I saw the advertisement a while ago and thought that this was going to be a real bargain for whoever purchased it. It is not often that you find a Sondek in excellent cosmetic condition, with a Ekos Mk1 arm and a Lingo 1 offboard power supply. There were a few gremlins, but these were quickly taken care of by one of our fundis, Dewald Visser. Below are some images and a summary of what was required to get the LP12 singing again. The new owner (and it is not me) is a very lucky guy.
The Lingo power supply needed some work, but a few new capacitors and some other electronics sorted out the power supply and it is ready to do service for many years. Servicing the unit included resetting the suspension, adding new oil to the main bearing, checking the position of the motor to ensure proper startup, and generally checking the unit for optimal operation.
The Ekos arm was given a new partner, an Ortofon Quintet MC, and is ready to produce music for a long time to come.
Some work was required on the Ekos arm, where the rubber O-ring inside the counterweight had perished, and was replaced with a new O-ring, allowing precise balancing of the arm with no movement on the counterweight and stub. Fortunately the dreaded bearing grease problem that plagues older Ekos arms was not present, and it floats without any stuttering.
The new owner is very lucky. I saw the advertised price, and the fact that it included the Ekos arm and the Lingo power supply made this a tremendous bargain. There is a lot of life left in these older units. They age like good wine, while many other turntables become like sour milk within a few years. Long live the LP12!