Rega Plannar 3 refurb....

[Weeman1973]

I have an old Rega Plannar 3 which is heavily modded however the plinth (Black) has got one or two marks now.

To bring it back to life and in keeping with the rest of the furniture in the listening room where it resides, I'm looking at refurbing the plinth so was thinking what's the best way?

Does anyone know who could a decent job in spraying it Gloss White or maybe even wrapping it in a vinyl?

Alternatively does anyone know where I can get a new, replacement plinth in White which would allow me to move all the hardware over myself?

 

[pocketkitchen]

Perhaps your best bet would be to look for a second hand deck that’s had the arm taken off. They’re often for sale on eBay for buttons. I would imagine that spraying or wrapping would cost a fair bit anyway. You’ll also get handy parts as well for back-up, should you ever need anything repairing.

 

[Mr Pig]

Does anyone know who could a decent job in spraying it Gloss White or maybe even wrapping it in a vinyl?

There is no reason why you can't paint it. The purple and green decks Rega sold in the eighties were just standard plinths that had cosmetic blemishes. Rather than bin them, they painted them!

How good it ends up is down to you. I've sprayed stuff myself with varying success. A guitar and alloy wheels came out good, a fridge was a mess! I'd say that if you've never done it before get someone else to do it. A car spray painter for instance.

Or you could ask Rega if they can supply a new plinth? You never know.

 

[Jamie]

Have a go with gloss white 'wrap'. My RP6 looks great in gloss white, with a yellow Rega mat

I guess some heavy duty stuff would be better than the cheap B&Q stuff like https://www.vinylwarehouse.co.uk/ex...sticky-vinyl-67cm-x-15m---343-8200-7153-p.asp

Wrapping over the edge might look messy, so maybe iron on edge to do that?

https://www.edgeband.co.uk/22mm-white-gloss-melamine-edging.html

 

[Craig B]

This RP3 plinth, minus dustcover, went for $40. over here this past June.

Had I seen it earlier, I would have had it to go with some of the spares I have accumulated here, plus a fresh 24v Motor Kit from Rega.

 

[Craig B]

Someone got a good deal with this one. Only missing glass, tonearm and belt.

I landed a spare glass platter for $15 from an aftermarket 'upgrades' bitten guy in Toronto. His son delivered it for free as he was heading back to uni here in town after hols; gave me a ride to the pub on a snowy afternoon too, bless him.

Nice thing is, one can drop an old RB300 or 250 straight in and it won't look out of place, or messy with the black plinth strengthening rib camouflaging the extra tonearm screw holes.

One thing is for sure, the Planar mods are proving to be a great source of genuine Rega parts for us purist rockers!

 

[Craig B]

Does anyone know who could a decent job in spraying it Gloss White(?)

It would help to know what vintage your plinth is, as the outer laminates have changed a couple of times starting with P3 2000.

Regardless, I'd call round some countertop refinishers for advice as to what coatings are best here. There has been a trend with coating old Formica finish countertops (rather than replacing them outright) over the past couple of decades, and these folk tend to know what coatings last. A mate of mine who has made a career out of renovating and renting and/or flipping properties has had quite a few countertops done, and it was often hard to distinguish between them being new installs or resprays (especially so with modern moulded tops).

Of course, an auto body/paint shop might actually do the best job of applying same.

Best to remove all parts, including power switch and main bearing* and plug these holes in particular, as these two tend to be a very tight fit from the off.

* The exceptions being the current decks with self-tapping main bearing wells; these shouldn't be disturbed.

 

[Hazelberry]

Good timing! I’ve long fancied an orange plinth and in the last couple of days have been thinking about the best way to colour my all black spare plinth. I feel that with the right hue it’d look a million bucks with a clear lid.

 

[Craig B]

Good timing! I’ve long fancied an orange plinth and in the last couple of days have been thinking about the best way to colour my all black spare plinth. I feel that with the right hue it’d look a million bucks with a clear lid.

Don't know how many oranges they sold, but P3-24 ushered in the widest selection of plinth colour options ever...

Another way to freshen up the look of a Planar is to try a different colour felt mat. The colour choices seem to have dwindled a bit but red always looked cool on black plinth (especially so, with red Super Bias/Bias 2, Ortofon 2M Red, or similar on).

If it is an older deck with tinted lid then changing to a clear one does make it seem a whole lot newer, especially so, with alternative colour mat on. Easy enough to sell a good condition tinted lid on.

 

[Hazelberry]

Seeing that swatch back in the day got me onto the orange idea, Craig. Rega must have made them to order, I should think. A pity they don’t offer the choice anymore.

A fishy had an orange P3-24 for sale a couple of years ago. Teasing & painful to see it was in the UK!

A coloured mat doesn’t quite do it for me as it’s hidden when you have a record on.

 

[misterc6]

A fishy had an orange P3-24 for sale a couple of years ago. Teasing & painful to see it was in the UK!

I still miss it!

 

[pocketkitchen]

Seeing that swatch back in the day got me onto the orange idea, Craig. Rega must have made them to order, I should think. A pity they don’t offer the choice anymore.

A fishy had an orange P3-24 for sale a couple of years ago. Teasing & painful to see it was in the UK!

A coloured mat doesn’t quite do it for me as it’s hidden when you have a record on.

They did used to keep stock of the coloured plinths. Where it came from though was back when Rega used to require their dealers to fit the cartridges and set the decks up and had got word that one or two weren’t. So, they started sending bright green decks to the suspected dealers and of course they’d get caught out… They didn’t really expect people to like them though and requests soon came in.

 

[Hazelberry]

Ok, this one is funny (sad?, bizarre? take your picks).

Back in April '20, bloke is selling off his old '70s Planar 2 plinth. Top laminate has some marks (might just need a good clean) but wood surround looks really good. Me thinks, 'I've all the parts here to put that back to how it came from the box, including a nice R200 with still functional anti-skate.'

Wait for it now, he flips it over for a pic of the underside and...

...WTF, some people really shouldn't be allowed to DIY!

Can you imagine reaching for the hammer and wood chisel rather than two quick touches of a hot iron to desolder the power lead from the power supply?

Or, just snip if off for crying out loud!

 

[Hazelberry]

They did used to keep stock of the coloured plinths. Where it came from though was back when Rega used to require their dealers to fit the cartridges and set the decks up and had got word that one or two weren’t. So, they started sending bright green decks to the suspected dealers and of course they’d get caught out… They didn’t really expect people to like them though and requests soon came in.

Yeah, I’ve seen them around. Kind of cool in an iconoclastic way.

I’ve seen white and yellow Planar 3s here, too. The white with its smoke-tinted lid would look great in a tasteful mid-century-70s themed living room.

 

[Craig B]

This shot from the '90s appears to have been taken at Rega HQ. I can't recall if it came from the old Rega USA site (rega.com?) or the earliest incarnation of rega.co.uk (perhaps from the early factory tour photos on the latter?).

Deck and plinths are definitely pre P3 2000...

P.S. It seems I was wrong about P3-24 having ushered in the widest selection of plinth colour options.

 

[stevec67]

Easiest, as said, is to find a donor and swap the bits. You won't replicate the finish unless you are skilled with paint. I like to think I am, and I'd struggle. A swap is cheap too, I struggled to give away a Goldring badged RP1 plinth. In the end I got £15 for the lid and the same for the plinth, motor, platter etc.

However if it's a means to a funky colour, great. Make it your own, create something unique.

 

[Craig B]

One little tip that I would advise to those considering painting their old laminated Planar plinth is to fit tiny felt (not rubber) self-adhesive pads to the front corners of the dustcover (looks much better than them being on the plinth).

Rega always claimed that their decks sounded best with the lid down, but preferred direct contact of lid to plinth, presumably over having the covers resonating at a lower Fq (and over a longer period) upon rubber pads. Regardless, over time, no matter how gently one lowers the lid, the outer edges of the plinth start showing signs of abrasion. In the case of the painted plinths, the occasional hard landing can cause paint chips.

Thorens used to supply wee thin felt pads with their decks and I've found these to do no harm to sound quality or plinth. When stuck onto to lower front corners of the dustcover they will eventually shift a bit, and the adhesive eventually dries out, but sheets of these are widely available. If I had to guess, I'd put the Thorens pads at circa 5 - 6mm diameter; hard to find sheets of these that small, however, if they be thin enough a small hole punch will do the job (I use my old paper route punch, souvenir from my first 'paying' job).

Lovely Lilac Planar 3 [photo credit: @bourney]

 

[stevec67]

Can you get logos from Rega still? It finishes the thing off well.

 

[Craig B]

Can you get logos from Rega still? It finishes the thing off well.

I believe that the graphics have always been stencilled on.

Seeing as how this would be strictly for one's own use, one could scan the existing logo and have a custom laser cut stencil made. One such company, lazerdesigns.com, charges $29.77/ea for one of their minimum 4 x 4" size sheet of 10mil mylar stencils. One need only upload a file in one of the usual graphic formats, and a proof will be provided for final approval prior to production.

'P3 planar three' logo applied starting at 2:57 in...

 

[bourney]

One little tip that I would advise to those considering painting their old laminated Planar plinth is to fit tiny felt (not rubber) self-adhesive pads to the front corners of the dustcover (looks much better than them being on the plinth).

Rega always claimed that their decks sounded best with the lid down, but preferred direct contact of lid to plinth, presumably over having the covers resonating at a lower Fq (and over a longer period) upon rubber pads. Regardless, over time, no matter how gently one lowers the lid, the outer edges of the plinth start showing signs of abrasion. In the case of the painted plinths, the occasional hard landing can cause paint chips.

Thorens used to supply wee thin felt pads with their decks and I've found these to do no harm to sound quality or plinth. When stuck onto to lower front corners of the dustcover they will eventually shift a bit, and the adhesive eventually dries out, but sheets of these are widely available. If I had to guess, I'd put the Thorens pads at circa 5 - 6mm diameter; hard to find sheets of these that small, however, if they be thin enough a small hole punch will do the job (I use my old paper route punch, souvenir from my first 'paying' job).

Lovely Lilac Planar 3 [photo credit: @bourney]

Well, it is a funky finosh...however, it has let me down today. Buyer travelled a fair distance to collect, it had been playing perfectly all morning then just started to slow down. Had to apologise after feeling extremely embarrassed. Anyway, I think I've narrowed it down to the motor pulley slipping on the spindle. Any ideas what I can do to address it in a way to call an acceptable repair to allows me to sell it with confidence. Shame, as it wipes the floor with my project RPM5.1.