Custom turntable platter mat, anyone?

[gurdyp]

Hey there!

So I have a Pioneer PL-516, which is in pretty good shape. I'll clean up and refurb as I go along, but I'm on the lookout for a new platter mat. (Leather or cork, ideally).

I'm having a lot of trouble finding one the right size, though! The platter has a lip on it, and the recessed space for the mat is around 285mm. I'm having a heck of a time finding a mat that size.

Anyone have any success with this?

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[Selmerdave]

eBay is the only place I've found with much in the way of size options.

 

[Montycat]

Herbie's has a variety of sizes. Not cheap but well regarded.

https://herbiesaudiolab.com/products/way-excellent-ii-turntable-mat?variant=12672063209527

 

[MRL_Audio]

+1 on Herbie's. You can also buy sheet rubber and cut your own. Need some special tools to do it right. Needed to do that for a Yamaha PF800. Odd shaped player mat on that one. Worked out good but not cheap. No other options other than to wait for one to pop up on eBay.

 

[WaynerN]

another plus for Herbie's. He has a 285mm (11.22").

 

[adnick]

Have a Herbie’ on one of my tables also, they are fine mats……

 

[The Slider]

Pathe Wings has cork in 285mm in various thicknesses ...

 

[gadget73]

I also have a Herbie's that I customized to be a 1:1 swap for my stock Thorens mat. Most of them eliminate the 45 adapter hole in the middle. I wanted to keep it just so I'm not likely to lose the adapter in a drawer someplace.

but yes, not the cheapest thing around. I do think it sounds better than the stock mat though.

 

[motrctyman]

I buy one a size too big and use a router to bring it back down to size.

 

[gurdyp]

Thanks for all the suggestions here — I really appreciate it!

 

[twiiii]

Thats one reason to have a SME turntable is for the custom etched custom mat that comes with their tables. I have a cork mat for my TD 125. The Mark Levinson 515B came with a basic VPI Mat. Some listeners say the SME mat makes their tables sound to laid back as it dampens the signal. Its probably the other way around where other tables allow the record and the cartridge to resonate to much exaggerating the sound of the recordings.