Ah, I remember when those first came out. I was the bench tech at a stereo store while in college at the time. This was the first solid direct drive table I'd ever seen - we didn't carry Technics at the time - and bought the first one that came off the truck.
I've been a fan of those well-built Sony's ever since.
Congrats on pulling another one from the shores of the River Styx.
Cheers,
David