Pioneer PL-1250?

[mattchambers]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any thoughts on the quality of the Pioneer PL-1250 turntable? It's a Japanese-only (so 100v and in need of step-down transformer) direct drive model and doesn't seem to have an exact US/European equivalent. And it's very good looking.

I'm considering getting one shipped from Japan, but I can't seem to find any reviews, so was curious to see if anyone had any opinions on their quality. I also notice the condition of the plinth on some of those for sale is pretty worn, so was also wondering if this was a quality issue, or just hard living.

Cheers,
Matt

 

[FirstDave]

Hi Matt, I just did what you wanted and ordered one from Japan. Unfortunately it was in almost mint condition but was packed by an idiot. It still works with all of its dings and dents in the vinyl covered plinth, but the PERFECT dust cover was smashed to pieces. anyway.... I got a full refund and promptly bought my 100v transformer. Hooked everything up and it runs perfectly. It came with an original pioneer cart and head shell that played ok, but I've replaced it with an AT95. I have noticed that it is almost identical to the PL-510, control-wise. The 510 just surrounds the controls with a silver plate and has nicer veneer finish. The quality is excellent and exactly what I was looking for. The look can't be beat! It shows the most "wood" of any Pioneer model I've seen, which really was my driving factor for purchasing it.