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Run Thorens Run ?

The play on John Updike's Run Rabbit Run aside, I have a few questions about setting up a Thorens TT and am hoping that an appeal to the collective consciousness will provide some enlightenment.

I'm returning to vinyl after a hiatus of 15 years and have acquired a Thorens TD 150. At the moment it is without an arm, but equipped with an armboard with an oval cut for an SME tonearm.

I'm thinking about purchasing a Basik tonearm, Goldring 1012 cartridge; finally an armboard for the Basik from Technical & General. The cost of these additional parts will run about 140 GBP shipped. Does this seem like a sound idea (will for example drilling out the armboard be an issue?), or should I be looking to some other strategy?

In short: Departing from the armless Thorens deck, how would you go about things to get it decently up and running (at reasonable cost)?

Many thanks in advance for your comments...
agonanon
9 responses Add your response
gregm
3,395 posts
 
I'd avoid drilling armboards, unless I had access to precision drills and was a skilled technician myself (I'm neither). OTOH, 140 quid for arm, board & cartridge is not excessive (it's not chicken feed either, mind you).
Instead, why not go for a SME 3009 series arm that would be plug & play? Plus a bog standard 50quid cartridge -- many good performers around!

Cheers & welcome to the glorious world of vinyl.
weiserb's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
weiserb
473 posts
 
Go SME !
bassface
11 posts
 
"Rabbit Run"

"Run Joe Run"
agonanon OP
70 posts
 
What's a bog standard cartridge? (Don't forget I don't usually set up TT's - hence this thread.)
gregm
3,395 posts
 
Agonanon -- Shelters, Benz, Denon, maybe a Sumiko or an Ortofon, i.e. a cartridge that's reasonably rugged (Denon, for example) and offers a musical, if not exotically accurate, sound retrieval/reproduction.
There's a lot of on-line help in setting up a cartridge, better written & more detailed than I could ever produce. However, the prevailing issue is that you choose the arm first; then, experienced A'goners (Twl is a good example) can help you narrow down the choice of cartridge taking into ACCOUNT the arm's compliance. Cheers.
agonanon OP
70 posts
 
Gregm, thanks for your eminently sensible comments, the quest continues. Actually it was a review plus the plethora of web resources addressing Thorens tweaks that put me on to this. (There also seems to be a broad selection of phono stages nowadays to choose from.)
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Agonanon

A certain Steve Clark maintains a website called "The Analog Department". Web address is:
www.theanalogdept.com

On the home page, on the left, there is a link called "Thorens Dept". Steve adds pictures of Thorens 'tables almost everyday + there are DIY tips galore. Plenty of real help i.e. advice from people who have actually resurrected their own Thorens. I highly recommend this website for you.
Helped me set up my 'table just recently.
agonanon OP
70 posts
 
Hi Bombaywalla, indeed the analogdept is a great Thorens site. A big kudos to Clarke & Cie (I already downloaded a manual for the TD150 MKII [pdf] - good stuff!)

BTW, I very much enjoyed reading your *first* impressions of the Bluenote Bellavista Sig, well done!
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Hi Agonanon,

Good to read that you could find the manual for your Thorens. Indeed Steve Clarke has done a great job on that site & with the pictures.

Thank you for your generous compliments!

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