advertisement


Classic Thorens TD 135 mk i

I will have to wait a while before buying a Thorens TD 124 as it would cost too much for me to pay at the moment, even if I didn't buy the Thorens TD135. Now that I am confident that I will receive a Thorens TD 135, I don't have to buy another Thorens (built) turntable, although it is sooo tempting. If I can keep the cost down to around €250, I may do it. All the turntables in the list have the E50 motor unit.

The TD224 is a pipe dream and I would not trust it with my most "precious" vinyls either. I hope to own a Thorens TD124 in the future, and I have no way to know if an mk i or mk ii will be the better choice for me. A seperate arm board would be really nice.
 
I hope to own a Thorens TD124 in the future, and I have no way to know if an mk i or mk ii will be the better choice for me.

I’d do what I did and buy on condition. As far as record decks go they are very complex devices and the more wear the more time and effort it will take to get it performing as it should. The differences are subtle so unless you massively prefer the colour of one to the other I’d just stealthily wait around until a really nice example of either appears at the right price.
 
Finally, it seems that the Thorens 135 has arived here. I hesitate to open the parcel for fear that something broke on its journey from north of Stockholm, Sweden to me in Aarhus, Denmark. Now it's Schrödinger's turntable, both complete and broken. I need to make room for it in my study first anyway.

I plan a long "work" table with room for 2-3 diy / classic projects at a time. I also want to be able to run three turntables at one time in here. For now that will be my PTP6 Lenco 75, the Thorens 135 and a Thorens 110. The defunkt 115 that I bought for spare parts - the lid with a small crack in it, thorens mat and spare tonearm wand - runs slower than molasses. Probably because the bearing oil has hardened into a molasses-like substance.

Projects: Thorens 135, Thorens 110, Poul Ladegaard Airbearing tonearm II (first wand, then the air-bearing), Sinclair Stereo 60, ....

slight edit.
 
Last edited:
The only cosmetic damage on top is the arm rest. It was damaged before being shipped. I bought a Thorens 150 arm rest and hope it fits somehow.

Here is a first photo in ny house. I can't place it anywhere as I have no plinth yet. I will make a makeshift one this week.

MkxvwInl.jpg
 
The metal arm rest post of TD-135 is shorter than that of TD150, however, the plastic clips appear the be the same. I'm not sure how easily the plastic clip can be pulled off, nor how brittle one might be, however, they are pressed onto the ridged top of the post, i.e. not screwed on.

TD-135/BTD-12S arm rest:
s-l500.jpg


TD-150/TP-13 (TP-13A) arm rest post (sans clip):
s-l1600-2.jpg
 
Thanks Craig. I noticed the similarity of the plastic clips and hoped I could pry them off. I hope it works. Schopper offers a nos arm rest for the Thorens 135 but it is quite expensive.

EDIT:
Nice to see what the top of the metal part looks like!
 
Last edited:
Propped the Thorens 135 up on some of my big old Danish-English and English-Danish dictionaries until I have cleared some more stuff from my cluttered room. I haven't used those dictionaries in ages now. Mostly I relied on online versions of those or more likely English-English dictionaries.

By the way: here's a photo of the TD 150 arm rest I bought - I hope it is with Simon by now:
C6PhK0Hl.jpg
 
Last edited:
Photos:
MrUbwzUl.jpg


Onril7el.jpg


gzXrqgCl.jpg


glV81G0l.jpg


44dNn6ql.jpg


Looks like the motor was looked at. All grommets look non-standard - nor mushrooms nor springs. I will need someone to hold the turntable for me before I take more photos.
 
The arm counterweight looks a bit saggy. It wasn’t shipped with the weight on was it? I’m pretty sure you can get parts to service it.

The motor has as you say obviously been looked at/serviced. Potentially a good thing as it makes stripping down, cleaning and assessing far easier as you don’t need to go drilling rivets out etc. I’d certainly strip it down just to establish exactly what I’d bought. It is likely fine. Check the end of my TD-124 for an oil recommendation that seems bang on with the original Thorens recommendation. It is the right stuff for sure.
 
Yes, it was shipped with the counterweight on, but supported. I already ordered a bit of rubber to service it.

q4E9MREh.jpg


I will strip it down when I have made a skeletal panzerholz plinth for it. I would like to have a listen before I start fiddling with it, however. I have a few old carts here that will do: Ortofon OM5 / Ortofon MC200 / Linn K9.
 
Yes. My MC200 came with a modified Thorens TD 160 Mk ii + Morch UP-4 in 1984. At the time I did not know how lucky I was to get this. The TT and tonearm combination lasted me 35 years. Should have kept it.

I haven't played my non-concorde MC200 for 20 years. It still looks ok. Will know once I lower it onto an old vinyl record.
 
If I place my Thorens TD 135 in a plinth witn two separate layers of panzerholz, how do I make sure that the two layers act as one?

I do realize that one layer of panzerholz would be sufficient but I would like to cover the "innards" a little:

PzzaaEjl.jpg


Panzerhols layer (25 mm)
rigid fittings (which type?)
Panzerholz layer (25 mm)

Feet: Frontenis balls x 4
 
Final decision:
I will make a plinth - or have it built - from some bamboo wood boards I have (from LIDL not IKEA) and then make a panzerholz top plate that is isolated from the rest of the plinth. I will make room for a 124 armboard at the back. I have a TD124 armboard at hand. A simple cloth will be my dust cover for now.
 


advertisement


Back
Top