A 1973 LP12 that just needs to run again

A deck from the first years of production comes in more often than you might think: bought new in the seventies, played for decades or stored for them, and still in the family. The owner usually wants one thing, which is for it to play records again. Not a project. This is what that takes. It is not $650 or nothing: a new belt or a new cartridge on its own is a job we are glad to do, and the full service is the one we recommend for a deck this age. Here are the three sizes.

An LP12 this old has the original bearing, the simplest motor control Linn ever fitted, and nothing inside the plinth but the motor and the switch. Ivor Tiefenbrun named it Sondek, for “sound deck,” to make the then-radical point that the deck itself decides how good a record sounds, and the first ones predate even the Valhalla board of 1982. It is the same deck underneath as the one we sell new, and every part Linn makes still fits it. How many of those parts you want is your call, and none of the three plans below is the wrong one.

The smallest job: a belt or a stylus

If the platter turns, the arm moves freely and the suspension still bounces, the two parts that have certainly worn out are the belt and the stylus. A new belt is $80. A new cartridge, fitted and aligned, costs whatever cartridge you choose; the Adikt moving magnet at $923 is the one we fit most to decks of this age, and a fresh stylus is often the single most audible change on a deck that has sat. A stylus is good for roughly 2,000 hours of play, and nobody’s 1970s cartridge is inside that. We charge for the time at $190 an hour, and a belt or a cartridge is a short visit. If that is all you want, that is all we do; the deck otherwise stays exactly as it is, and there is nothing wrong with that choice.

The full service: $650

For a deck this old, this is the one we strongly encourage, because a belt and a stylus cannot tell you what fifty years have done to the springs, the grommets and the bearing. Our full service is $650. Russ Sherrell, our LP12 master, takes the LP12 apart, inspects every part, replaces the springs and grommets, and tunes the deck so the suspension does what it was designed to do. If something turns up that needs replacing, he calls you with options before going further; nothing is fitted that you have not agreed to. He likes to see the deck before committing to the work, because an LP12 pulled out of storage or bought online can hold surprises, and he would rather tell you at the start than in the middle.

Two house rules, so there are none of those surprises later. We fit new Linn parts rather than rebuilding old ones, with a few exceptions such as cartridges and certain tonearms. And if you have aftermarket parts you would like installed, we will do it, at $190 an hour, but we cannot stand behind the warranty on them.

The service with one upgrade

An owner who wants the deck to run well for another ten years, and nothing more, has one upgrade worth hearing about: a current power supply. The Majik LP12 Power Supply is $740. It replaces the oldest electrical parts in the deck, it is quiet, and it keeps the speed where it belongs. The Karousel bearing, $1,300, is the larger step and the one that changes the sound most; on a deck of this age it follows the power supply, it may also call for a current sub-chassis, which we check first, and it comes with new springs and grommets of its own.

Something to know before deciding: when the parts and upgrades for a deck come to more than $2,500, the labor to fit them is included.

What you want	What we do	Cost
Play records again, nothing more	New belt, or a new cartridge fitted and aligned	Parts, plus time at $190 an hour
A deck gone through properly	Full service: strip, inspect, new springs and grommets, tune	$650, plus any parts you approve
Serviced and brought forward a step	Full service, plus a current power supply, and the Karousel if you want it	$650, plus $740 for the power supply and $1,300 for the Karousel

Whichever you choose, the deck comes back with the suspension bouncing as it should. If you later want to go further, Bringing an older LP12 up to date sets out the whole path and what each step costs.

Start with a call

Begin with a phone call or an email about the deck rather than a trip with it in the back seat. In a few minutes we can usually tell you what you have, which of the three jobs above fits, and what it will cost, and you decide at home. If it looks like something you want to do, we will set a time for you to bring it in. A first look at the table is free; a closer look means setting the deck up on the bench, which is why we schedule it rather than take it at the door. Call (503) 222-2599 or write to sales@pearlaudio.com.

— John Loranger, Pearl Audio

See also: Bringing an older LP12 up to date · A 1990s LP12 with a Lingo and an Ekos: three ways forward · Why the Majik LP12 is the best way to buy a Sondek.