I made a low-ball offer on a TT-81 / CL-P2 combination on the 'bay from a Japanese seller. To my surprise it was accepted. The pics showed a plinth in good condition, no mat and no dustcover. The TT-81 'powered on'. Based on a previous purchase (TT-71 with CL-P1 plinth) I knew one couldn't depend much on descriptions posted in the ad (the TT-71 was described as 'junk', which to Japanese sellers means that it either doesn't work or is missing components). In that case, the missing component was evidently the tonearm, which was obvious. To my surprise the TT-71 performed flawlessly. On this purchase, I knew I would have to have a dustcover made (hard to find original ones) and likely do some work on the TT-81, but I was mainly after the CL-P2 plinth and my lowball offer reflected that. So the offer was accepted, then came the wait for shipping. 3 weeks went by, and despite communication with the seller, I was close to cancelling the sale. I waited it out and to my surprise, the seller shipped it this week FedEx Overnight. That had to have almost wiped out the profit margin for them, but I am appreciative.
First, I guess I wasn't ready for the size and weight of it. FedEx listed it as 62 lbs, I thought that had to be an estimate unfulfilled. The box was huge and certainly weighed 62 lbs. It was well packed and to my surprise, a dustcover in nice condition was the first thing to reveal itself. The big, heavy plinth was made for two tonearms, I'll mount my Victor UA-7045 on one board, and I'm searching for another tonearm (probably a 12"). The aforementioned TT-71 (or a TT-61) will be put into it while I make sure the TT-81 is checked out. It powers on but doesn't spin. Another curious thing is there was no mat shown in the pics, but included was a thin suede leather mat sitting on a glass mat. I assume it would be similar to an acrylic mat, I'll be interested to find out.
First, I guess I wasn't ready for the size and weight of it. FedEx listed it as 62 lbs, I thought that had to be an estimate unfulfilled. The box was huge and certainly weighed 62 lbs. It was well packed and to my surprise, a dustcover in nice condition was the first thing to reveal itself. The big, heavy plinth was made for two tonearms, I'll mount my Victor UA-7045 on one board, and I'm searching for another tonearm (probably a 12"). The aforementioned TT-71 (or a TT-61) will be put into it while I make sure the TT-81 is checked out. It powers on but doesn't spin. Another curious thing is there was no mat shown in the pics, but included was a thin suede leather mat sitting on a glass mat. I assume it would be similar to an acrylic mat, I'll be interested to find out.
