L78 rebuild with some new ideas

[arossphoto]

I'm just about finished my first Lenco rebuild and I think I've used a few new ideas in my design. The picture below shows the original table and I wanted my rebuild to use the same dust cover and respect the original design as much as possible.



I wanted to use a veneer similar to the original and was told by others here that it was not a good idea to veneer the outside of the layered plinth. It was suggested that it was a better idea to attach some exterior panels to the outside, with a gap between the plinth and outer panel, and apply the veneer to them. So that's what I set out do. I was originally planning to install a Linn tonearm in the original Lenco collar, but along the way I came up with a idea of using a tonearm pillar that would be hidden inside the plinth and would only be attached to the very bottom layer. Because of the way the Lenco platter is recessed, I was able to put a Linn collar on an armboard of 1" maple underneath the top plate, and still have enough room to properly adjust the tonearm height. I don't know if it's the best way to do it, but I think it should provide much better isolation of the tonearm while still maintaining the original look.

Here's some pics showing the assembly of table from the bottom up:




I put some rubber feet on the tonearm pillar, but I may change these.








Hole drilled in side of plinth to allow for VTA adjustment.











I'm hoping to apply the veneer this week, so hopefully it will be up running soon.

Cheers,

Andrew

[bluemike]

That's a great build and yes you did use some very interesting designs
Congrats ! now in due time please let us know how it sounds 

[daiwok]

GENIUS !

I was playing with a stock Lenco and commented to a number of friends how much I love the simplicity of using them. Would very much like to make a new plinth in stock size and here we go ! We have have it perfect ! Love the VTA adjustment, just love everything about it ! 

Except the rubber feet on the armboard   I think you are better off with screws from the underside coming through from the bottom layer acting as supports / spikes.

[arossphoto]

Wow, thanks for the positive response. I wasn't sure about the rubber feet either. I was trying to find some small brass cones, but didn't think about using screws. My concern with screws would be getting the pillar level. I was also thinking about taking this idea to the next level by using a double decker inspired design. It would be very easy to cut out the bottom layer then increase the height of the pillar and attach it to a separate plinth underneath the main plinth. I'm still thinking about doing that.

Thanks again,

Andrew

[daiwok]

Wow, thanks for the positive response. I wasn't sure about the rubber feet either. I was trying to find some small brass cones, but didn't think about using screws. My concern with screws would be getting the pillar level. I was also thinking about taking this idea to the next level by using a double decker inspired design. It would be very easy to cut out the bottom layer then increase the height of the pillar and attached to a separate plinth underneath the main plinth. I'm still thinking about doing that.

Thanks again,

Andrew

Good points Andrew !! I have tried rubber in the past and it seems to smear the sound no matter where I use it.

[arossphoto]

I think brass bolts with the tips ground to a point might work better than screws. If I can find some with allen heads I could drill and tap the bottom layer, and then I'd be able to fine tune the height by reaching under the plinth and turning the bolts. I'll definitely give that a try.

[rfgumby]

I love that build Andrew.  It never ceases to amaze me how many variations our awesome members come up with to make the builds their own.  Congratulations on some inspirational ideas and some creative thinking to boot.  The side adjustment for VTA is great.

I do have to agree with David about the rubber footers under the tone arm pod however,  I think you'll have better results with a rigid mount or small brass cones.  Floating arm pods rarely give the rigidity you need for good frequency extension and focus.

 

[reinderspeter]

That looks great!
and a lot of very clever ideas in there

I agree with David and Scott about the rubber though

[ropie]

That really is very nice indeed.

[ian]

Hi Andrew,
Well you set out to respect the original design and proportions and you have certainly done that with some style.  Congratulations!

The way you have installed your arm is particularly clever and makes the Linn look as though it belongs.

Great stuff!

[gninnam]

Agree with all the previous comments.
A truelly well thought out and executed project - you should be proud of yourself

[pete]

Great work Andrew! 

[arossphoto]

I do have to agree with David about the rubber footers under the tone arm pod however,  I think you'll have better results with a rigid mount or small brass cones.  Floating arm pods rarely give the rigidity you need for good frequency extension and focus.  

Thanks again for all the positive comments. It took a long time to get here with lots of advance planning, and feedback from other members here. I couldn't have done it without lots of help and web surfing for ideas. The inspiration for the tonearm pillar came from this 6moons article about a custom Garrard plinth. I was also inspired by the design of the Pioneer P3, which used a removable exterior shell.

I will definitely scrap the rubber feet. The original idea was to just bolt the base of the tonearm pillar to the bottom layer, but then I started to think it might be a good idea to have some separation. The other option I considered was separating the bottom layer with some brass washers to isolate it and the tonearm from the the upper layers. That's why I haven't glued the bottom in place yet. I am still undecided on the best approach, so any feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers.

[pete]

The inspiration for the tonearm pillar came from this 6moons article about a custom Garrard plinth.
Cheers.

Well you took that idea and made it your own!   It's really inspiring work Andrew! What veneer are you gonna use?

[arossphoto]

Thanks Pete. I'm going to use Walnut veneer. I considered something more exotic, but I also wanted to use paper backed veneer because I was planning to round the corners off like the original plinth. It's hard to find exotic veneer that is paper backed, so I went with something more traditional. I've change my mind about rounding the corners off, and I think it was overly ambitious to think I could wrap the veneer around the entire plinth and bend the corners. I've never done this before, so I didn't want to screw it up after all this work.

What I love about this design is that I can always build another surround or skin for the outside and just pop it on top of the base.