Grounding turntable to stop static pop.

Pull the cover, check the grounding post. You will find the nut holding the grounding post, tighten it. This is housekeeping, will not affect grounding, not unless it was wired to ground to the chassis at that point. While you could ground the arm anywhere uou do want the table grounded directly to the phono stage as this is less likely to create a ground differential and the hum that comes with it.

Static pops are probably just that, static. If so then get a Zero-Stat, and some Static Guard anti-static spray. Sold in Walmart and other stores as laundry spray it is a real cheap effective solution. I use it all the time.

"plus the amp supplying the bass has a significant hum."

This one is probably ground loop hum. All your amps, phono stage, everything must be plugged into the same circuit. Preferably the same outlet. Use a power strip or conditioner. If the sub amp is plugged into one outlet, and connected via RCA or whatever to another component on another outlet, that is a total recipe for ground loop hum.

But if the "hum" is a vibration coming from the transformer in the amp itself that is DC offset hum and a different thing altogether. So it helps to know exactly what we are talking about.

You don’t need a tech. A little audio knowledge goes a long way.

OP, be aware that cable and router boxes can cause a lot of noise in your stereo.  Look there if your using it for a source.

Noise, routing is usually a problem, cables just can't be plugged and dropped.. NONE of my cables touch. It looks like "Cable art". That's right "cable art". Lift cables UP and DOWN and see if the noise Yo Yo s. IF it does it's routing. If it stays the same, it's a ground loop, like MC said..
A difference is voltage between components. 10.00 usd Ground Loop eliminator will fix it.. Otherwise, Routing is your friend..

Plug and unplug can clean things too.. Years of storage.. just saying.. CLEAN is good... Plugged in all the way, too.. ALL THE WAY...

Valve amps.. pull the valves and reseat them.. stuff like that.. ALL THE VALVES. 

Regards

Thank all for the replies. Gives me much to consider and try. Checked the pre and the ground post is definitely loose.  Have some anti static spray from Radio Shack sound here somewhere. Will try and reset the amp tubes - will this affect the bias?

Now if I can only get a nearby tech to give them BA once over, if these efforts don't work. Hate to lug this stuff to DC and hate waiting 3-6 weeks to get them back. Right now am listening to Prokofiev 4 - sounds glorious.

Thanks for the responses!

Better answers are probably on the VPI forum.

It may not be static or the turntable. Do you have other sources? How do they play. Tightening the ground lug is easy. As millercarbon suggests, remove the screws holding the cover and tighten the nut holding the ground lug. It is probably a 5/16 or 3/8 wrench. I would remove all the tubes and clean the pins lightly with 4-0 steel wool then re-seat them.
Put a ground cheater on the amp that hums and see if that stops the hum. If it is a ground loop that will break it.

There are other sources of "pops" besides static from bad record, bad styli, overloaded phono stages, bad connectors and so forth. You have to isolate the problem to a component and channel. This is best done with the system set up and in place. Breaking it up and taking individual units to a tech may not solve the problem unless you are sure you have isolated it to one unit.