Thoren TD-124 - could I/should I buy one?

That guitar sure is a thing of beauty, although I have no clue about its value, but one thing I can tell you for sure (you can call me crazy for all I care), there is no way I'd let my completely refurbished TD124/SME3012 go for under 3K and then some...

Rumble? what rumble?...
 
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This is one that could be had for 12 benji's. A SME 3009 can be had for $350 or so.....so it comes close to the range the OP wants to be in.

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This one a bit more, but no arm or arm board. Nice plinth though.

So it is possible....although I imagine those might want the motor grommets and suspension mushrooms updated.



Regards
Mister Pig
 
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The Plinth on the lower one appears to be Brazilian Rosewood;very nice. That would be the clincher in my book.
 
A TD 124 is a thing of beauty that can be a very high quality table. I'm listening to mine through my Fisher 500C right now. I found mine for $700 with a very nice Ortofon RS 212 tonearm. I probably have that much more invested in it. If all the parts are there, especially the top platter in good condition, you can, as others have said, have the motor rebuilt. You can also buy a nice plinth, new armboard, motor grommets etc, and you will end up with a fine table.

I had a guitar like yours once, but I had to buy all the knobs and switches and scratchplate reproductions so it was no where near original. It never would stay in tune so it wasn't around long. Still, I wouldn't sell yours.
 
Thanks for the good info/advice, folks. The Gretsch will be staying.

Incidentally, upon closer inspection last night, I realized why I haven't been playing it much; the neck need to be reset. The action is pretty low as is, but the bridge is as low as it will go and the strings are too close to the pickup. I think once I spend the $400 or so for a reset, it will be a spectacular instrument, and fortunately for me there is a local guitar tech (Jim Mouradian) who does top notch work.
 
jgordon said:
I'd say hold onto the guitar and sharpen your gaze. I found my 124 (early, and fairly mint) for $300. So deals are out there. I'd say look around for the table, and if and when you find one, make a decision about how to finance it. Who knows, you might end up with both?
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Yes, I do believe that is the wise way for me to proceed.

Also, you didn't mention what your current vinyl rig is. Why not sell that before the guitar?
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See my sig file... There will also be a place for my modded 1200 and AR in my arsenal, and neither would fetch anywhere near the market value of a TD-124. That would not be a wise move for me either.
 
I owned a TD-124 for awhile because as you, I find it to be the most beautiful vintage turntable ever made. I also went by the raves it got for sound quality. I tried mine on a multi layer birch ply plinth with a Jelco SA-750D 9"arm and thought it sounded OK. I then tried it with a larger birch plinth with a Jelco SA-750DL 12" arm and thought it sounded better but not all that. The carts. I used were Denon DL-103R, AT-OC9ML mk2 and a Garrott K2 MM cart.........
 
AudioSoul said:
I owned a TD-124 for awhile because as you, I find it to be the most beautiful vintage turntable ever made. I also went by the raves it got for sound quality. I tried mine on a multi layer birch ply plinth with a Jelco SA-750D 9"arm and thought it sounded OK. I then tried it with a larger birch plinth with a Jelco SA-750DL 12" arm and thought it sounded better but not all that. The carts. I used were Denon DL-103R, AT-OC9ML mk2 and a Garrott K2 MM cart.........
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Y'know, I posted the same thread on the Steve Hoffman forum, and got similarly lukewarm opinions of the TD-124's performance there as well.
 
You know I did have the 9 inch vesion of the Jelco tone arm in the house for an extended loan when I first got my Serac, I was waiting for my String Theory arm to be built. Truthfully, I saw nothing about the Jelco that was terribly impressive. I know it is kind of a favourite due to its affordable price, but I see nothing that distinguishes it from....say the Technics arm that comes with the 1200. I think the 124 deserves a better arm that the Jelco, but then again I am not a fan f the SME 3009 either.

As far as the other forum opinions, the only thing you can really do is experience one for yourself. get a chance to listen to one, or spend the money and takes your chances. I learned a long time ago that others opinions are filtered through their personal biases and desires. A 124 is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy idlers it is a good one.

I had a minimal amount of money in mine when I gotit up and running. Probably about $400 or so between maintenance items and the ADC tone arm. With a MM cartridge I thought is was decent but not exceptional. I ran an AT 125LC, a Signet TK5ae, Digitrac NE 200, in short nothing I could get excited about. When I put the Cleraudio in place, well things really turned the corner and I could get excited about this table. I find it good enough to be worth spending serious money on, and the table is worth the $2500 Clearaudio and probably an arm in the $1K range. but that is just my opinion. But the table does have to be given a bit of maintenance to ensure it is operating properly.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Low mass arms aren't the best use on a TD-124. They seem to like medium to high mass arms. Don't take my opinion search the web and you will see.....
 
I bought mine a few months ago for cheap money without an arm. But it needed a total rebuild. I liked the looks of it a lot so I decided to go all out on this table. Now it not only looks great but sounds great to. SME S2 with Denon 103. And lots of mods.
 

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AudioSoul said:
Low mass arms aren't the best use on a TD-124. They seem to like medium to high mass arms. Don't take my opinion search the web and you will see.....
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The ADC worked reasonably well with the Clearaudio Signature, and the resonant frequency came in the lower 8 hertz range. So there was no problem with a low mass arm on this table, even though it was "over cartridged".

I decided to move the ADC on because I did not want a detachable head shell, and I want to do a quality refurbishment on it and give the table an arm that was well suited to this cartridge. I experimented to see if there were attraction issues between the iron platter and the cartridge body, and had no issues. So I decided to go whole hog.

I have a Galibier Audio Serac with 12" String Theory arm and ZYX 4D as my primary table. The 124 with ADC and Signature cartride were different in presentation, but now very far behind in overall quality. So I had no issues in pairing a 124 with a lower mass arm. But no, it would not be my choice for the type of cartridges I want to use with it.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
bob06 said:
I bought mine a few months ago for cheap money without an arm. But it needed a total rebuild. I liked the looks of it a lot so I decided to go all out on this table. Now it not only looks great but sounds great to. SME S2 with Denon 103. And lots of mods.
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Awesome!!
 
Keep your 1962 Gretsch Tennessean. I've owned several Thorens TD 124's and build different plinths and fitted them with different arms. I own none of them now and don't regret any one of them. But that Gretsch... wow. Just wow.
 
Keep the Tennessean. There are lots of good looking, good quality, different idlers to play with. Of course, if a TD124, or 121 or 135 comes along, grab it.
 
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