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What will the Thorens market bear?

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Its a great turntable that will probably out live most of us if lubricated periodically and treated with respect. I admit its not of the caliber of some modern $$$$.$$ tables, but has some capabilities others don't. It is very resistant to acoustic feed back and doesn't need a dedicated platform to operate properly. After warm up the speed is very stable and the speed can be changed quite easily. You only need to replace the belt every 5 years or so. Its easy to change arms, I think I have had 5 over the years. I still have one of my SME's for back-up if my Rabco totally fails me. That's one issue that could end up costing thousands and thousands of dollars if my Dynavectors don't like the SME. While $425 might seem excessive at first glance. A friend of mine sold his Thorens with SME tone arm in 2002, with a cheap Shure cartridge for $600. The cost of good hi fi equipment has skyrocketed since then. Have you priced a used SME mk V tone arm lately, even a MKIII will make you scratch your head. How much would people pay for a new Stylus for a Shure V-15 MKV? As much as the Thorens, some might. I would have paid almost that much for a Stanton 981 stylus. My Dynavectors have cost close to $1500 for the two.
 
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twiiii said:
Its a great turntable that will probably out live most of us if lubricated periodically and treated with respect. I admit its not of the caliber of some modern $$$$.$$ tables, but has some capabilities others don't. It is very resistant to acoustic feed back and doesn't need a dedicated platform to operate properly. After warm up the speed is very stable and the speed can be changed quite easily. You only need to replace the belt every 5 years or so. Its easy to change arms, I think I have had 5 over the years. I still have one of my SME's for back-up if my Rabco totally fails me. That's one issue that could end up costing thousands and thousands of dollars if my Dynavectors don't like the SME. While $425 might seem excessive at first glance. A friend of mine sold his Thorens with SME tone arm in 2002, with a cheap Shure cartridge for $600. The cost of good hi fi equipment has skyrocketed since then. Have you priced a used SME mk V tone arm lately, even a MKIII will make you scratch your head. How much would people pay for a new Stylus for a Shure V-15 MKV? As much as the Thorens, some might. I would have paid almost that much for a Stanton 981 stylus. My Dynavectors have cost close to $1500 for the two.
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Most of my turntables will likely outlive me, and that's one reason I love the older gear.

I am accustomed to tone arms and cartridges costing an arm and a leg, but I usually see the less-than-perfect vintage TT's lacking tonearms going for significantly less than this. In fact I have seen several AR's WITH tonearms go for less than $425 on SF Craigslist.

...and FWIW I have seen this listing up on Craigslist for a couple of months now
 
Ah, sorry. I was thinking of this as a sort of philosophical discussion but realize now that it is pure microeconomics. If it offends, the mods should close it.

Speaking of economics: I realize that I generally buy pieces for a bit more than I could probably get them if I hunted more or haggled harder. Then, when I am done with them, I sell them on quickly, usually for less than I originally paid (even if I have repaired them). In other words, buy high and sell low. I console myself with the thought that I am investing in my education.
 
Ha ha! Yes, I already copped to posting this in the wrong place and invited the mods to close or remove the thread.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.

(how many times do I have to say this before it sinks in?)
 
Moved to D&$.

C'mon now, we know better:
- Questions of value belong in Dollars & Sense
- Links to active auctions such as eBay belong in Dollars & Sense
 
Posts deleted. Folks, if you see a problem with a thread, please report it rather than harassing the posters.
 
i found one for $29
i traded it to a friend for some stuff after putting it on kijiji
mine ran, had the headshell, no dustcover no matt
i asked 130 .. with in hours i had email from all over the country including some well known dealers
it stayed local to a hobbiest... i like that better
 
425 is high for just the record deck and the base, especially if the buyer wants the original color. This being an early table, I got one in similar shape for under 250 with an empty SME arm board, but missing the 45 rpm adapter/platter mat but it had a Herbie's mat. I knew a friend had the dust cover and an extra base if the one I got with the table was messed up. I had an arm and well now I have a great TD-125 (same early model) with and SME 3009 S2 Imp for short money. Since I had one of these same tables (Mk II, though) back in the era, I was very happy to put this machine into my main rig. My purchase was through Barter Town so I probably got a better than street price. This 425 is a fair opening asking price, but the pics should be of the unit to be purchased not the unit with arm and such. That deck also has an IEC power connector and RCA jacks added to the base whether this is a plus or minus is up to the potential buyer.
 
GoldSounds said:
$425 is on the high side of the market (but not unheard of), considering it lacks a tonearm. The plinth is nice looking, and overall it looks to be in good shape, but still... Hopefully the seller is willing to negotiate.

Then again, in a city where a one-bedroom apartment averages nearly $3500/month, maybe $425 is reasonable.
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dyche01 said:
Ha! Tell me about it!
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Yup, it is San Francisco / Bay Area / Silicon Valley, might be similar market cost in NYC and maybe even LA. Scarcity has a bit to do with it, and of course competition from buyers with a lot of potential disposable income, and maybe not a nose/ear for values. YMMV.

FWIW, I picked up a TD125 with an SME3009 arm/Grado without dust cover from a repair shop some 10-12 years ago for $200 or so. Still in storage cabinet.
 
mech986 said:
Yup, it is San Francisco / Bay Area / Silicon Valley, might be similar market cost in NYC and maybe even LA. Scarcity has a bit to do with it, and of course competition from buyers with a lot of potential disposable income, and maybe not a nose/ear for values. YMMV.

FWIW, I picked up a TD125 with an SME3009 arm/Grado without dust cover from a repair shop some 10-12 years ago for $200 or so. Still in storage cabinet.
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Well that is the kicker isn't it, 10 to 12 years ago. Not now.

Around that time I bought a Well Tempered Record Player for $500 off the used market. I bought a Microseiki DDX 1000 with MA 505 tone arm for $300. A Koetsu Black moving coil for $200. A VPI 19 MK III and Eminent Technology tone arm for $600.

You cannot buy any of that stuff today for that money, its about doubled or even gone higher.

So a $200 TD 125 for $200 twelve years ago should double in price....and guess what. Its the $400 ish asking price that the OP posts. So it is in line with the price increases for everything else in the used analog market.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
In the bay area a and really anywhere including auction sites a TD-125 in nice shape without arm is $450 all day long, with a SME 3009 $800.
 
Yes, ten years ago I got a Kenwood KD-600, Fidelity Research FR-64s, Koetsu Black for 300 and added 75 to get a Crown Distiction Series Preamp with power supply and MC phono amp and more Crown cabinets than I could fill. 10 years ago...prices have changed.
 
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