JVC TT101 QL 10 PLINTH ISSUES

I've become vintage while listening to vintage turntables and other vintage gear.  It's a comfort.

My thought was incomplete.  When I pack a delicate object for UPS or Fedex, or any shipper, I consider how a frustrated gorilla, given free rein to do everything except open the box, might damage the object. I allow for dropping the box about 6 feet and for crushing the box under a few hundred pounds of freight.  I allow for throwing the box a few feet, as well.  After that, if the object arrives with damage, it's really been badly abused in transit. However, a first principle for shipping a turntable is to separate and isolate dust cover, platter, and chassis from each other, in separate boxes if necessary. If that wasn't done, I would bet that UPS won't accept blame.  Getting them to accept blame for damage is in and of itself nothing short of a miracle.  So, cleeds, in this case there is evidence that the packer is at least partially culpable.

By the way, I would blame the persons who packed the turntable, not UPS, for the damage.  If done right, the QL10 should have arrived in undamaged condition.  For one thing, I would not ship with the dust cover in place on top of the plinth; that puts stress on the cover every time the box is dropped or mishandled.  Likewise, the feet should not be in direct contact with the bottom of the box. The weight of the plinth should be borne by the solid structure of the plinth itself.  And finally, I would remove the motor from the plinth entirely, ship in two separate boxes, ideally.  Anyway, it's too late for that.  Mine came from California in fine shape (to me in Maryland).  Of course, it then took me 3 years to find a person who could repair the electronics of the TT101 itself. (I bought it in "broken" condition for a low price.)

The lid is useless anyway, and should be put aside. There are a myriad of choices for new feet, any of which might outperform the originals. (Did they really break all 4 feet? That’s quite a feat.) I use the QL10 plinth but I have added at least 20 lbs of mass by affixing pieces of solid aluminum here and there, mostly underneath. I also replaced the arm board with an aluminum replica, and I added another piece of alu under the arm board for vastly improved mass and rigidity. If I knew how to post photos here, I would do so.