Linn Keel gets the SE treatment

We've been supplying and servicing Linn LP12 turntables for over thirty years. Linn do not supply the LP12 set up. In fact it comes as a couple of boxes of parts which we assemble to suit the customers requirements. So this is something we've done for a long time. In fact we do it pretty much every day.

My own journey with the LP12 began in 1985, when I borrowed one from a friend after being told that it was something special. I agreed. I had an Ariston RD11 at the time and didn't expect to be hearing what I heard when I plugged the Sondek in.

We also service customers LP12's and maintain them. This extends their life and ensures that the turntable is at is always performing at its best. We would normally want to look at a turntable every 5 to 7 years. Mostly all that is required as a small amount of adjustment, a little oil and a new drive belt. We also take the opportunity to check the stylus and ensure it isn't damaged, as this can impact on sound quality and also damage precious vinyl. We charge £100 for this service and it also includes new springs and grommets for the suspension. We can then report on anything else we find.

We can upgrade almost any turntable to current specification. Linn have continued to develop and refine the LP12 since it was launched in the early seventies and they invest heavily in this development.

This could be as little as a new arm-board or as much as a complete rebuild. And because we have been doing this work for such a long time we've amassed a great deal of stock and parts from each turntable we've upgraded. We also have racks of new and used Linn parts enabling us to maintain our customers turntables. We have spare plinths from plinth swaps, we have good but older bearings and all the internal parts from the upgrades. We also have tonearms from customer upgrades; all in excellent condition and with a lifetimes use ahead of them.

During the pandemic I found myself with some spare time and whilst moving some boxes around the stockroom I discovered packages containing hundreds of Linn parts. I spent a few days building an LP12 out of these and was amazed at the performance it offered and the price I could sell it for. I put it for sale for £1499 and it sold within three days. So I built another. And another.

Much has been written about the performance of the LP12 and the fact that Linn have continued to invest in upgrades which move the performance of the turntable forward. As we do these upgrades we know that the old parts are still good and designed to last a lifetime. So building new from old is a great idea on many levels and can save you a lot of money.

We can build an LP12 for less than half of the price of a new one. The performance of this will be close to the new one. For the price of a new one we can built something better.

We use almost exclusively Linn parts. There are a small number of additional Non-Linn parts that we use but only during consultation with our customer and always transparently. An example of this is the power supply; the Linn Valhalla can be serviced and returned to new specification and we do this daily. However it is a single speed power supply and some customers want to play their 45's. So we have sourced high quality CE approved "Valhallas" that offer twin speed. Valhalla Electronics is currently our favourite. It matches the performance but also offer the flexibility of having twin speed.

As a result of our business in LP12's we also do a lot of upgrades and that keeps our stock of older parts good. So we can always bespoke build a deck to suit your own requirements and budget.

All our LP12's come with a warranty. It's the same as a new one.

We do not ship LP12's with arms fitted. Linn don't and neither do we. It's a good way to damage the arm bearings. We can deliver ourselves within a reasonable radius and we welcome you to collect. That way we can be sure that you get the product you want and get to listen to it first. The last thing anyone wants is a damaged product offering reduced performance. We CAN ship turntable only (without arm fitted) but it would then need to go to another retailer to be assembled. If you want something special it's worth putting yourself out a little to collect. You'll find a warm welcome.

New Linn

Linn make three versions of the LP12. These are the Majik, Selekt and Klimax. Think of this as good, better and best. More information can be found here;

https://www.linn.co.uk/uk/turntables

If this isn't clear or you need some more help and advice then don't hesitate to contact us. These three version are intended for simplicity only. We can built a turntable in between any of these performance points and we can tailor it to your own requirements. We can also built something out of a mixture of new and excellent used parts.

If you're looking to service or upgrade your LP12 or to begin your own LP12 journey. We'll explain how to do this. You may be surprised at how little this can cost.

You can also follow our LP12 work on a daily basis here; https://www.facebook.com/MoorgateAcoustics/

Read an article to gain an insight into the LP12.