Pioneer TT? Any good?

[fgarib]

Hello all,

An uncle of mine just gifted an old TT that he said still plays. It's HUGE, quite sturdy looking, and still plays.

It has the Pioneer badge on the wooden base and he said that it's from the early 80's. Couldn't see any model number, and didn't have time to take pics.. Promise to get both of them soon.

Any idea about Pioneer TT's? The sound is quite a bit short of remarkable, but that could be because of the cartridge. I plugged in my favorite LP (Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitchhinking) and it just sounded "muddy".

I wonder if it's worth trying to improve it or would that be a waste of time. Also, I'm new to TT's, so let me know if there is any specifc parts that you need photographed to be able to give advice.

Thanks,

Fauzi

[whell]

Pioneer made some nice tables in the mid - late '70's. After that, they made some serious junk. So, if you have the model number of the table, I'd be able to give you a better sense of what you have.

Even with the well-made tables from the '70's, the one negative you'll encounter is the tonearm. These are typically HEAVY, MASSIVE arms by today's standards, and you might be limited with the selection of cartridges that you'll be able to pair the arm with. Still, with the right cartridge, some of the old Pioneers can still make nice music.

I've got a Pioneer PL-600, the earlier version, which is nearly as heavy as a modern Technics 1200. Direct drive, and the platter speed is still dead-accurate. Again, massive tonearm, but still a very nice sounding table. Don't use it quite so much anymore, as I have a project Thorens that I'm tinkering with.

[kev313]

Pioneer made some nice tables in the mid - late '70's. After that, they made some serious junk. So, if you have the model number of the table, I'd be able to give you a better sense of what you have.

Even with the well-made tables from the '70's, the one negative you'll encounter is the tonearm. These are typically HEAVY, MASSIVE arms by today's standards, and you might be limited with the selection of cartridges that you'll be able to pair the arm with. Still, with the right cartridge, some of the old Pioneers can still make nice music.

I've got a Pioneer PL-600, the earlier version, which is nearly as heavy as a modern Technics 1200. Direct drive, and the platter speed is still dead-accurate. Again, massive tonearm, but still a very nice sounding table. Don't use it quite so much anymore, as I have a project Thorens that I'm tinkering with.

I know a whole buch of guys who will ONLY use heavy and massive tonearms. Not a negative at all.

[whell]

Pioneer made some nice tables in the mid - late '70's. After that, they made some serious junk. So, if you have the model number of the table, I'd be able to give you a better sense of what you have.

Even with the well-made tables from the '70's, the one negative you'll encounter is the tonearm. These are typically HEAVY, MASSIVE arms by today's standards, and you might be limited with the selection of cartridges that you'll be able to pair the arm with. Still, with the right cartridge, some of the old Pioneers can still make nice music.

I've got a Pioneer PL-600, the earlier version, which is nearly as heavy as a modern Technics 1200. Direct drive, and the platter speed is still dead-accurate. Again, massive tonearm, but still a very nice sounding table. Don't use it quite so much anymore, as I have a project Thorens that I'm tinkering with.

I know a whole buch of guys who will ONLY use heavy and massive tonearms. Not a negative at all.

No, its not negative in as much as its a "bad" tonearm. It does, however, as I stated, limit your choice of cartridges a bit. To some, that is a drawback.