Heybrook TT2 - Restoration Thread

[Wakefield Turntables]

Does the baseboard affect SQ

Some would say yes. The Thorens TD160 super being a good example of where a company (Thorens) actually created an upgraded model (The Super) after looking at a whole raft of mods that an owner had done (Chadwick modifications, I think). The thickened baseboard being one of them. I'm just after originality with this deck. I'm not looking to make a hot rod .

[Jimbo]

Some would say yes. The Thorens TD160 super being a good example of where a company (Thorens) actually created an upgraded model (The Super) after looking at a whole raft of mods that an owner had done (Chadwick modifications, I think). The thickened baseboard being one of them. I'm just after originality with this deck. I'm not looking to make a hot rod .

Haha nice to keep them original Andy - I have another little project coming up along those lines

I had the Thorens TD160 Super way back in 1982 when it first came out but was unaware it had an upgraded baseboard. For the life of me I still cant remember what cartridge I used on that turntable but I have feeling it was an Ortofon. The Super I think also had a heavier platter than the standard 160?

[Wakefield Turntables]

Not sure about the platter I think you could be right.

[shane]

As with most turntables of the era, the TD160 has a plinth that is effectively an empty box which forms a resonant chamber. Because of this the materials that make up the sides, top and bottom of the box have an effect on the sound. The TT2 is different in that the plinth is a solid block with a cutout for the chassis. This avoids the creation of a resonant chamber, and as a result the material of the base board has far less effect on the sound.

Now I’m going to upset your OCD! I saw a picture of your TT2 on another forum (can’t remember which one now), and saw that it has the threaded inserts for the original adjustable feet in each corner of the bottom of the plinth. If you want to be completely period-correct in your restoration I can tell you how to recreate the feet, which also means making a base board with the corners cut away, but if you want it to sound it’s best, just fit small rubber feet to the baseboard. We got rid of the original feet for a good reason! In fact I’m quite surprised that yours had them as I thought we did away with them after the first 200 or so.

Once the adjustable feet were done away with, we fitted three rubber feet, one in each of the front corners and one in the middle at the back. These were fixed with wood screws that went through the base board into the plinth. Three more screws were fitted int the rear corners and the middle of the front to stop the board from sagging.

As for whether the baseboard should be black or not, I don’t know! Mine isn’t, but it’s an earlier one than yours (s.no. 177). By the time yours was made it might have had a black one, but I couldn’t say for certain. I wish now that we’d kept a log of the serial numbers where modifications were introduced.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Shane, can you please tell me how to recreate the feet. It's a revelation knowing that three feet were used instead of four!

[shane]

The old feet were M6 x10 hex-head bolts fitted with plastic caps, screwed into the threaded inserts in the bottom of the plinth. I’ve had a quick search on the net for the plastic caps we used but unfortunately I can’t find the same ones anywhere. These are pretty close but only seem to be available in the USA!

https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...em=abme%2Ctrie

As I said though, those feet turned out to be a poor idea and we very quickly replaced them with rubber feet such as these:

https://amzn.eu/d/7lvf4VW

As far as originality is concerned it’s quite possible that although your plinth had the inserts fitted for the old feet, it actually went out of the factory with the later ones.