How to dismantle an LP12

[terrybooth]

(I would have posted this on Ask a Designer, but I think I know what answer I would get)

I have an LP12 which I'm thinking of putting on fleabay. It has an Ekos arm on it and I think I want to take that off and sell it separately. But the question is, how do I do it.

I know the arm is held to a collar on the armboard by a little hex grub screw, but I also know that I need to take the plug out of the bottom of the arm. I probably want to take the lead for the arm off the deck (I think it is held be a p-clip somewhere on the edge of the box). And I also know that I need to take the turntable hub out and put the bung on the bearing tube. (If I can find the bung).

But do I tackle this from the top or the bottom?

(It has a Trampolin base.)

[SteveTheShadow]

Lift off the outer platter.
Remove the belt.
Carefully lift the inner platter out of the main bearing; it should come up easily.
Wipe the splindle clean of oil, then fit the red bung you found, over the bearing outer.

Remove the Trampolin base.

The P clip holding the arm cable now needs to be loosened off and the arm cable popped out.

Under the armbase, the plug enters, but do not attempt to remove the plug without undoing the small Allen bolt recessed into the arm column near the bottom, this holds the plug in place and excessive force applied to the plug, without loosening the allen bolt, will bugger the plug up a treat.

Once this is loosened, you can pull the plug out of the bottom of the arm column.

Three small woodscrews in a triangular formation, hold the armboard in place. Remove these and the armboard will come off, complete with arm. You can then, more easily, get at the three or maybe six Allen screws that hold the arm collar to the armboard. Remove these and the arm will come away, complete with collar.
You can then refit the armboard using the three woodscrews and refit the Trampolin base.

Your LP12 is now armless.

Hope that helps.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

(I would have posted this on Ask a Designer, but I think I know what answer I would get)

Get yourself a big sledge hammer and.........................................................................................

[terrybooth]

(I would have posted this on Ask a Designer, but I think I know what answer I would get)

Get yourself a big sledge hammer and.........................................................................................

That's the one!

[terrybooth]

Lift off the outer platter.
Remove the belt.
Carefully lift the inner platter out of the main bearing; it should come up easily.
Wipe the splindle clean of oil, then fit the red bung you found, over the bearing outer.

Remove the Trampolin base.

The P clip holding the arm cable now needs to be loosened off and the arm cable popped out.

Under the armbase, the plug enters, but do not attempt to remove the plug without undoing the small Allen bolt recessed into the arm column near the bottom, this holds the plug in place and excessive force applied to the plug, without loosening the allen bolt, will bugger the plug up a treat.

Once this is loosened, you can pull the plug out of the bottom of the arm column.

Three small woodscrews in a triangular formation, hold the armboard in place. Remove these and the armboard will come off, complete with arm. You can then, more easily, get at the three or maybe six Allen screws that hold the arm collar to the armboard. Remove these and the arm will come away, complete with collar.
You can then refit the armboard using the three woodscrews and refit the Trampolin base.

Your LP12 is now armless.

Hope that helps.

Yes it does.

Had a look underneath. Lots of screws. Which ones hold the trampolin in place? All of them, or the ones half way down the sides/front/back? I'm guessing the ones around the feet are actually holding the fee in place.

[_D_S_J_R_]

The packing depends on the original seller. I used to cut a slot in the square polystyrene 'cover' of the inner platter when packed from new and simply lift the inner hub, sliding the slotted edge under it. Perfect for safe car journeys, I'm not sure it would be safe for a carrier.

It's all been said about the EKOS. I don't know why Linn ever put the locking screw there for the cable as it made no difference and numpties used to ruin cables by trying to prise out the plug without loosening the locking screw first. Other Linn dealers over tightened everything. By the way, a Linn arm slides up and down an engineers' clamp arrangement, so the pillar lock again, doesn't need to be tightened to within an inch of its life. Just use the short end of the Allen key as a lever (do as I say, not as I once did ). If the headshell has marks where the nuts have dug in, a tiny drop of Humbrol type 'coal black' (it used to be called) will touch in nicely with either a pointy cocktail stick, or small tipped screw driver.

Trampolin - Held in place with 'hundreds' of screws as some plinths needed the extra strength.

You know, I have a really funny attiude to the LP12. I set up hundreds in my time (and think I did a good job on them too!) and owned several in different finishes, yet familiarity breeds utter contempt for this souped-up bastard-child of the Thorens 150. Yet despite this, I just KNOW I'm going to have one again one day, but maybe with some cheapo mods to take the 'boooiiinnnggg' out of the sound. As for the EKOS -

[SteveTheShadow]

Had a look underneath. Lots of screws. Which ones hold the trampolin in place? All of them, or the ones half way down the sides/front/back? I'm guessing the ones around the feet are actually holding the fee in place.

The screws aromd the periphery of the trampolin base are the ones that hold it in place. These screw into the inside edge of the wood plinth.,The ones around the feet hold the rubber discs that suspend the feet from the board. These don't need to be touched.

[terrybooth]

OK. Base off. Now I'm searching for an allen key small enough to loosen the grub screw in the based. I thought I had a little collection of them which came with the arm, but can I find them!
What's the best way of clean off the black oil?
And do I take off the arm lead to sell with the arm or leave it with the deck?

[_D_S_J_R_]

The tonearm cable goes WITH THE ARM!!! and Linn charge a mint for replacements

The Allen keys are all metric I think and sets aren't expensive...

Plug the main bearing hole with a rolled up sheet of 'kitchen towel' and don't up-end the deck.

[Daniel Quinn]

Any metric Allen key should do surely. Wilkinson
Sells them for 2 quid.