Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?


I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
128x128halcro

Showing 50 responses by chakster

A tiny hole in the mat near the spindle hole made to fix the lightweight SAEC MAT to the turntable spindle/platter, not to fix the MAT to the RECORD @bimasta 

But you have no idea how it works because you never seen SAEC manual and those parts are missing. Those holes are connected by very thin and flat metal bridge screwed to the mat, and it's under the record. 




@bimasta

 RAUL disagrees with you, Chak —"That tiny hole at the inner position in the SS300 is not to fix it to the spindle. SAEC makes a research about and they found out that the LP/records tend to slide through a metal mat surface so its advice is that with a small nail use that hole to fix the LP to the mat and for this you have to make a tiny hole on each LP at exactly the metal mat hole position then and before play you insert the tiny nail in the LP through the metal mat hole. In this way the mat and LP spins at unison/evenly."

Neither seems worth the bother to me, or even the few seconds to think about it. And note it could be done with any other mat regardless of the material, and no one ever bothered.

Hmm, interesting. I have 6 page manual with my NOS NIB SAEC mat, the manual is in Japanese of course, but there are some pictures.  

I will translate from Japanese to make sure about it. 

Making a hole in the record label is indeed a strange idea, because to fix the pad from the top of the record it must goes through the record to reach a treated hole in the mat. 

Fixing the mat to the spindle hole with that thin metal "bridge" under the record surface is what i expected. But maybe i'm wrong, anyway it would be nice to find the answer. It is crazy if SAEC suggested us to drill the records :)) I think a heavy record weight on top could solve the issue, but SEC never made any record weights, just a mat. 

I will post some pictures later. 



Anyone please explain me what is the difference between Victor TT81 and TT-801 ?  
Anyone can recommend me good step-down transformer for Technics SP10mk2 and SP20 turntables ?

220 VOLT from the start in my power socket.
Which step-down trans do you guys use in Europe ?

I have some cheap chinese crap and i want to find better one, i need another one for second deck anyway.


@banquo363 

I use acupwr for my japanesse vintage gear: http://acupwr.com/pages/voltage-transformers-converters

I saw them before, nice, but i need stepdown 220/240v to 100v
Can't find anything like that on their page
@lewm I use Micro CU-500 on my SP10 mk2
Where did you find BA Mat2 ? 
@lewm nice, my Micro CU-500 belong to SP10mk2 and i’m looking for another Mat for technics SP20 deck i’ve bough not so long ago. Have you tried Micro CU-500 ? I’ve bought Saec SS-300 recently, waiting for postman. Actually my SP-20 coming with the mat that looks exactly like Boston Audio Mat on photos. Waiting for delivery. I will be happy if it will be BA Mat2. If so, i can check ’em all.

BTW Technics SP20 is something between SP10 and SP10mk2 ?
The platter looks exactly like SP10mk2 (not like cheaper SP10 first version).
How do you guys rate this turntable ? I like the design and this special black finishing.
There is no external power supply and of cource it is not in the same league as sp10mk2, but anyway...
that's why i'm looking for EPA-100 MK2 

@lewm cu-500 on my sp10mk2 only improved the sound quality to another level of performance. One of the best upgrade i have ever made. 
@lewm while the first sp10 released in 1969 the SP20 released in 1976

This is what i have about Technics SP-20 from this source:
forgive me for google translate from Japanese:

And high performance at that take advantage of the development know-how of the SP-10mkII, Quartz phase-locked control DD turntable. Starting torque 1.5kg · cm, a large turntable of its own weight 2.5kg (inertial mass 345kg · cm2), and to rotate at a constant speed in a quarter rotation from the start. Due to the large starting torque and powerful magnetic circuit, there is no change in the rotational speed using 150 pieces of the tone arm of the needle pressure 2g. In addition, it is also possible to use a cleaner during a performance. With pure electronic brake to provide users with a smooth stop of the turntable. It has adopted a strobe LED illumination by fringes of Article a row. Finish and has prevented the surface change and wrinkle finish was special surface treatment of the aluminum die-casting.


TECHNICS SP20 PRICE: 60,000 yen (1976)


Driving System : Servo Controlled Direct Drive

Speed : 33-1/3 and 45 rpm

Platter : Aluminum diecast 32cm, weight 2.5 kg.

Starting torque Characteristic : 1.5kg × cm // Less than 0.7 (90゜) second to reach normal speed (33-1/3 rpm).

Load fluctuation : 1.5kg x cm within 0%

Rotation speed deviation : ±0.002%

Wow & Flutter : Less than 0.025%(JIS C5521)wrms.

S/N Ratio : 60dB(IEC17B) // 73dB(DIN45539B)

Power Consumption : 4W

Inertial mass : 345k × cm2

Outline Dimensions : 368.5 × 99 × 368.5mm

Weight : 8.0kg


I assume this is not as good as SP10 MK2 for sure, but must be better than old classic SP10 with different (older) platter design etc.




Lew if you’re not familiar with gun metal CU-500 mat from Micro Seiki i’m pretty sure you know at least their CU-180. However the CU-500 is thicker and heavier (2.7 kg) and very rare along with their super heavy gun metal record clamp Misco Seiki ST-20 (not as easy to find as Micro Seiki ST-10).

I don’t have any pictures of my stuff on audiogon, but this is picture of my own Misco Seiki CU-500 to check in high resolution on SP10mk2. And this is another view on the same CU-500 on the same deck.

And old picture of my teak wood plinth for SP10 with EPA-100 and Technics EPC-100c MK3 cartridge retipped by AXEL in Germany (curently for sale or trade btw:).
RGS0008 is the thinner version of the RGS0010A/SFTG172-01.
RGS008 - this is what i have, not impressed by the sound. 
It was creamed by Micro CU-500. 
Ok, my Technics SP20 has arrived, it works fine and looks great (like new) with Saec SS-300 mat. For this deck i'd like to design a custom wooden plinth. Since the local currency is weak for a long time, i hope i can find local craftmans to save some cash. Anyway it's a second system. 

I really like the simplicity of my teak plinth for main SP10mk2 i use for a while, so new plinth would be the same shape with minor changes. For SP20 i'm gonna use my spare Schick "12 before i will buy something else. 

Need advice on materials. I believe panzerholz is not available in my area. But plenty of Baltic birch arround :))  Which material should i look for the best quality (for my plinth) ? 
Anyone use LUXMAN PD444 vintage direct drive turntable ???
How would you rate them against Technics Sp10mk2, those LUX decks goes for 2 grands sometimes. At least there is no need to change the plinth already made for two tonearms. 

Luxman pd-444 looks so nice that it's hard to resist. 
More info: HERE

"Center of the spinning is the Load-Free Spindlestructure : by opposing two magnets inside the motor structure, the actual load applied to the bearing is lifted to a fifth of its normal value. The motor's name is MDS152C.

Magnets aren't added but the motor itself is structured so as to do the above - no leaks or perturbations of the necessary magnetic flux. The platter is however maintained at large and heavy specifications to deal with 5Hz...10Hzfaster load variations.This system allows lightweight yet fully and inherently regulated moving parts.

The chassis and feet mix materials to do away with resonances : two slabs of 3,2mm iron plates sandwiching a high-density chipboard for the base, neoprene rubber, springs, silicon grease,felt and iron rings for the high feet which are 10mm height-adjustable."
@klinerm 

 it has a drive that makes it eminently enjoyable, so much so that I could easily listen to it all the time. If you have any interest in the Luxman, I can't imagine being disappointed in it if it's set up properly.

Thanks Richard. Yes, this is one of those decks i've been looking for a long time and finally placed an order for PD444 with 3 armwands. I've noticed those armwands alone goes for crazy prices on ebay. I hope my Reed 3P with 3 screws mounting style will fit one of the armwands. But for this arm i don't actually need any hole in armwand except for the mounting screws. I've heard that someone in Japan can make a custom armwand for luxman. Do you know anything about it?

I have 2 armwands model TP-MT (3 fixing screws)
and 1 armwand model TP-SG  (medium size hole)

I would like to find TP-LH (large hole) for Technics EPA


Luxman p444 has arrived. What a great turntable!
I’m looking forward to mount second tonearm.

Fitting in the Schick "12 tonearm with Argent MC500HS cartridge was not so easy, it took several hrs to play with alignment template comes with Hi-Fi Test LP. I haven't used this arm for a year or so, time to replace cheap Schick RCA's to Stereovox Xsadow RCA's, maybe. The sound is amazing with Saec SS300 mat. I don’t think this deck is worst than my SP10mk2, but Technics motor is more powerful, with Luxman it takes longer time to get the right speed from the start. The rest is just fine! I’m happy i don’t have to think about the plinth anymore. It’s state of the art turntable. Maybe i will replace side pannels with a proper exotic wood, but this is just a design.

It was nice to find out that Chris (Artisan Fidelity) already designed new wooden cabinet for PD444 (nice one), not sure if it’s better than Original PD444 style.
thanks @pryso 
oops, my mistake
6 times, sorry

I've meant metal armboards for PD444 :) 


Yes, this is one of those decks i've been looking for a long time and finally placed an order for PD444 with 3 ARMBOARDS. I've noticed those ARMBOARDS alone goes for crazy prices on ebay. I hope my Reed 3P with 3 screws mounting style will fit one of the ARMBOARDS. But for this arm i don't actually need any hole in ARMBOARD except for the mounting screws. I've heard that someone in Japan can make a custom ARMBOARDS for luxman. Do you know anything about it? 

I have 2 ARMBOARDS model TP-MT (3 fixing screws)
and 1 ARMBOARD model TP-SG  (medium size hole)

I would like to find TP-LH (large hole) for Technics EPA

@dgarretson I've noticed that yesterday, hope i will find the right person who can do that for me if that's cheaper than original armboard.

BTW which metal can be good to make a custom one?  
SAEC also do not recommend to use record weight (disc stabilizer) on top of the disc according to the manual as it will reduce the effectiveness of the solid mat. So we did everything wrong :)) 
@lewm Here is the SAEC manual in English if you can read it.
and another page. Someone just posted it online, so i can share his images here, hope it’s ok.

He said that drilling and screwing it’s for wet playback technique, wow

READ HERE
Running my LUX PD444 with Lustre 801 and Sony PUA-7. Practically this superheavy deck with various arm-bases is close to ideal, imo. No need to think about plinth and whatever tonearm (or two) can be mounted.     
@dgarretson

I’m not so sure about that. I removed the stock switch box from under my PD444 and substituted a thick, dense wenge wood subplinth that projects forward as a subplinth for a third tonearm mounted to a Micro Seiki brass tonearm board. The big surprise is that SQ was improved for the other two arms mounted to the stock tracks. The subplinth must be acting as a sink for vibration.

I know some people replaced stock feets, but for me LUX 444 works fine in stock condition, i like it better than my SP10mk2. I wouldn’t add 3rd tonearm as i have two LUX PD444, so already 4 tonearms :) However, i’d love to replace side pannels usign some nice wood.

Do you have a picture of your modified 444 ? 
@audiolabyrinth not sure which video are you talking about, but i hope you already checked Ortofon Concorde or Tonar Banana. Those cartridges are nothing special, i would say they are very bad cartridges in terms of sound quality. It’s a nonsence to judge the quality of the cartridge by watching the video. If you want Ortofon look for M20FL Super. Which ADC you’re talking about? They are many ADC carts and they are way different from each other, made by different designers etc. For example the ADC TRX made by Nakatsuka-San of ZYX and this model is way different from conventional ADCs. You’re talking about JICO SAS replacements? I owned several ADC cartridges (including the ADC Astrion) and was not impressed at all. You’d better look for Grace F-9F (Shibata/Discrete-4) or Stanton 881 (Stereohedron) and higher. As for the Technics look for rare SP-20 model, it’s cheaper than SP-10mk2.

@audiolabyrinth your technics 1600mk2 comes with standard tonearm, same arm supplied with SL-1200/1210mk2. Avoid the cartridges with very high compliance (over 30cu) or add kab fluid damper to the tonearm. Also avoid low compliance heavy cartridges! Look for mid compliance MM/MI near 20 - 25 cu @ 10Hz (not at 100hz, if your cartridge made in Japan then multiply 100hz compliance from the manual on 1.7 to get the compliance at 10Hz).


@lewm 

 I’ve searched the internet and can’t find an ss300 owner manual, even in Japanese. I’m just curious; that’s my nature.

there you go, look here 
@markshvarts have you checked original notes from Luxman (dates April 26, 1978). It's for adjustment of unstable speed on PD441/444. here is a link to my google docs for this file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7SnhzDV__cCb3BmSFZYU0xzc00/view?usp=sharing 

Not sure if that's your problem, but just in case.
I have two PD-444 and it's amazing turntable. 
Vinyl was too cheap in the 70’s ?
Record dealers drilled sleever and cut corners on the sleeves to mark discounted vinyl, but drilling record labels is something strange, maybe not strange for Japanese ? LOL

Why disc stabilizers are not recommended by SAEC for their Mat ?
Disc stabilizers (record weight) were very popular in the 70’s/80’s

Without record weight drilling is the only way to fix the record to the mat to avoid slippery according to SAEC

I prefer weight on top, no drilling for sure.
I thought SAEC provided that metal bridge to fix the mat to the spindle, i was wrong :( 

SAEC also warned up: they do not recommend to use tape, even thin tape under the mat.


I want to get back to Victor TT-101 discussion. Here is some nice info from the guy who restored this complex turntable. And this is another post from the same author, where he comparing TT-101 to some serious machines like Denon 100, big Micro SEIKI and the EMT R80 (927). The winner in his report was the refurbished Victor TT-101, so i wonder what the price would be for this marvelous turntable in fully working condition (not yet refurbished) and is it possible to find TT-101 in working condition or all of them must be refurbished ? If this deck can beat Denon DP-100, Technics SP10mk3, EMT, Kenwood L-07D then it must be very expensive?

BTW i like this round plinth for TT-101 linked in the gallery in that review. 
@lewm 

Nothing Fawlty about my logic.
Chakster, the person whom you quote here has got to be Thuchan.  Who else owns such a collection of vintage turntables?

great, i was not sure, but expected that it must a person related to audiogon. 

Well the last working unit i saw was $1200 + shipping, sold quickly. Good to know JP Jones can fix them if needed. 


@halcro great that you’ve met in person in Europe. Is that the same "plinth", but glossy finish?

When you say "cheaply" is that $300-500 range or lower ? Buyin this turntable in non working condition how much (roughly) the owner should invest to return it to life? I assumed it also takes too much time, not only investment. Just curious.
@halcro @lewm 

Thanks for detailed information regarding the restoration of this deck.
I'm in the middle of this thread, but i see other users turns on their tt-101 to work continuously for 1 month. That's the way to check the operation condition for those decks that are not described as junk or non-working? 
@jpjones3318 hey John, before you flew away on your wakeboard, i’d like to ask your opinion about Technics SL10 and SL15 little beauties, do you have some in your collection? I've noticed one on video at Sterling Sound mastering studio visited by Mr.Fremer.  
@lewm 
Mine was on eBay as part of a QL10 ensemble, which is a TT101 set into the top line Victor plinth and bearing a Victor UA7045 tonearm. The seller was honest enough to admit that the turntable was not working.  I was willing to pay no more than $600 for it, on the premise that the tonearm alone is worth about that much.  To my surprise, I won the auction at that price.  Moreover, all pieces are in mint condition.

Good price, another lot like this sold for $950 (non-working) last year.  

Finished this big thread and made my notes regarding different TT-101s samples, owned by several people here. Maybe i was too optimictic when i ordered mine, but after reading all comments i’m not so happy about it. The unit if from one owner and rarely used, perfect condition, but must be fixed.

The situation described below by Lew is exactly what’s going on with my Victor TT-101 right now:

@lewm
There is no problem in terms of displaying 33.33 or 45.00. It goes right up to display those two speeds and holds those numbers firmly. The problem is that occasionally it will go into its typical failure mode after 3-4 minutes: the tach lights go out, except for the decimal point, and the platter coasts to a stop (no brake effect). It’s as if someone pulled the plug, except the power lights are all "on". If you then re-start, it will work fine, as if nothing bad had happened... The problem with my TT101 seems at the moment only to have been a tiny crack in the main PCB, right near the edge. JP thinks it occurred during manufacture, 30-odd years ago. The circuit was only maintained by solder, and once the solder cracked (invisibly, I might add), the result was a fault in TT101 function that was manifested intermittently, depending upon stress on that PCB. There was no need to replace the SC3042 chip in mine or indeed any of the discrete transistors. Great work by JP to find this problem, only made possible by the fact that the thing finally malfunctioned in the presence of a smart guy who knew how to trace down the cause. Other such problems are being searched for, just as a precaution before I get it back. I hope this is not premature, but I am very pleased.

It’s my first day to plug it and turn in on, no promlem with speed stability at all, despite the fact that it takes 2 second before the digits on display turning from 0.00 to 33.33 or 45.00 Pitch works fine, stop button works fine, power button works fine too. But i can only run it for 15 minutes, sometimes only for 1 minutу (as described by Lewm above). Actually right now it's still spinnin' for 30 min. Maybe burn-in process is important and it will run longer. Sadly i’m not in USA to send it @jpjones3318 and his time is limited now. Lew has mentioned Tuchan’s tech in Germany which is much closer.

@banquo363
On my understanding of what he told me, the boards used on the victor are ‘eyelet boards’. The solder connections through such boards tended to suffer cracking. This is what happened to mine. Some of the connections are heat sensitive, and that’s why I experienced the partial resurrection a few weeks back after leaving the unit on. The cracking is not necessarily evident to the naked eye, but after resoldering the boards, the table now works flawlessly. It should be noted that changing the power supply capacitors didn’t fix any of my troubles, but some of them appeared to be leaking so it was a good idea to do so. After nearly a year of fruitless search for someone to fix my ailing Victor tt 101, I found the man of my audio dreams. His name is Dave Brown http://modularsynthesis.com/ .

Second "man of audio dreams" is also in USA, too far.

@halcro and @downunder
Glad Chris (Kimil) helped you Downunder. His ingenuity, understanding and competence in all things audio are unequalled in my experience... I took back my TT-101 to have him adjust the variable resistors for the platter brake system. As I discovered....Victor added this feature to allow for the differing weights of various mats...and as I changed to only a thin Victor pigskin mat directly placed on the aluminium platter.....the brake system didn’t perform as required. It took Chris precisely 20 minutes to adjust them ( one for 33.3rpm and one for 45rpm). No charge...and they work perfectly.. I would waste no time in having him replace all the electrolytics in your P3. Since my TT-101 had its done....the speeds are consistently perfect.

I assume Chris Kemil is Australian, well, keeping in mind the shipping price for my CU-180 for Downunder i assume it will be extremely expensive to ship the TT-101 to Oz.

SO WHAT CAN I DO? Is that require some sort fo special knowlegde or experience to fix it locally with some tech?


@halcro oops, it was Lew you tried to send his tt-101 to Tuchan’s tech in Germany once.
PM sent
@lewm
Chak, Your symptom sounds a bit different from mine, although maybe close enough to have the same cause. As I wrote somewhere here, my TT101 would start up fine and go to correct speed, but it would very soon thereafter start to "hunt"; the tach would show 33.32, then 33.34, etc. Very shortly after that, the tach would go dark except for the decimal point, and the platter would coast to a halt.

Indeed, Lew. My drive "hunt" for a few seconds in the start only with "HOLD" mode (when it can be displayed 33.32 or so just for second), but then display correct 33.33 or 45.00 continuously up to 1 hour with no changes, then just "go dark except for the decimal point". So just a little difference from yours.


@jpjones3318

If it’s stopping as Lew described you’ve a situation where too much current is being supplied to the motor. Time won’t fix this; it’s likely there’s a bad connection on the board.

Thanks for letting me know, hmm

@banquo363
What you require is someone with soldering skills and keen eyes (aided by a magnifying glass). I haven’t been following this thread very closely lately, but I believe a goodly percentage of tt 101’s documented on this thread have been resurrected solely by resoldering all the joints.

Good to know, i hope so! I will look for the proper technician locally at first. 




@halcro 
Regensburg in Bavaria may be closer to you chakster......That's where Thuchan's Tech resides and I've witnessed his work first-hand. It's first class and he now knows the TT-101 inside out....

The closest route, worth to visit personally, sounds good. How long it could take to fix the drive? Was in too long in your case? 

@downunder 
Hi Misha
Come to Sydney for a holiday and bring your turntable.
Yes, Chris is in Sydney.

Haha, i imagine those guys on security control in the airport when they will meet me with TT-101 in the bag :) 
Lew, i made notes reading this thread. The source for my suggestion was your old post (see the quote below). I assume it never happened and you shipped to JP, which is great.

@lewm
I am also thinking hard about sending my Victor TT101 to Germany so that Thuchan’s guy can fix it, once and for all. I got an email from Thuchan today; he is thrilled with the sound of his TT101. This is a guy who owns some of the most expensive turntables in the world, so I take his praise for the TT101 very seriously. 

Thuchan had evidently purchased a broken TT101 with Halcro’s help, and his tech determined that it needed replacement of SC3042. Until this recent episode, I had no idea whether the chips I bought (from a vendor in Hong Kong) were genuine or even in operating condition, but Thuchan’s tech got his TT101 up and running perfectly by virture of installing the chip I sent. This is great news for me as well, because I have more SC3042 chips on hand. (By the way, I think they are still available from China and Hong Kong.)

I just checked shipping quotes for 12kg parcel and Germany is affordable, USA is expensive, but Oz is terribly expensive to ship to. And that was just registered mail, not an express. So i would appreciate any help to get in toucht with Tuchan’s tech guy for consultation. I see the problem with Tuchan’s drive was different than mine, so i want to ask if he’s familiar with my problem and if it’s possible to fix and calibrate everything to keep this deck for years. Thanks
@aigenga 
long time ago you posted this:
At this moment my TT101 is out for recapping and contact cleaning at a local (Brooklyn, NY) pro audio repair shop - RepairNY.com I might have waited too long to get it recapped as a warm up suddenly became necessary to achieve speed stability. Needless to say I am nervous about getting my baby back and running well. An update on the recapping of my TT-101. I just spoke with the tech and he says that he will only be changing out the caps in the power supply section, not all of the small ones on the regulation boards. His take is that the large ones should be changed from time to time but the tiny ones will not cause any problems. Anybody have a point of view on that? I have my TT101 back and running once again. The tech changed out 8 capacitors, and I saw that the old ones were quite leaky. I dodged a bullet on that one. Cost was $150 including labor, parts, and tax. 
How is the situation with your TT-101 now? 

@best-groove
back in 2016 and in early 2017 you said:
I got hold of a turntable JVC TT-101. My model is a sample version..... It does not seem to brushed aluminum and anodized but left natural finish, serial number 10100575 Mystery? I finished these days to restructure my Mk2 working about 18 months but only in limited time ....... but I’m happy because everything is back exactly like new.After a while I will also restore the TT-101 and aesthetically and electronically have big problems and is not perfect... As soon as I finish restoring a pair of 10-SP II I will pass to the restoration of a TT101 does not work, is completely broken and given to me for free.So I’ll have to completely take it apart piece by piece and I can see and understand what the state is spindle and thrust pad.You will need a major revision to electronics, I hope they are not IC failures.

Any luck with your TT-101?

Seachin’ on youtube i found two videos of tt-101 from the same user, in this video his tt-101 is broken, but in the next video his tt-101 is fixed and properly working. The youtube username is yoshikgw9999 and there are only two videos on his channel. Who’s that? One of us, but undercover agent? :)
@halcro i hope my PM went through?

@banquo363 Dave Brown replied quickly with helpfull information. Resolding of all the eyelets is a must have. His experience with eyelets comes from some history at Tektronix. In the 60’s they experimented with eyelets and found the cracking problem. I just googled the old eyelets, now i know what does that mean.     
@lohanimal  haha, that's what i already posted, but the author of the blog and people who helped him are all well known audiogon members :) So you're already on the best source of information here on audiogon.   
@best-groove 
@Chakster Sorry what is your country?

I'm in St.Petersburg to be exact


@best-groove 

I found the turntable repairer that in the past had saved the link ..... I do not know how it works and what experiences it has, but if anyone in the future needs it can remember it.

https://www.wilkinsons.tv/?page_id=1173


Thanks, email sent, we will see
The German vendor who fixed Tuchan's TT-101 does not respond to my emails. 

Well, i just got an email from www.Audio-Reparatur.de about estimate price for TT-101 repair service and it’s similar to JP’s current rates, but the vendor is in Germany, so for those who’re in Europe it must be great and Tuchan’s repaired TT-101 linked a few times in this thread is the proof. Still very expensive for me.

Waiting for the rates from JVC repair service in UK soon. 
Once i've come across the Tuchan’s blog with a picture of his "stand" for tt-101 i realized it reminds me something. It was beautiful OMA plinth for one for their turntables, but later i realized the orignator for that kind of "plinth"  was Jean Verdier (Laboratoires Verdier) who passed away 3 years ago. His website is still active and full of information, but the web-design of that page takes you back to the 90s when all internet was like that. I think for the round turntable drives like Victor TT-101 this is very nice style of plinth (or call it stand with tonearm towers). I think it’s awesome.
@best-groove
yes, but nothing about the price for this job, he said he has 75 jobs in line for the next month, i hope i could get an answer about estimate price, i just don’t want to ship heavy turntable if i don’t know how the total price will be calculated. If it will cost about a grand i will pass on it and will do it locally for free, lol.



@lohanimal, no one asking for exact price, but experienced vendors should recognize the symptoms described above (in my posts) to make a conclussion. Two vendors already said they will not touch the tt-101 for less than $1000 (or 1000 Euro + tax). Dave Brown (who fixed tt-101 for one of us) adviced me just to resolder all the eyelets one by one, it can take 1 hour minimum, pulling the PCB and soldering both sides maybe 2 X that, let’s say 2-3 hrs. He charge $25 per hour and that includes time for packing and shipping. Sadly i’m not in the USA, because this price is fair and easy to understand. His website is modularsynthesis.com

I have no problem with bearing, platter etc, rotation my my tt-101 is stable, but it turns off in 30 min each time i turn it on. Now sure what was the problem with your tt-101 (probablly totally different), but you can tell us the price you paid.