Lovely, restored Pioneer PL-518 turntable on eBay. Pretty, but worth it?

You likely have the overhang set correctly at 49mm tracking all grooves properly and the quartz controlled circuit on the PL-540 is rock steady. Even if you clean a record while it is turning the quartz circuit keeps the rotation locked at 33 or 45 rpm while the pressure of the record cleaner is applied.

 

I just put a new AT cart on one of these Pioneer decks for a colleague of mine. Once I dialed it in, I was really amazed at how good it sounded. Did not expect that at all. I told him that you'd have to spend over $300 to get a better sounding deck.

Plus, there are lots of vintage fans out there that increase demand for such restored decks. Nice work.

 

i've been most pleasantly surprised by the fine sound of my 1975 PIO PL-112D. it's entry level for it's day,
but just about impossible to beat with contemporary TTs at the price i paid ($80shipped)

i have lightly modded it, with a set of rubber-filled isolators taken from a 1998 PIO DV-09 DVDP;

 

I have a mint-condition Pioneer PL-61 that I got for free off Kijiji, and after testing out the Rega RP3 (which is a table I was considering buying), I strongly preferred my Pioneer. It's all the turntable I ever need at this point, as long as it keeps working (the unit is about 40 years old now). It's very solid and heavy, with a walnut base and metal parts. Pioneer made some really good turntables back in the day.

 

I see the "green" stylus w/AT cart, the 11E series which is the first great cartridge I ever owned, and brings back some very nice memories.

And that Pioneer table was under consideration back in 75-76 for me, but I went with a Technics which had a few extra features this PL-112 did not have. But it is a very classy looking basic table I would trust my best vinyl on.

 

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This is a Pioneer PL-518 that has been retsored in Mahogany with new feet and a Shure M95ED cartridge and stytlus. This color and veneer has been the most popular of all that I have done

 

i know what you mean. this AT blew me away; it came along with the extra PIO headshell i got off the BAY, and i wasn't expecting anything special from it at all.

lo and behold, it's the best cart/styli i have heard to date, even over my ADC VLMmk.II reference, the last remaining "component"
of my very first Hi-Fi, inherited from my father ten years ago...

(NIKKO 5055 20w Receiver/BSR 200BAX changer TT/REALISTIC 31-2000 12-band Graphic EQ/PIONEER CT-980W Dual Cassette/TECHNICS 60+1 CD changer)

 

Those attachments aren't working for me. But I've seen a couple 518's with veneer and they look frickin sexy as hell!

 

Sorry, I would not give any where near $600 for that TT. I would get a newer TT.

 

I think it looks beautiful.

 

Macgyver,

While I may be hard on post 1982 Pioneer, I have very heavy respect for older Pioneer gear. I own a SX 727 I am restoring currently. And love the older Pioneer equipment a great lot. And have owned more than my fair share of Pioneer gear then and now.

 

It's the wood that sells it.

 

Welcome and please remain. We need more down to earth people here.

 

Pioneer TTs were a part of the high-end in the mid-70s. You would find them in audio stores next to the best of the best.

 

I would spring for a Dual CS5000 first which is a belt table with a DC motor. And for just a little more money, a VPI HW19 turntable which still has tons of available mods.

Having said that, a turntable is a sum of its parts - this looks quite well made and should provide hours of enjoyment. Not worth $600, mind you, but if found for a reasonable price it certainly wouldn't disappoint.

 

I have used a Pioneer PL-510A for quite some time and while I was happy with it, I couldn't bring myself to spend $600 on one but that's just me. To each their own and great job on the restorations.

 

Sorry for the attachments that do not work. I may need some coaching on posting pictures in this forum. I have a photo library of a close to 4000 equipment pictures to share - The tables I restore are not going to be for everyone. This type of restoration work requires a level of expertise that takes years to develop. The $500 - $580 price range will scare off many potential customers and I understand this. Others have no problem spending this amount or more for one of my restorations. Buying a new turntable like a Rega RP1 with Performance pack ( 600.00 - 650.00) or Music Hall 2.2 (450.00 - 500.00) are a couple options within the price range of my restored PL-518's. Both of these two new models buys you a (brand new) manual operation belt drive turntable with a good tonearm, cartridge and dustcover. The Pioneer is a servo controlled direct drive with pitch adjust and automatic return/shutoff. Do the new models audibly outperform the restored Pioneer's? My answer is, they are comparable in sonic performance. Which of these three models are you most attracted to, modern or vintage look? You be the judge of this answer. The reason these vintage Pioneer's sell is because of the one of a kind wood veneer plinth with new adjustable feet, the vintage collectable look and the fact they have been serviced and ready to plug and play. The vintage audio market buyer chooses their brand carefully based on personal preference, past experience and price comfort level. I have found that the vintage buyer has developed a certain cosmetic desire (matching components as example) and performance level they are trying to achieve prior to their search to purchase. The new audiomarket buyer also uses the same criteria for their search to purchase. Again, I am not defending my discounted price on these tables. I would prefer to sell the tables for the actual amount of technical time and materials I incur doing one of these restorations (approx 20 hrs x $65.00 = $1300.00 in labor time and $200.00 - $300.00 in raw material costs for used table purchase, dustcover if not included, new feet, wood inserts, veneer, glue/chemicals, stains, wood oil, top finish, buffing compound/polish, replacement parts, cartridge stylus etc. ) But I am realistic about the selling price for these tables and list these for what the market will bear. Do I actually make any money when you factor all of the above time and materials to complete one of these restorations? The answer is no, but for me the joy of creating the end result and knowing the buyer will treasure the restored table is enough for me to keep repeating this work.

Thanks to all contributing to this conversation. Sharing our thoughts and opinions is part of the fun of participating in these forums. We will never all agree on the topic but we will always find that the hobby of listening to music and talking about our sound systems will endear.

 

kind of like how i tend to feel about the majority of PIO STANDARD LINE product since 1992/93,
and how i've felt about most ELITE products for the last decade; it's all an especially bad mockery compared to what they fielded even just 20 years ago now,
to say nothing of their 70's lineups.

- no, what generally get's my goat is the more vocal stable of super-snobs that insist that anything that isn't a boutique brand
and is more than a couple/three years old is barely even fit for the unwashed masses.

i mean, really; i get such amazingly lush, full-bodied sound out of the PIO PD-91 CDP
that i have a hard time personally imagining CD being much better. all this from a damned-near 25 year old digital component, at that!!

 

Techfile1, you don't need to justify your prices to anyone here. As you said in your first post, "(d)oes this restoration still make them worth $500 - $600? For the ones that purchase these from me, it does." That's all that counts. Are your buyers happy and pleased with their purchase? If they are, nothing else matters. Others' opinions, including mine, are irrelevant.

Thanks for posting. While a PL-518 is not my cup of tea*, and I'm one of those guys who would go with the Rega, your posts demonstrating the upgrades you've done show that you are a serious technician and are passionate about your design. More people should have your enthusiasm and dedication. The audio industry needs more people like you. Keep up the good work.



* I sold too many PL-514/516/518 turntables at a high volume stereo store I worked at in the late 1970s. I'm like the guy who worked at McDonalds who never wants to eat one of their burgers again. Now if I ever saw a restored Pioneer PL-61, a belt drive model from the early 1970s, that would be another matter. Or even an old, definitely funky Philips 312. I'd take one of those. But then I didn't sell hundreds of either one of those turntables.

 

Well worded post. Totally agree.

 

Thanks for posting Dudley. Nice work on the 518.

 

In regards to Techfile1, I brought my old turntable to a local, So. Cal., repair guy who runs out of his home. He restores turntables. I saw this and immediately fell in love. I paid $240 for it. He did all the woodwork himself, added a new stylus, and tuned it up to where it looks virtually brand new. I feel this was a steal. It is hard to find a decent turntable without having it shipped, which I would tend to avoid. Old TT goes to son. Your post inspired me to join this forum just to post this pic. I love it sitting on this 60 or 70 year old record cabinet.

 

Very nice 5150me. Looks sweet. I still haven't gotten around to doing mine. You guys are making my itch stronger.

 

Thanks for posting Techfile1. As has been stated a few times, if your customers are happy that is all that counts.

Do you have a shop that's open to the public? I grew up in Missoula and will be visiting there next summer..