Originally Posted by
REXTON
Chris,
The plinth makes a MASSIVE difference. Its as near to a Shindo Cherry Wood as you'll get. Don't be fooled by people saying that Slate is better, it isn't! I've owned slate and could not hear any difference bewteen it my birch ply plinth, the cost is also stupidly expensive. If your on a budget I would recommend birch ply 100%. Moldova is part of the European union say you pay no import/custom fees. The finish and build are second to none and you will not get anything as good in this country (unless your mate can make you one) for the cost I paid. The waiting time is quite long (2 months) but I got piano gloss finish with 10 layers of laquer and varnish. Slightly off thread but if your serious about doing your 301 I would recommend you send you bearing to Martin Bastin for a full fettle and then ignore the stupid prices which can be paid for some after market bearings. I worried and worried about buying a bearing and then came to the conclusion that a £50 fettle would probably be more cost effective than a >£500 aftermarket jobby. Again I have heard several of these bearings and came away completely underwhelmed every time. You can easily be dragged into spending thousands on after market crap. My final upgrade for my own deck will be a Martin Bastin PSU. I may do some more messing with decoupling the motor and mount this external from the 301 to stop vibration entering into the 301 chasis via diverting it into the mass and dampening properties of the birch ply plinth. :eyebrows: Hope all this helps.
