Which LP12 do you have? A guide by serial number

Every Sondek LP12 carries a serial number on a small plate inside the plinth, usually visible once the outer platter is lifted off, and that number places the deck in its era more reliably than its finish or its arm. Linn has revised the deck steadily since 1972 and kept the geometry the same, so the question is never whether today’s parts fit. It is which of the old parts are still in there, and that is what the number tells us.

The numbers below are approximate; Linn introduced changes over a span of production rather than on a single day, and decks were often upgraded later. Treat them as a map, and send us the number and a photograph of the underside if you want it read properly.

Serial numbers	Years	What Linn fitted	What it usually needs first
Up to about 32,000	1972 to 1980	The original deck: first bearing, mains switch on the plinth, hardboard base, no electronics inside. Early plinths with corner braces came later in this run.	A current power supply, then the Karousel; we check the sub-chassis before ordering
About 32,000 to 38,000	1981 to 1982	The Nirvana revision: new springs, grommets and fixings, the first serious rework of the suspension	As above
About 38,000 to 69,000	1982 to 1987	The Valhalla board inside the plinth, Linn’s first electronics, holding 33 rpm by crystal	The Valhalla out and a current supply in; the Karousel may not be fitted with a Valhalla in place
About 69,000 to 87,000	1987 to 1991	Improved bearing liner and tolerances, a laminated armboard; Ekos arm available from 1988	Valhalla out, then the Karousel
About 87,000 to 90,500	1991 to 1993	Solid base board in place of the hardboard; Lingo and Trampolin available	The Karousel; a Lingo deck takes it straight in
90,582 onward	1993 to 2020	The Cirkus: new bearing, inner platter and a sub-chassis twice as thick. New motor from 2001, internal Majik supply from 2008, Keel from 2006, Kore from 2013	The Karousel, straight in; then power supply and sub-chassis as budget allows
150,317 onward	March 2020 to today	The Karousel bearing as standard; Krane arm on Majik decks from 2020, Arko and Kendo from 2022, Bedrok plinth from 2025	Nothing it needs; power supply and sub-chassis are the steps up

Three things to look at without the number

The switch. A rocker switch on the front left corner of the top plate, with no light, is a pre-Valhalla deck or one with the original control. A small lit button in the same place is a Valhalla or a Majik supply. A separate box on the shelf is a Lingo or a Radikal.

The base. A thin brown fiberboard underneath says the deck has had nothing done to it since the eighties, which is useful to know before anything else. A rigid board with four fixed feet is a Solid Base; one with large rubber-damped feet is a Trampolin.

The bearing. Lift the outer platter and the belt and look at the inner platter’s hub. The original and Cirkus hubs are black; the Karousel is bright machined metal with a substantial nut beneath the sub-chassis. If you can see it, you know the most expensive question is already answered.

What the era decides

The era does not decide what you ought to do; that depends on what you want from the deck and what you want to spend, and the plans for each kind of owner are in Bringing an older LP12 up to date. What the era decides is the order. A deck with a Valhalla must lose it before a Karousel goes in. A deck before 1993 gets its sub-chassis checked before the bearing is ordered. A deck from 2020 on already has the bearing and starts higher up the list. Everything else is open.

Start with a call

Send us the serial number and a photograph or two, underneath and on top, to sales@pearlaudio.com, or call (503) 222-2599, and we can usually tell you what you have and what it will want before you bring it anywhere.

— John Loranger, Pearl Audio

See also: Bringing an older LP12 up to date · An LP12 glossary · Why the Karousel is the best value in Linn’s LP12 catalog.