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Thorens TD124 mk. ii: project worth doing?

Rosewind

Lost in Translation
Hi. I have looked at a Thorens TD124 mk. ii which has been serviced by the seller who sent me these two photos:

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To my inexperienced eyes, it looks quite nice. What should I look out for?

The idler wheel is original and will probably need to be replaced. Other than that it has been serviced and a plinth, armboard and a tonearm are all it takes to have this beauty up and running.
 
The motor has certainly been serviced at some point - you can see that the original rivets on the bottom cover have been replaced with small bolts - this is standard practice.
 
Ok. A basic spin test of this turntable will have to wait for post-Corona times. But I may try to Skype or Facetime with him.
 
Quiz him about the motor wiring and lack of the multi-voltage selector. That big black terminal block in that location is non-standard. Also ask about the platters, i.e. is the sub platter iron or alloy, is the top light alloy platter absolutely flat, does it have the correct mat etc. All expensive if not right.
 
Will do. I will have to locate an original photo of the motor wiring where I can see what is what. I tried but that photo was not available in your restoration thread, Tony L.
 
That’s strange, it should be there! My 124 Flickr album is here anyway.

PS Another thing regarding that wiring is the deck/chassis isn’t earthed. I know back in the day these things were sold with a two-core mains lead, but no way in hell would I use one that way!I have mains earth on mine bolted to the metal chassis and strapped to the motor casing. Nice and safe and also great for dealing with any statically charged vinyl!
 
Much appreciated!
I found the relevant photo there. The seller says that you can still change voltage on it. Earthing should not be much of a problem. I can see that parts are available for the Thorens TD 124. I am tempted but of course I need to see and hear it spin - up and down also, for some time. What is the worst thing that could be wrong and how much would it be to fix it?
Motor unit? Bearing assembly?
Anything else?
 
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The platter is magnetic and should be replaced at a cost of £850 if I want to use a Denon 103D?
 
The platter is magnetic and should be replaced at a cost of £850 if I want to use a Denon 103D?

You can use a 103 with the iron platter, standard alloy top-platter and mat, I have very happily done so. Just measure the stylus weight over the record at playing height. SPUs are known good too, just avoid carts with crazy strong magnets, Lyras, Deccas etc. The platter adds about 0.3g ‘pull’ to a 103 IIRC, very easy to compensate for. The cast iron platter sound a lot better than the alloy one, in fact its only since fitting one here that I’ve really relaxed with my choice of the 124 over the 301. I had the £850 job, or the original version, and was unhappy with the finish so eventually sent it back for a refund. In fact the more time I spend with this deck and the more I understand exactly how it works the less boutique parts I have fitted! Thorens got it right.

As ever with any precision item condition is everything. As record decks go the TD-124 is a very complex one with a lot of moving parts. Anything that is not right will show itself as noise. Mine was a very good clean example and I still ended up replacing the top platter, main bearing, and every single bronze bushing in it! Don’t even start me on bloody belts.

PS Mine is done now, and done about as good as it is possible to do one. It should last me the rest of my life. As such I have accumulated a lot of spare parts, basically about half a TD-124, so if you get stuck I may have some appropriate bits!
 
Thanks a lot! I will have a chat on the phone with the seller tomorrow evening. This is the second one he has done. I will go and pick it up after the lock-down eases a bit. He lives in a suburb to Copenhagen, and they are struggling to get the infection rate down in the city.
 
Ok. I have reserved it and will pick it up in Copenhagen. My 78-year-old mother lives in a care home an hour's drive from Copenhagen and when I am allowed to visit her, I will make the detour. The seller has stripped it down and assembled it again. I will either try to "refreshen" the idler wheel or replace it with an audiosilente one. There is also the question of the motor suspension that may need to be replaced. It will be interesting. I will probably order a plinth with predrilled armboard from Moldova. They look great. I could also save money and go for a s/h one ...
 
Don’t automatically assume the idler is bad, chances are it is fine. Just looks dirty in the picture, I can’t see any cracks or anything. Start by cleaning everything. A TD-124 really does need to be surgically clean.
 
If you like tinkering and want a blast of nostalgia then yes, a great project. However, I would personally look elsewhere.
 
Oh no. Everything is lost.
Well, I have not paid anything yet. I also still have my SME 10 around.
 
Just bought a black Thorens TD 124 armboard with a Linn cutout and 3 armboard screws. The Linn cutout should fit my Kuzma Stogi arm. I am also waiting for an original 1960s plinth to be mine.

The SME 10 will stay until I am sure that the Thorens TD 124 is up and running. When that happens it will probably go to a dealer in exchange for items that are easier to sell.
 


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