Rega plinth upgrade???

[oldson]

i have searched to try and find an answer to my main query as i did not want to start a new thread, but....

i have an rp3 that i am beginning to mod, not because i think it sounds bad, but just because i like tweaking!

have seen plinth "upgrades" made out of various different materials but mainly fairly heavy wood.
what is confusing me is.........
one of the main differences between the rp3/p3 vs the rp6/p6 is the fact that the 6 version boasts a much lighter plinth.
to me this contradicts the wooden "so called" upgrades on offer as they are heavier.
any opinions would be appreciated as this is confusing to me.

[hifi_dave]

Rega turntables are designed to be light and stiff. That is their philosophy which has served them and their customers well for decades. Swap the plinth for something heavy and it is no longer a Rega and to date I have never found one which has improved a Rega. Same goes for poorly machined inner platters and bearings, rubber O rings masquerading as belts and expensive feet

Rega don't just bung cheap bits together and hope the result is good, they know what they are doing and everything is there for a purpose. I think your "so called" upgrades comment is very apt.

[Pete The Cat]

If you used all the non OEM mods available for the RP3 then the only thing left of it would be the shelf that it sat on.

Pete

[guy]

If it is just for the sake of a bit of DIY/experimentation could you not try a sheet of "aerolam" or similar?
Could be fun

[mayebaza]

Michael Limm is a top chap to speak with on your matter.

[oldson]

i fully understand that not everybody agrees with the concept of modding, but the way i see it is all the lower end decks are built to budgets and there is likely to be improvements that can be made.
put it this way, if rega did an upgraded plinth for the 3 that equalled the quality of the 6, then i would consider that.
as they dont, i will leave the plinth "as is" rather than ruining it with a heavy lump of varnished wood that (arguably) looks better.

i bought my rp3 off a forum member (Mel) on here a few years back. its in perfect condition and he had already fitted the white belt to it.
unfortunately the white belt now appears defective (i have no idea how long belts are supposed to last btw).
i went through a period during the pandemic where i did not use the deck at all. now if i power it up with no platter i can see a "kink" in the belt where i guess its been sat idle for some time.
so far the only other upgrade i have done is swapping the elys2 for an exact, which definitely seemed an improvement to me.

i do have a few more mods/upgrades sat here waiting to fit.
i must confess (sorry Dave) that i have bought an upgraded sub-platter from Fidelity Designs, but have not fitted it yet as i have been too busy.
have drawn a blank trying to find the rega white belt , so i took the plunge and got the latest reference eblt belt.
i have also splashed out on a new (old type) neo psu, so i have high hopes for all this.

have been out today and bought a retro record cabinet to sit my amp on, so from this point on modding will be shelved and i will spend my spare cash on vinyl to fill it.

my goal was to try and get my deck as close to rp6 performance as possible. i do believe anything better would be wasted on the rest of my system and the fact that i listen mostly to "near field" monitors or headphones.