What mods were done- and how much does he want for it? |
i'm not sure really, he said he bought it online, i'm going to go over and check it out tonight, and i'll let you know, and he seriously may want to sell it also, i'll ask him. |
If he bought it in total ignorance of the problems of stock Lencos and the work involved in restoring/rebuilding them, then he would be disappointed. Not like Thorenses, which need perhaps a belt and a new cartridge. Also not like the Thorenses in that their potential is immeasurably higher. There'll be a line-up of folks wanting to take it off his hands if he finds it too problematic. Hope it didn't get damaged in transit. |
Sucks how? I have two, one fully modded/replinthed/re-armed etc, and the other simply restored and mildly tweaked. The first is utterly awsome -- best TT or front end for that matter I've been intimate with. The second is terrific too, giving extremely musical and pacey performance for real cheap.
So what Lenco has he got, how modded or restored, what condition, and what associated gear (cart, etc)? |
First trick is finding a good one. While these may be the giant killers they are old and given they were sold as run of the mill players, likely many owners did not care for them, so finding a quality one, especially after all the hype now not so easy. I am weary of the few models I have seen advertised.
Given that a Loricraft(similar concept) is going to cost over 10X, for a 501 new model and close to 5X for a good 401, same with Teres, Sota, etc... high-end tables still going to keep my eyes open for a Lenco. Meanwhile saving up for one of the expensive but quality commercial models in case my patience wears out.
So count me in line if your friend wants to sell, if Pics can be provided to show motor/platter unit not damaged. Which is still hard to completely verify via photos but can at least catch an obvious flaw. Still a gamble until arrives and can inspect in detail.
Adding all this effort up, if you have time great, but ironically for me time is much if not more of a constraint. |
Please tell me who does the mod's on Lenco TT? I am very interested. |
R, e-mail me with what you want to do. My son and I have built six of them (though many others have built them, too). I'd like to hear one in your system. Maybe building one for you could work out. |
Rich,
If David is up to building one for you I would go for it. Lencos definitely have alot going for them and I'm confident he can get as close to the max as anyone of what they can offer. Even if it doesn't prove to be the last table you ever buy you will still get a real work of art that you'll be tickled with for many years to come, both in looks and performace.
Btw, hope you can make it to Denver next month! |
Thanks for the input all!
David I e-mailed you......Dan, I'll try calling you!
P.S. Didn't Albert Porter do a Lenco project...hey Albert??? |
Rick...will give you a call early this week. In and out the rest-o-the-weekend. Albert had one built for him (plinth). He was in the very good but not great category previously. Not sure where he stands now. Keep in mind his system.
I will say this. While I have heard many tables both cheap and expensive, and I do think the rebuilts will hold their own with some, it is NOT my contention that they are the best table one can own or that they will kick the pants of anything. Rather, they are very good and very, very good for the money. There is a danger of overhyping anything and I feel that some are getting pretty close to the edge on the description of these. OTOH, with respect to beauty as in furniture art beauty, the possibility of having something that sounds great which is also visually stunning is much greater with a rebuilt than what is available on the market. |
Shameless plug. Must sell Lenco L75 built by Jean himself.
Please see auctions if interested.
Thanks. |
I know this is an old thread. But I just got my first Lenco, a L78SE, a few weeks ago. After some research & getting it up to snuff, I am very pleased with it. In fact, I believe it sounds as good or better than most Duals I've had. And that's with saying that I like most tables stock.
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Properly upgraded, the Lenco idler drive (I don't know whether the L78SE is an idler drive; Lenco did make some belt drives) will compete with very high end turntables. I am not going to put a dollar limit on the value of tables it competes with, because in any case that will be a subjective judgement. You ought to be reading Lenco Heaven website to get ideas how to upgrade most cost effectively. Key areas to address are (1) the tonearm; best to get rid of it but there are ideas how to make it work better, (2) the chassis; John Nantais is a leader in how to stiffen and damp the OEM chassis, but you can also replace it entirely with a steel frame, a la Peter Reinders, (3) the idler wheel; there are fancy replacements for the OEM idler wheel, but I preferred to keep mine original as it is very light in rotating mass and that is what you want. Many of the aftermarket idler wheels are much heavier than OEM; (4) plinth; I use slate because slate was in fashion when I did mine. Baltic birch plywood is another favorite. Peter Reinders makes a Corian plinth; (5) Platter. Many ideas here. I had mine painted in a vibration reducing paint. (6) Platter mat. Have fun with that. (7) Motor controller. Definitely worth the added cost. (8) Platter bearing. Check out the aftermarket bearings discussed at Lenco Heaven. I use a massive bearing made in the UK.
In the end, I have nothing left from the original Lenco except the motor, the idler wheel, and the painted platter. I use a Phoenix Engineering motor controller and Roadrunner tachometer that feeds back to the motor controller to maintain exact speed. Unfortunately, PE is out of business per se but you can possibly adapt the Eclipse system from SOTA, since Bill Carlin of PE designed it.
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