Arkay
Lunatic Member
I worked all day today (Yeah, I work on Sundays. :sigh
, but in the evening headed out to some audio places.
First off, I spot the very elusive Pioneer HLD-XO Muse High-def Laserdisk player... ostensibly the finest LD player in the world! I'm going back tomorrow for a closer look and some negotiation, if the price is remotely within striking distance. Not sure if I can/will get it, but it is a temptation.
A bit later, I swing by the place where I recently picked up an apparently never-used Lenco L75, still in original styrofoam and plastic-bag packing (posted about previously). While there, I look over at where that Lenco had been, and in just about the exact same spot (same exact stack, approx. same height) there was another turntable, in a wood-veneered plinth and tinted dustcover -- obviously a vintage unit.
I go over and lift up the DC for a closer look. Yikes! It's ANOTHER L75! This one is used, but in generally good shape. What is more, it is complete, including the original rubber mat, still soft and nice, the original and clean-looking headshell with original Ronette flip-over cartridge in it (both styli look good!
--I've almost never encountered that before, on carts this old!) and even the little white Lenco 45 adaptor. I also rarely find the mat in good shape; at least half of the time, they are either stiffened with age or damaged by oil.
There are a couple of cosmetic issues: the DC has a crack in it by the right rear hinge -- I'll probably replace it with one from one of my lesser units still unsold. There is a small piece of veneer missing from part of the left top edge. The bad news is that this may be a little tricky to replace "invisibly", because the woodgrain has a strikingly beautiful contrasty pattern to it. The good news is that the woodgrain has a strikingly beautiful contrasty pattern to it!
Other than these issues, this must be one of the nicest-looking oriiginal vintage plinths I've found. It's a little dull now, but I can tell that once it is restored to make that woodgrain "pop" again, it will be a real "looker"!
I asked the guy the price, and it was higher than what I paid the other day for BOTH the Lenco and a nice Fender Squier electric guitar. I pointed this out, and the guy countered with how complete and original it was, whereas the other one was missing a plinth, etc... After a little negotiation, I bought the thing for about $120.
The irony of this is that I may not see another Lenco for sometimes months, yet here were two within just a few days of each other, both better-than-average examples, and both were found in THE EXACT SAME PLACE!
It's almost like this one arrived just to donate the missing pieces that the other one had: the plinth, headshell, mat and 45 adaptor! I'll switch those parts over to the unused one, and if the plinth cleans up well enough, perhaps even put it in that plinth.
Anyway, that's two nice Lenco L75s in less than a week, for a C-note apiece, with a free guitar thrown in. Have to keep my eye on that space in the future, too! :yes:
Actually, today was a lucky day overall: I got paid unexpectedly for something (cash handed over initially was exactly equal to the subsequent price of the Lenco! :yes, got an unexpected referral that should lead to more income, and ran into an old friend. The day went more smoothly than usual, and well; even transport connections went like clockwork. I sure ain't a-complainin'! 
:scratch2: ... This makes a total of five L75s for me: enough to try some creative projects, like some out-of-the-box plinth design, or a double-decker platter! Added to the two L70s, the L85 and the B52, it brings my Lenco stable to nine TTs, assuming I haven't forgotten or overlooked any earlier acquisitions. Lenco sold a lot of these, and given how durable they are, there must still be a lot of them around. It's not as if they were really scarce or anything... but somehow I just can't pass up a moderately-priced good Lenco. I see that heavy, balanced platter and beefy bearing, and great little motor, and --especially if there is a metal idler wheel-- I just WANT TO HAVE IT! At some point, I have to stop this nonsense, I know. I've broken myself of nearly every other audio addiction. But cheap Lencos? Nooo-o-o-o
The irony of it is that I doubt any of these will ever be my main player, because even a tricked-out Lenco falls a little short of a GT-2000. But they're still great well-designed and very "tweakable" tables, and a lot of fun.
Anyone else here addicted to Lencos?
, but in the evening headed out to some audio places. First off, I spot the very elusive Pioneer HLD-XO Muse High-def Laserdisk player... ostensibly the finest LD player in the world! I'm going back tomorrow for a closer look and some negotiation, if the price is remotely within striking distance. Not sure if I can/will get it, but it is a temptation.
A bit later, I swing by the place where I recently picked up an apparently never-used Lenco L75, still in original styrofoam and plastic-bag packing (posted about previously). While there, I look over at where that Lenco had been, and in just about the exact same spot (same exact stack, approx. same height) there was another turntable, in a wood-veneered plinth and tinted dustcover -- obviously a vintage unit.
I go over and lift up the DC for a closer look. Yikes! It's ANOTHER L75! This one is used, but in generally good shape. What is more, it is complete, including the original rubber mat, still soft and nice, the original and clean-looking headshell with original Ronette flip-over cartridge in it (both styli look good!
--I've almost never encountered that before, on carts this old!) and even the little white Lenco 45 adaptor. I also rarely find the mat in good shape; at least half of the time, they are either stiffened with age or damaged by oil.There are a couple of cosmetic issues: the DC has a crack in it by the right rear hinge -- I'll probably replace it with one from one of my lesser units still unsold. There is a small piece of veneer missing from part of the left top edge. The bad news is that this may be a little tricky to replace "invisibly", because the woodgrain has a strikingly beautiful contrasty pattern to it. The good news is that the woodgrain has a strikingly beautiful contrasty pattern to it!
Other than these issues, this must be one of the nicest-looking oriiginal vintage plinths I've found. It's a little dull now, but I can tell that once it is restored to make that woodgrain "pop" again, it will be a real "looker"! I asked the guy the price, and it was higher than what I paid the other day for BOTH the Lenco and a nice Fender Squier electric guitar. I pointed this out, and the guy countered with how complete and original it was, whereas the other one was missing a plinth, etc... After a little negotiation, I bought the thing for about $120.
The irony of this is that I may not see another Lenco for sometimes months, yet here were two within just a few days of each other, both better-than-average examples, and both were found in THE EXACT SAME PLACE!
It's almost like this one arrived just to donate the missing pieces that the other one had: the plinth, headshell, mat and 45 adaptor!
I'll switch those parts over to the unused one, and if the plinth cleans up well enough, perhaps even put it in that plinth.Anyway, that's two nice Lenco L75s in less than a week, for a C-note apiece, with a free guitar thrown in. Have to keep my eye on that space in the future, too! :yes:
Actually, today was a lucky day overall: I got paid unexpectedly for something (cash handed over initially was exactly equal to the subsequent price of the Lenco! :yes
, got an unexpected referral that should lead to more income, and ran into an old friend. The day went more smoothly than usual, and well; even transport connections went like clockwork. I sure ain't a-complainin'! :scratch2: ... This makes a total of five L75s for me: enough to try some creative projects, like some out-of-the-box plinth design, or a double-decker platter!
Added to the two L70s, the L85 and the B52, it brings my Lenco stable to nine TTs, assuming I haven't forgotten or overlooked any earlier acquisitions. Lenco sold a lot of these, and given how durable they are, there must still be a lot of them around. It's not as if they were really scarce or anything... but somehow I just can't pass up a moderately-priced good Lenco. I see that heavy, balanced platter and beefy bearing, and great little motor, and --especially if there is a metal idler wheel-- I just WANT TO HAVE IT! At some point, I have to stop this nonsense, I know. I've broken myself of nearly every other audio addiction. But cheap Lencos? Nooo-o-o-o The irony of it is that I doubt any of these will ever be my main player, because even a tricked-out Lenco falls a little short of a GT-2000. But they're still great well-designed and very "tweakable" tables, and a lot of fun.
Anyone else here addicted to Lencos?
