Lid
A lid on an LP12 turntable is an optional extra and must be bought separately when buying a new turntable. A new lid will fit a 50 year old Sondek. Some will prefer the clear lid as it will best show off the turntable, and why not? However, there are also many who just love the nostalgic look of the older, smoked lid with its gold-coloured strip at the bottom of the front.
Upgrade Path
Many upgrade paths can be taken with the LP12. From this perspective it is an exciting turntable to work with. But a standard LP12 will give any vinyl record enthusiast great enjoyment. Most standard configuration LP12s can only spin at 33.33 rpm. An advanced power supply must be fitted for the turntable to be able to play 45 rpm records, or an adapter can be used over the standard 33.33 rpm pulley. It is a hassle, and with many older titles now being released as 45 rpm disks spread over four sides, the 45 rpm option offered by newer power supplies is proving to be a great attraction.
Customisation
The LP12 is heavily customisable. While I am oldschool and want mine to stay as it came out of the factory, not everyone feels this way. I have seen decks that have had major changes made to them. Some customisations have changed the character of the turntable. Is the sound better? Maybe just different. Be that as it may, just enjoy your LP12 and tweak as much as you like.
Trust those that have done this, and maybe made a few mistakes along the way, to share their valuable experience. Here is one of them.
Polishing the platter
As your LP12 ages, the platter's side loses its shine. The manufacturer will say that you must just leave it and that the discoloration is due to age. I have seen some platters where the sides are an ugly grey, and this certainly does not fit well with the shiny top cover of the plinth. Of course, this is just my opinion, and others may prefer to just keep their platter the way it is. This was my LP12 before I started the process. It did not look too bad but I knew this was not what I wanted:
Knowing that many LP12 owners do not like this, myself included, I did the unthinkable and set about to change mine. This is what I did:
- I removed the protective lacquer finish, using some nail polish remover, a little bit at a time. Don't worry, the turntable is not suddenly going to sound different. The manufactuer claims that the lacquer suppresses ringing of the metal platter. This may be true to an extent. I am more than happy to live with it.
- I then started the tedious process of polishing it. Learn from my mistake, which took a lot of time – forget Brasso and Silvo. Get yourself a tub of Meguiars Next Gen Metal Polish from a hardware store. I previously used Autosol Aluminium Polish but its shine does not last as long as the MXT polish.
- Use a small bit of the solution at a time, rub it in vigorously with a soft cloth, and then wipe off with another cloth. Be patient. It is not going to shine after five minutes.
- There may be what look like small black holes. These can be buffed out. Use a work bench with a soft buff. Please: hold the platter rim tightly, preferably wearing gloves with good grip. If you slip it and let it fall, consider it a write-off. Work bit by bit, and over a few days you should end up with a platter that is shiny all around.
- Don't discard the MXT just yet. You will need it again in future as the lack of protective lacquer will allow the platter to discolour again. Trust me, once you have decided to go this route, you have to repeat the process often. There is no getting away from this one or reverting back to the original.
- While you are at it, you can polish the brushed aluminium top plate. Always wipe and polish in the same direction as the grain of the original finish. I found that visible scratches left behind by a platter that was too low and scraped against the top plate (because of a suspension alignment problem long before I bought the turntable, which I have seen on many other LP12 units), were made significantly less obvious.
- There are products available that you can use to apply a protective laquer over the polished rim to retain its finish. I have not tried any.
This is my LP12 after I had started the process, although it is still a work in progress:
Note the following:
- Forget about using the green kitchen scrubbing pads used to clean pots. You are going to cause irrepairable visual damage to your platter. You merely want to remove the dull lacquer finish, not any of the metal.
- Do not bother cleaning the top of the platter. You are never going te see it anyway. The rougher surface area also keeps the felt mat from slipping.
- Do not even attempt to do this with the inner platter. Just leave it.
It will be interesting to hear from other LP12 owners what they did to their platters and whether they had similar success.