[muckshot]

I recently made an eargasmic yet financially ruinous decision and bid on a vintage Technics 1200 MKII on eBay. I'm just a bit concerned as the unit needs to be sent almost the entire length of the country (Canada) and there's no original box. The owner who I'm buying it from is elderly and cannot pack it himself so UPS is packing and shipping it. Now, perhaps UPS will actually know how to handle this professionally, but my past experience has me second guessing that hope.

What I'm looking for are a few suggestions I can relay to UPS on how to properly secure the unit for the long distance journey--- it will take about 5 days on a truck, and I cannot afford to pay Air. I found a user manual HERE (3rd link, at bottom of page) but it's a little vague and I'd like to be sure.

So what should be done?

-dust cover ought to be takes off the hinges?
-platter removed?
-arm lock enabled (it's the knob at the far end of the arm?)
-arm taped down (removing the arm will be too much for these guys), will the stylus be OK?
-obviously all bits like the 45 adapter ought to be put in a bag etc.
-what else?

After shipping is factored in, I'm hardly getting a "good deal" so in the very least I want to ensure that it arrives safe. Unfortunately, UPS is apparently the only option where this individual lives.

Huge thanks to anyone who has any suggestions to offer

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muckshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif So what should be done? -dust cover ought to be takes off the hinges? -platter removed? -arm lock enabled (it's the knob at the far end of the arm?) -arm taped down (removing the arm will be too much for these guys), will the stylus be OK? -obviously all bits like the 45 adapter ought to be put in a bag etc. -what else?

That's a bit of a risk but unless the UPS guys are complete muppets it's a pretty bombproof turntable as they go so it should be able to make the journey. Make sure it's adequately insured though as they have damaged stuff on me in the past and getting compensation as a protracted pain in the ass.

Not sure how ecconomically viable this is but the safest way you could do it would be to buy a professional metal flightcase for it online and get it shipped to the owner. Any DJ store will have them and they aren't that expensive. That way all the UPS guy has to do is plonk the deck in the case when he gets there if the old guy can't lift it.

You should get the owner to secure the arm with a twisty and remove the headshell and counterweight. Put these in a separate padded jiffy bag under the lid.

The lid can be left on and flightcases usually come with a piece of foam to put on the platter which braces the lid internally preventing cracking and also stops the platter comming loose if knocked about.

Unless he has the original box for the cart then the best way to get this in one piece is leave it on the headshell but remove the stylus and place that in an old plastic 35mm film capsule wadded with cottonwool.

Good luck

 

[muckshot]

Thanks a lot memepool, I've already paid for the packing and shipment costs, so the metal case is out unfortunately. In retrospect, that would have been a much better idea, at least I'd have something to show for the cost!

Do you think it's wise to remove the platter as well? I looked at the online manual and new units definitely ship with the platter separated, but I can't tell if removing it would be too difficult for the seller to do on his own. Is it just a simple matter of unscrewing it? I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble, but my guess is this would put less strain on the motor mechanism if it hit any major bumps along the way.

What about the hinges on the dust cover? So long as it's secured/padded, you think they will hold up? Seems that this is often the first thing to go on lower end technics decks. Most of the 1200s I've messed around with were DJ tables and had no dust covers to speak of.

Cheers on the film cannister + cotton wool suggestion for the stylus, that ought to do the trick very nicely.

Man, I'm certainly excited though, I've been eying one of these tables for a long time

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's a bit of a risk but unless the UPS guys are complete muppets it's a pretty bombproof turntable as they go so it should be able to make the journey. Make sure it's adequately insured though as they have damaged stuff on me in the past and getting compensation as a protracted pain in the ass. Not sure how ecconomically viable this is but the safest way you could do it would be to buy a professional metal flightcase for it online and get it shipped to the owner. Any DJ store will have them and they aren't that expensive. That way all the UPS guy has to do is plonk the deck in the case when he gets there if the old guy can't lift it. You should get the owner to secure the arm with a twisty and remove the headshell and counterweight. Put these in a separate padded jiffy bag under the lid. The lid can be left on and flightcases usually come with a piece of foam to put on the platter which braces the lid internally preventing cracking and also stops the platter comming loose if knocked about. Unless he has the original box for the cart then the best way to get this in one piece is leave it on the headshell but remove the stylus and place that in an old plastic 35mm film capsule wadded with cottonwool. Good luck

 

[muckshot]

Also, there is a circular magnet that is under the platter, any idea if this is this connected to the platter (or the rotor) or is it free?

The manual says not to "drop" the magnet so I'm assuming it's on its own in which case after it could ship in a bag with the other loose items.

 

[memepool]

The platter is pretty light on the Technics so should be fine to leave as is.
Also I remember it can require some force to get off especially if it's been on there for many years so I'd leave it be.

Just make sure that there is some heavy chunk of foam or similar pad placed on the platter under the lid as this will make sure the platter doesn't move around or come off and smash the lid which is usually what happens when decks are badly packed.
This should also stop the lid from cracking if something heavy is placed on top of the box during shipment.

Alternatively you could get the vendor to tape the platter down with camera tape or duct tape, remove the lid altogether and completely wad it inside with scrunched up newspaper then bubblewrap it and place it into the box padded well between itself and the deck. But this way leaves the arm exposed and lids are easier and cheaper to replace. Kabusa sell all these spares.

It depends on how big the shipping carton is but realistically you want something which gives 3-4 inches minimum of clearance on all sides and this space should be filled with polystyrene, preferably not little chips either as these allow too much movement.

 

[muckshot]

Thank again! OK, I'm really glad the platter ought to be alright because I don't think the seller would have been too eager to start dismantling the unit...

I'm told that the only way to have the unit insured is to have UPS pack it themselves, so again, a lot will depend on how well these guys pack it-- and how gently it's treated en route. I once worked as a shipper/receiver, the company shipped with all the major companies but the UPS guy who used to come by had to be the most obnoxious and careless person of the bunch, almost all the packages we received were badly banged up and I'd watch this guy toss around and step on boxes in a rage when he couldn't locate the order. I actually pretty funny at the time. The stuff we were importing was essentially indestructible so as long as all the papers were still attached there was no problem, but the other folks on this guys route... Anyhow, that's just one individual out of many, but I've had other problems with UPS in general so I can't help wondering. At least it'll be insured in full

Thanks again memepool, you've been super helpful and I appreciate it greatly. The TT is shipping tomorrow, so now before it arrives, I need to go review one of your older threads on upgrading the 1200 and see how much further I can descend into the pit of pro-audio debt! Cheers!

 

[bigshot]

Good luck. I've had terrible luck with getting turntable shipped. All it takes is for something to come loose and start banging around inside and the whole thing gets messed up.

INSURANCE is your friend.

See ya
Steve