after looking at swt61's thread on his custom TT i've decided that's my next project.

i'm a begginer audiophile with woodworking experience.

what components do i need to make a turntable?

how much will it cost for a decent/beginner TT build and how much will an even more decent one cost? what are some options?

is it just motor, bearing and platter, and arm that i need? i've got wood.

andreu

yup, you have the basics. Having spent 1-2 years working on a DIY turntable concept, I can say that this project can be as difficult as you want it to be. Personally, I wouldn't attempt to DIY the platter, bearing, or tonearm. With those nearly impossible engineering feats out of the way, putting things together is not trivial. I'd start by heading over the DIY Audio and looking through threads in the Analogue section and start a thread there outlining your ideas and plans going forward.

Good luck!

Another way to go that I've also wanted to build is a direct drive turntable.

A custom plinth could be built for a Technics SP10, SP15, SP25, or one of the Denon drop ins. That would just require a tonearm/cartridge and you're in business.

Don't forget that a build like mine also requires a motor/housing & speed controller.

All told with phono stage and cartridge included, I've got about $2000.00 invested in parts and materials.

I think a good direct drive table as mentioned above can be built for about $900.00 in parts and materials, depending on the table chosen.

I'd also be very happy to help you along the way with any information or ideas I can give you.

pretty pricey..any cheaper alternatives?

i'm thinking about getting a decent cheap tt and building it into an old wooden box and veneering the top...just for aesthetics. wonder what's a good cheap table?

pretty pricey..any cheaper alternatives?

i'm thinking about getting a decent cheap tt and building it into an old wooden box and veneering the top...just for aesthetics. wonder what's a good cheap table?

Wouldn't it being solid and weighty (read:expensive) significantly help quality though? It sounds like a wooden box would make a decent turn table sound worse to me. I'm not a craftsman though.

uh, what's the opposite of "scope creep"?

procrastination

"We're concentrating on our core technologies"

ok...so where do i begin my research on components?

who sells individual components? and what's on the list? motor, arm, platter & bearing, and switches...does that cover it?

what are the main things i need to consider? does my taste in music determine any components i should get other than the cart? i listen to old jazz, dixieland and string band music...almost all older stuff. and i would need 33 and 78 speeds.

so i looked at the technics SPs...are there any others that are more simple (just platters) and reasonably priced? what are the "denon drop ins"? do they sell them without the plinths somewhere?

ok...so where do i begin my research on components?

who sells individual components? and what's on the list? motor, arm, platter & bearing, and switches...does that cover it?

what are the main things i need to consider? does my taste in music determine any components i should get other than the cart? i listen to old jazz, dixieland and string band music...almost all older stuff. and i would need 33 and 78 speeds.

Start searching TT brands! VPI, REGA, Clearaudio, and so on. Some of these have the bearing, others sell platters. You can find some parts this way.

Search google for DIY turntables, motors, motor controlers...

It really depends on how much DIY you want. You can build a motor controller board, or buy a motor and PSU from a manufacturer, like rega for instance. (I'm not sure they sell motors though)

you can contact Bo Hansson who is the owner of Rauna of Sweden and of the Opus 3 record lable. Bo sells TT parts for people who want to DIY or you can buy one of his tables. Check out his Cantus tonearm it is very cool. Regards Moray James.

Rauna.com imagescontinuo.jpg