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Just bought a 1961 Thorens TD-124

beatcomber said:
It's here!

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Wow, I think its costs a bit more to get a 124 than $84.45 now. Ugh!

Even an inflation calculaor shows that receipt as being worth $634 in 2013 dollars. I wish I could buy a new 124 for that kind of money.

If thre ever was an argument for the "superiority" of vintage audio....well the TD 124 sure makes a fine case.....

Enjoy your new table! Thank goodnesss it arrived without bumps and bruises.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Plug in the original cost in 1961 of $148.70 and it comes up to $1163.13 in 2013 dollars. I think you took the cost after trade-in.

Still would be nice to buy a brand new one today.
 
Mister Pig said:
Enjoy your new table! Thank goodnesss it arrived without bumps and bruises.
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Thank you! The seller packaged it extremely thoroughly - it took a full 10-15 minutes to get it out of all the bubble wrap and tape.

It is BEAUTIFUL. It gets up to speed quickly, no mechanical noise that I can hear aside from a very slight scraping of the platter from the clutch (which is adjustable, I understand). All indications are that this is a winner. :banana:
 
Kim G said:
Plug in the original cost in 1961 of $148.70 and it comes up to $1163.13 in 2013 dollars. I think you took the cost after trade-in.

Still would be nice to buy a brand new one today.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right, I didn't look close enough at the math. is that a Garrard that was traded in? hard to read that scribble.

Beautiful table though, a very good purchase. But I am a bit biased as I am finishing up a 124 restore, and enjoy the table a lot.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Mister Pig said:
You are absolutely right, I didn't look close enough at the math. is that a Garrard that was traded in? hard to read that scribble.
Click to expand...

Yes, it appears that a Garrard was traded in.

Beautiful table though, a very good purchase. But I am a bit biased as I am finishing up a 124 restore, and enjoy the table a lot.
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High praise indeed! :thmbsp: I trust your opinions very highly.
 
Some quick preliminary observations…

I will definitely need to adjust the clutch, the top platter very slightly rubs against it. I did some quick reading on how to do it, it seems pretty straightforward, and I'll take care of it when I have a free moment.

The platter takes a few rotations to get up to speed, and then maybe another 5-10 minutes to get up 100% pitch from a cold start, which I believe is normal, according to to the owner's manual. Switching from 33 to 45, the speed is pretty much on pitch, but it seems to run slightly slow at 78 unless the pitch wheel is adjusted. I'm not sure why that is, perhaps the clutch is causing it to drag? I'll re-evaluate this once I adjust the clutch.

The motor and platter are very quiet, I do not hear any grinding or anything. However, I put a shot glass up to the arm board and could hear some rumble with and without the clutch engaged, probably from the motor. Once the SME arm is installed, we'll see how intrusive the noise is, but I'm thinking that some new mushrooms may be required, and possibly some work on the platter bearing.

Overall, this 52-year-old Thorens is in remarkable condition and should require relatively little effort to bring up to a high level of performance.
 
The timings to come up to stable speed are similar as mine.
But when my 33 is spot on, so is 45 and 78, without adjusting the wheel. I'm using it in 50Hz/230Vmode - but that should not make a difference.
 
(and if the clutch engages slightly while playing, this can be fixed by adjusting it. But it can indicate that the bearing thrust plate is tired/sagged)
 
jancumps said:
The timings to come up to stable speed are similar as mine.
But when my 33 is spot on, so is 45 and 78, without adjusting the wheel. I'm using it in 50Hz/230Vmode - but that should not make a difference.
Click to expand...

I agree, all speeds should be spot on. I'll figure that one out in time.
 
beatcomber said:
Some quick preliminary observations…

I will definitely need to adjust the clutch, the top platter very slightly rubs against it. I did some quick reading on how to do it, it seems pretty straightforward, and I'll take care of it when I have a free moment.

The platter takes a few rotations to get up to speed, and then maybe another 5-10 minutes to get up 100% pitch from a cold start, which I believe is normal, according to to the owner's manual. Switching from 33 to 45, the speed is pretty much on pitch, but it seems to run slightly slow at 78 unless the pitch wheel is adjusted. I'm not sure why that is, perhaps the clutch is causing it to drag? I'll re-evaluate this once I adjust the clutch.

The motor and platter are very quiet, I do not hear any grinding or anything. However, I put a shot glass up to the arm board and could hear some rumble with and without the clutch engaged, probably from the motor. Once the SME arm is installed, we'll see how intrusive the noise is, but I'm thinking that some new mushrooms may be required, and possibly some work on the platter bearing.

Overall, this 52-year-old Thorens is in remarkable condition and should require relatively little effort to bring up to a high level of performance.
Click to expand...

My speeds between 33, 45, and 78 are stable, do not have to readjust the speed control between them. Now the 16 RPM on my table the idler wheel does not quite reach to the stepped pulley, but then again I am never going to play a 16 RPM record on it, heck I am never going to play a 78 on it either. The OCD part of me says it should work just like the rest of the table, but I am not sure that tearing into the idler arm assembly is worth it for something I will never use.

I had assumed that my spindle cover had deformed due to whatever blow occurred that caused the top aluminum platter to have a dent and warp. Yest the platter assembly is very heavy, and perhaps the plate just distorts over time. There are a couple of options to look at. Marc was kind enough to rework mine, which included a new brass plate, ceramic bearing, and an inspection and polishing of the spindle shaft. Very satisfied with the way the rebuild turned out. Now if you don't want to ship your main platter and bearing housing over to Marc, there is a fellow named Jim Campbell who sells a lot of restoration parts on EBAY. He offers a plate, seal, ceramic bearing package for the 124 for $55 or so. He is also the source I used for the silicone mushrooms and motor mount bushings for my 124. Very nice guy, good quality parts, and prompt shipping.....hard to go wrong with his stuff I think. Jim also did the motor rebuild on my table, as I wanted to be sure it was up to spec and in good operating order.

Have fun with your 124, it sure is a beauty! Think I said that before.....

Regards
Mister Pig
 
The armboard has arrived!

But there is one problem I have to overcome... I've realized that the screen can is in the wrong direction and there is not enough clearance from the plinth to allow the interconnects to be plugged in (see image). Can someone explain to me how to reverse the orientation of the screening can?
 

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