I almost feel sorry for this TT

[Audio Al]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/garrard-301-schedule-1-grease-bearing-turntable-1954-/251176925335?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Turntables&hash=item3a7b4fb897

A British classic made to look like bling :doh:

Not to my taste :(

[prestonchipfryer]

Nor mine. Way OTT. What is the point of gold plating? It just makes it look tatty. Urrgh!

[Wakefield Turntables]

the 301 looks ok, you can remove the crap red platter mat. Think about the poor 3009, it's tacktastic if you ask me. :spew:

[YNWaN]

Well, none of it is to my aesthetic taste, but for some it is the height of sophistication; some people love chrome and/or gold plating. We all have our own aesthetic sensibilities - I could express my own in a more vociferously forthright manner - but many would, most likely, be quite offended (and they would still like the same 'looks').

[Spectrum]

Feel sorry for the person who pays 3k for it still prefer my techie :lol:

[YNWaN]

Each to their own - I'm more than happy with neither :).

[Alex_UK]

I'm rather partial to a bit of bling sometimes, but no, thanks. :spew:

[synsei]

The overall aesthetic would probably work better if the 301 were a later version in cream...

[NRG]

Look at the way the arm is mounted, at least one screw missing and a visible screw hole in the MDF plinth which has a very rough finish.

[YNWaN]

Yes, the top plate looks like it has really been cut for a completely different arm and then had the SME (badly) mounted to it in a 'make do' sort of way. The whole plinth looks to be just two pieces of MDF painted red. £3K strikes me as rather optimistic - but I don't know the market for such stuff.

[sq225917]

£1200+ for the motor, £1k for the arm in Japan, the price isn't entirely unreasonable.

[Audioman]

Providing deck is good condition.

1. Sell the bling gold arm as some twot will pay over the odds for it + replace with a new M series.

2. Fill plinth, rub down and respray something sensible like black and replace mat with a loricraft cork job.

Given that and no bids so far it may be a fair buy at the starting price.