Beogram RX - how much should I offer for this?

[jkmcc]

Last Friday night I had to attend a silent auction fundraiser for my daughters pre school. This irritated me a bit since I had to give up my ticket to the ballgame and I didn't figure I would find much of real interest to bid on. As it turns out I got into a conversation with an old friend who was attending even though he has no kids at this pre school - his first born is due in August. I was going on about my rededication to vinyl and he told me he owned a Beogram RX turntable that he was thinking about putting up on the Bay. But, he said, it seems to have a hum and the cartridge is probably shot. I told him that if it has problems he should just give it to me and maybe I could rehab it if it was worth it. Well, it was outside in his car - he had taken it to the B&O store that day to see if he could get a new cartridge; they looked at him like he had two heads (apparently B&O hasn't manufactured carts for some time) - so when we left the function a little later I took it from him and toted it home.

Look honey, I said with the tt in my hands. She rolled her eyes a bit.

Anyway I have checked the table out. No discernible hum. And, after listening to a few tunes through headphones, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the cart or the stylus. Maybe the arm needs to be rebalanced but that might be it.

I wrote him this morning telling him this and that he could probably sell it on eBay or I could put some cash in a bag and drop it off to him. My guess is he'll probably wave it off and tell me just to keep it, but if money were to change hands what do you think would be a fair price?

BTW this tt would fit into a second system I've set up in the office behind the garage. It would give me the opportunity to spin the less favored vinyl that hasn't made it into the living room.

Thanks for feedback.

 

[redcoates7]

I always liked these 'tables, and have owned a couple over the years. Something about the low slung design and modern styling always appealed to me. I've never paid more than $100 for one, but who knows what sort of craziness eBay might get started! Offer him $50 for it...and brace yourself for having to pay $100 for a decent replacement cartridge. Fortunately there is someone doing OEM replacement cartridges for B&O 'tables, as they utilise a proprietary mount...I've never used one of these personally, but it's an interesting story:

http://www.sound-smith.com/cartridges/


Enjoy the great turntable, a

 

[jkmcc]

Thanks redcoates. I had seen the sound smith site, and was duly braced. B&O certainly doesn't let you into the game cheaply do they?

 

[mhardy6647]

The b&o tt's are pretty nice although a bit fragile/flimsy (I speak of the later ones such as the RX-2 and TX-2). I suspect that the earlier TX and RX were better built, but I don't know anything about them.

As a point of reference, I paid $7 in 2002 for my TX-2 in good cosmetic condition and perfect working order -- except for a broken stylus. The b&o carts were still available at that point, so I bought an MMC-4 from b&o in Boston for $113 (shipped direct to me). Their store customer service was excellent, by the way.

I certainly wouldn't recommend paying more than $50 for a b&o in need of a cartridge replacement.