The truth is rather more sinister.

Hamish was found dead before the end of the legal case, in rather suspicious circumstances. There is also evidence to suggest he would very likely have won the case against Linn had he survived.

Take a look here (theophile/Gordon, I know you have seen this already, I am posting for benefoit of other readers!)

Ariston history

Hamish Robertson deserves all the posthumous accolades and recognition (that continue to be written and talked about to this day) for his contribution to the Hi-Fi fraternity and enthusiasts the world over; his ‘infamous’ Ariston RD11 turntable and the saga around it started in the late 1960’s...

audiokarma.org