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How old is your Linn Sondek LP12

May 1981 complete with Grace/Supex combination.
The Grace went for an Ittok which in turn made way for an Ekos
The Supex went for an Asak then Karma then Troika now Dynavector (not sure which model though!)
The Linn upgrades went as far as Valhalla then stopped.
Still running and sounding good though!
 
Not mine, but #0034 sold earlier this year on Ebay. Kicking myself for not snapping it up as a historical artifact. Had a hideous Rabco arm on it, which probably put me off.

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My LP12 just had it's sweet 16th birthday.

Ordered in July 1995, built by Laura Smith, and I took delivery in August.

The serial number is the lower end of 92,7xx.

I spent a year gradually putting bits together (bought a second hand Valhalla but never used it). Ended up starting with:
2nd hand: Lingo, Akito, K18 MM mk1 body
New: Trampolin, K18 mk2 stylus replacement, LP12 mechanics with black ash plinth.
Apart from cartridge body, all bought from Soundcraft Ashford Kent. Total cost was £1,219.


Apart from upgrading to Asaka MC about a year later, it remained unchanged until 2001 when I got the new plinth/top plate and a T.Kable.

Again it stayed the same for years until the last few years when it has been upgraded most years.

Current spec is: Lingo 2, new motor, new cirkus, Keel, Trampolin 2, Ekos 2, Akiva.

Still have original packing, dust cover, outer platter and 1991 Lingo power button.

The recent rebuild at Cymbiosis made a huge difference in performance.

I was also gobsmacked at how big an upgrade Lingo 1 to Lingo 2 is. Very big and cheap.
The naturalness of timing makes a Trampolin a no brainer.
Was surprised how much more sound and music the T.Kable let out of the box, even though I had an Akito at the time.
Akiva is second best thing I've ever bought, esp. after its 100 hour run in.
 
Mine has a serial number of 59,5xx which indicates a build date of late 1985.

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In 1995 I picked up this LP12 second-hand from one dealer here in Johannesburg for R2,500 (~200quid) with Afromosia plinth, Valhalla PS and a stuffed Basik Plus arm. Another dealer who had just helped with an insurance claim gave me an Ittok LVII gratis so I bought an AT OC-5 and packed all the bits off to the local Linn dealer to get the Cirkus upgrade done and to fit the Ittok, then do a complete setup and tune.

16 years later, the Valhalla has been replaced with a Hercules II PS after the Valhalla went to it's namesake, the felt mat was ceremoniously cremated and replaced with a Funk Achromat, and the cartridge now gracing the arm is an Ortofon Kontrapunkt 'h'.

With the revival of vinyl production, the LP12 gets more airtime than CD these days and still has the ability to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

:cool:
 
Can you talk of the age an LP12 as a whole?
I mean, how old is which bit? cirkus, plinth, t-kable, lingo trampolin ???
 
Mine is from February 1987. The only original parts are hinges, dust cover, motor and outer platter!!!!!!
 
Mine's a bit like my grandfather's axe. He had it for 50 years, & only replaced the handle 8 times & the head 5 times.

Seriously, bought it in 1979 or 80, upgraded it now & again.

Chris
 
Bought new from the Sound Gallery, High Wycombe 1989.
By my reckoning maybe only the top plate and platter are original as it now stands.
 
Enjoyed reading this thread - the LP12 is without doubt an iconic product that whilst expensive, was never so expensive as to be inaccesible. It surely rates as one of the all time greats (along with the Planar3?) for bringing quality reproduction to those that really wanted it. I always compare prices to my wages at the time - I think my LP12 was about a months wages. Incidentally, does anyone recall how much a Nait 2 was in 1989?
 
Ginger said:
Enjoyed reading this thread - the LP12 is without doubt an iconic product that whilst expensive, was never so expensive as to be inaccesible. It surely rates as one of the all time greats (along with the Planar3?) for bringing quality reproduction to those that really wanted it. I always compare prices to my wages at the time - I think my LP12 was about a months wages. Incidentally, does anyone recall how much a Nait 2 was in 1989?
Click to expand...
The early LP12 seemed like a bargain but the price seemed to go up faster than anything else, and it still is.

In 1989 the Nait 2 was $800 in the USA and £325 in the UK.
 
Mine will be 21 years old in October. I was going to buy it a new plinth as a present, but they are just too pricey, so still considering its 21st present.
 
Mine's a 1987 fluted plinth with valhalla and clear lid. Only updates have been to springs and grommets (went through a bag of about 30 springs to find just the right ones), keeping the suspension in good fettle. Only modification is the change to Naim CDS feet. Ran an Armageddon and Aro for ages but then reverted to the valhalla and a Linn Akito to be used in a second system. Now sat rather ingloriously in its box because I have too many turntables and not enough surface space for all of them. Keep meaning to find somewhere for it to go...
 
My 1st post, done mostly reading. Found this yesterday very interesting and pretty much up to date, you can edit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linn_Sondek_LP12
1. Late 70's, Japanese Ittok looks the same, Denon 103D.
2. Mid-Late 80's, problably Vahalla, Linn Ittok and Azak.
3. Bought 2003 used, don't remember what year. Had Cirkis 1,Trampoline 1, Lingo1, Ekos 1-distributor said bearing problem went back to Linn for repair. Retipped Troika. Never heard this one, still packed in boxes. Got into Home Theater Naim AV2. With all this reading getting curious, will pull it out before summer. Hope the setup is OK, now thinking of upgrading Trampoline 2, http://greenstreetaudio.com/pages/subchassis-home.html , and Origin Live http://www.turntable-power-supply.com/range.htm , Ultra DC Motor Kit & DC200 Motor: £715.00. Only because I am reading all this stuff so I will stop reading and maybe think about upacking the Linn. Thanks hope my contribution helps.
 
For what it's worth, 1978 bought in Lewisham from Billy Vee when he had his 1st shop. I've gone through 3 plinths 2nd top plate, from original PCB to Valhalla, lingo mark 1 to Armageddon. Arms from Hadcock, Grace, 3x Ittoks and now on Aro. Cartridges, Decca london gold, Supex, Asak, Asak T, 3x Karma's, Dynavector 20xl, now Micro Benz wood sl. I don't think there is anything left from my original LP 12. I forgot to mention the Cirkus.
Regards,
Martin
 
Mick Seymour said:
February 1981, bought with an Ittok LVII, Asak, Meridian 101 and Active M2s from Spaldings in Croydon; my first real hi-fi and it cost a staggering £1900.
Mick
Click to expand...

and you could sell it on eBay for more than that now... I suspect that would make for a pretty impressive system even today.
 
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