Thorens TD 125 MK II

[highfigh]

A temporary fix was fine, as a permanent fix sacrilege! Pride in ownership is important actually, as it is a constant reminder that good classy gear has to be cherished and cared for. If it looks like junk, that is how it will get treated. That is human nature in my expereince.

You might try to be a bit more open-minded and less insulting. His cover serves a purpose- it's not a work of art, it's a turntable dust cover.

 

[Squishman]

You might try to be a bit more open-minded and less insulting. His cover serves a purpose- it's not a work of art, it's a turntable dust cover.

Yeah. F'n-a man. I sure appreciated the help all along the way starting at finding this gem in the first place. But that was a bit of a drag.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have a Guess Who album that I bought used at a garage sale several years ago. It has too much surface noise now with my Ortofon Black and has become unplayable. This cart reveals everything. Of course it was never great, but you could play it. I am concerned that my Bowie "Station to Station" will be the same scenario when I get around to attempting to record it. I have run both LP's through the Vinyl Vac system a couple years ago and I do recall it helped the Bowie record a lot. I bet it's not enough now. Is there anything to the wood glue method? If there is, I'd try that and then hit them with the Vinyl Vac again. Just to be safe, I'd give it a double scrub. Then afterwards, clean the stylus which I do occasionally anyway.

I nearly choked on my toast!

That turntable is not for playing records in poor condition, especially not ones that have had glue poured on them. The higher the quality of the turntable and the higher the SQ, the more fragile it is, especially so the cartridge.

If you you want to play beaten up abused discs, then you need to buy a "beater" turntable to play them on as a secondary turntable. No records in poor condition go anywhere near any of my turntables, and they should not that classic very fine turntable you are now the custodian of.

 

[Squishman]

I nearly choked on my toast!

That turntable is not for playing records in poor condition, especially not ones that have had glue poured on them. The higher the quality of the turntable and the higher the SQ, the more fragile it is, especially so the cartridge.

If you you want to play beaten up abused discs, then you need to buy a "beater" turntable to play them on as a secondary turntable. No records in poor condition go anywhere near any of my turntables, and they should not that classic very fine turntable you are now the custodian of.

I was not inclined to do that. Never have. Just curious if any does do that. Those records I mentioned are not beat up in the least. Just more surface noise than up to my standards, which are extremely high.

 

[Squishman]

Why the heck would I play a beat up record? I would not.

 

[TLS Guy]

You might try to be a bit more open-minded and less insulting. His cover serves a purpose- it's not a work of art, it's a turntable dust cover.

Yes, but he wouldn't put something equivalent on his bike. Also my experience is, that if it looks like junk it will get the same treatment.

His unit now really looks classy, and is a feature of his room. I believe "fit and finish" are very important aspects of any serious engineering endeavor and should never be a casual afterthought. If you left your customers with installations that did not look truly and properly finished, you would soon be out of customers.

 

[Squishman]

Yes, but he wouldn't put something equivalent on his bike.

ya got me there.

 

[Alex2507]

it's not a work of art, it's a turntable dust cover.

The new one looks like a work of art.

The old one? A crime against humanity.

he wouldn't put something equivalent on his bike

The indelible black mark on his soul is punishment enough.
We know what he did. We all know. A sight that can't be unseen, to be borne by every witness.
Cain's heart might have been less burdened.

Too much?

 

[highfigh]

Yes, but he wouldn't put something equivalent on his bike. Also my experience is, that if it looks like junk it will get the same treatment.

His unit now really looks classy, and is a feature of his room. I believe "fit and finish" are very important aspects of any serious engineering endeavor and should never be a casual afterthought. If you left your customers with installations that did not look truly and properly finished, you would soon be out of customers.

Bad parts on a bike can be a safety risk and so far, I haven't heard of injuries from turntable use.

He's not paying someone to install or make a dust cover- there's the difference. He can use this and patiently wait for a better one, or not. If I leave my customers with a bad looking installation, they'll have to wait in order to beat me to a pulp, after myself. I couldn't do that and whether I'm installing or even borrowing a tool, I was taught to return it in as good or better condition.

WRT fit & finish not being a casual afterthought- go ahead and tell any manufacturer about that and see how long they laugh before ushering you to the door, or hang up.

Unless big money is paid and guarantees are specified in writing and other forms, from a company that is assured to stay in business (yeah, I know), exceptional fit and finish have become rare. It can happen, but it's pricey.

I had a run-in with a "custom" cabinetmaker several years ago. I was at the house when he measured for the cabinet that would house the tuner, turntable, DVD/BD player, etc. Because the cables were bulky, nobody wanted to see them and the base moulding prevented the cabinet being pushed against the wall, I asked if he could install the back a few inshes ahead of the sides and top with the rear edge of the bottom flush to the back and the sides with dado cuts for the back- his response was "I have no idea how to do that". The description should have told him everything he needed to know. I also mentioned that the house had settled and the left rear corner of the floor was at least an inch lower than the rest of it, so please install an adjustable foot that can be accessed form inside. Crickets. Then, he sent someone to install it and the bottom drawer was too low, so it scraped as it closed. He also couldn't be bothered to use screws of the correct length for the drawers. I raised the drawer and cut the screws to length. I also built a Maple shelf to match the others with a raised edge and ball bearing slides, for the turntable.

Cabinet boy's wife is an interior detonator and he gets a lot of business from her. Not sure she looks at it, but.....

 

[Squishman]

Bad parts on a bike can be a safety risk and so far, I haven't heard of injuries from turntable use.

He's not paying someone to install or make a dust cover- there's the difference. He can use this and patiently wait for a better one, or not. If I leave my customers with a bad looking installation, they'll have to wait in order to beat me to a pulp, after myself. I couldn't do that and whether I'm installing or even borrowing a tool, I was taught to return it in as good or better condition.

WRT fit & finish not being a casual afterthought- go ahead and tell any manufacturer about that and see how long they laugh before ushering you to the door, or hang up.

Unless big money is paid and guarantees are specified in writing and other forms, from a company that is assured to stay in business (yeah, I know), exceptional fit and finish have become rare. It can happen, but it's pricey.

I had a run-in with a "custom" cabinetmaker several years ago. I was at the house when he measured for the cabinet that would house the tuner, turntable, DVD/BD player, etc. Because the cables were bulky, nobody wanted to see them and the base moulding prevented the cabinet being pushed against the wall, I asked if he could install the back a few inshes ahead of the sides and top with the rear edge of the bottom flush to the back and the sides with dado cuts for the back- his response was "I have no idea how to do that". The description should have told him everything he needed to know. I also mentioned that the house had settled and the left rear corner of the floor was at least an inch lower than the rest of it, so please install an adjustable foot that can be accessed form inside. Crickets. Then, he sent someone to install it and the bottom drawer was too low, so it scraped as it closed. He also couldn't be bothered to use screws of the correct length for the drawers. I raised the drawer and cut the screws to length. I also built a Maple shelf to match the others with a raised edge and ball bearing slides, for the turntable.

Cabinet boy's wife is an interior detonator and he gets a lot of business from her. Not sure she looks at it, but.....

I did get a lovely clear dust cover. Scroll up to see the photos. I got it sooner than expected.

 

[TLS Guy]

BAd parts on a bike can be a safety risk and so far, I haven't heard of injuries from turntable use.

He's not paying someone to install or make a dust cover- there's the difference. He can use this and patiently wait for a better one, or not. If I leave my customers with a bad looking installation, they'll have to wait in order to beat me to a pulp, after myself. I couldn't do that and whether I'm installing or even borrowing a tool, I was taught to return it in as good or better condition.

WRT fit & finish not being a casual afterthought- go ahead and tell any manufacturer about that and see how long they laugh before ushering you to the door, or hang up.

Unless big money is paid and guarantees are specified in writing and other forms, from a company that is assured to stay in business (yeah, I know), exceptional fit and finish have become rare. It can happen, but it's pricey.

What you say is unfortunately true, but it was not always so. The fit and finish of his turntable is superb. That is one reasons I cherish my vintage gear, apart from the fact that all the items have superlative performance. However, I have to say that the fit and finish of my Marantz A10 is superb, and so is the aftermarket rack mounting. So the fit and finish of pretty much everything is fine.

Actually, I think aesthetics matter and actually do impact SQ. How equipment fits and looks as if it belongs in the room, generally means it is right from an acoustic standpoint.

The other issue that bothered me about that temporary installation was that bungy cord holding it up. I could see ways in which that could have been a disaster.

I think some of the most formative time I spent in my youth was with organ builders. To them the organ design and the space are at one.
I have followed that principle in my system designs. Actually speakers and room are in effect "joined at the hip". Probably the most influential writer on this matter was Buckminster Fuller. He is another who has had an outsized approach as to how I think about any design.

It was a surprise that when the electrical inspector came to inspect my solar installation, he recognized the structure that holds the equipment as a tensegrity structure immediately and called it out. He happened to be a "Bucky" fan also.

 

[highfigh]

What you say is unfortunately true, but it was not always so. The fit and finish of his turntable is superb. That is one reasons I cherish my vintage gear, apart from the fact that all the items have superlative performance. However, I have to say that the fit and finish of my Marantz A10 is superb, and so is the aftermarket rack mounting. So the fit and finish of pretty much everything is fine.

Actually, I think aesthetics matter and actually do impact SQ. How equipment fits and looks as if it belongs in the room, generally means it is right from an acoustic standpoint.

The other issue that bothered me about that temporary installation was that bungy cord holding it up. I could see ways in which that could have been a disaster.

I think some of the most formative time I spent in my youth was with organ builders. To them the organ design and the space are at one.
I have followed that principle in my system designs. Actually speakers and room are in effect "joined at the hip". Probably the most influential writer on this matter was Buckminster Fuller. He is another who has had an outsized approach as to how I think about any design.

It was a surprise that when the electrical inspector came to inspect my solar installation, he recognized the structure that holds the equipment as a tensegrity structure immediately and called it out. He happened to be a "Bucky" fan also.

The image shows something I think I might want to build to use as a table-

 

[Squishman]

The other issue that bothered me about that temporary installation was that bungy cord holding it up. I could see ways in which that could have been a disaster.

It wasn't a bungee cord. It was a very secure wire secured to the wall with a hook on the end. The smoke cover was lighter weight and was prone to come down way too easily. This new one is heavier gage plastic and stays up just perfectly. But the wire had a hook on it and was my way of making sure the sucker stayed up when it was up. It was in NO WAY a potential disaster. You say "ways". Name one way. I bet you cannot. Of course you cannot. I didn't want that cover come crashing down, so it was a freaking fabulous idea that worked for the short period of time that I used that cover. We have no earthquakes in Minnesota. I cannot think of any way that that was a problem. Goodness gracious. You suggested I post about the cover only so you could run down every aspect of what I did so I could use it?

 

[TLS Guy]

It wasn't a bungee cord. It was a very secure wire secured to the wall with a hook on the end. The smoke cover was lighter weight and was prone to come down way too easily. This new one is heavier gage plastic and stays up just perfectly. But the wire had a hook on it and was my way of making sure the sucker stayed up when it was up. It was in NO WAY a potential disaster. You say "ways". Name one way. I bet you cannot. Of course you cannot. I didn't want that cover come crashing down, so it was a freaking fabulous idea that worked for the short period of time that I used that cover. We have no earthquakes in Minnesota. I cannot think of any way that that was a problem. Goodness gracious. You suggested I post about the cover only so you could run down every aspect of what I did so I could use it?

I did not see it up close, but the picture you sent, it all looked tenuous, but it may have been safer than it looked.

 

[Squishman]

Speaking of something I fabricated, in 2024, I upgraded my shift and brake levers and footpegs on my motorcycle to aftermarket. Here is the original set-up of the brake side:

The aftermarket brake lever was too high even adjusted all the way down. So I fabbed a plate with only a drill set, a punch and a file to lower the brake peg. I added the optional extra peg for more foot surface. Now it is set-up perfectly and I have more adjustment to boot. I emailed the aftermarket outfit, Tec Bike Parts to show them what I did and they liked it. I would not be too surprised if they added this by now as an option because it is much improved from their set-up. I was a machinist in the 1980's. Here’s the finished product:

 

[Squishman]

BTW, in case anyone wonders: the oil window shows low. It is not. The bike is on the side stand in the photos. It shows full when on the centerstand.