I think the problem here is mis-communication, and expectations. Not blaming any of the parties and of course, I have always held high regards for Kuruvila sir, I think when Mr. Kuruvila sent a message to Mr. Naren stating that the TT is not as good as expected, Naren might have thought that the TT may have some cosmetic blemishes and there is no problem if it plays fine. This is esp. true if Naren was a newbie for turntables (as once I was too and bought a TT having likewise thoughts too)
Also, Kuruvila sir had promised to provide with the OEM headshell which he has already procured and just that it has to reach Naren, I think this point should be closed now. Reg. the counterweight issue, is the markings not inscribed on the counterweight? My Technics has the numbers inscribed on the counterweight and carries white fonts over it. So, even if the white color fades out, the markings still remain by which the functionality does not gets impaired. Assuming that this counterweight does not have inscription on it, still Mr. Kuruvila has assured to find a spare one for Naren and I am sure, he will sometime soon procure it too, just seeing the vast numbers of turntables that he comes across with.
I value both our FMs equally and also think that Mr. Kuruvila's integrity is unquestionable. Just that some mis-communication and some delay in getting the required stuff has left the transaction in sour taste...but I am sure that all of Naren's concern which were promised will be eventually looked over.
I hope that both you guys talk about it and come to a mutual conclusion.
And dear FMs, if you have some patience, I will like to narrate my story of getting a TT too. Nothing connected to the above transaction, but feeling that I must share what I went through.
I had owned a good number of record players like HMV, Philips, etc. but never a true Hi-fi turntable. When I tumbled in this forum through google, I came to know about Technics. (Yes, I never knew about Technics before joining HFV). Reading about the solid reputation of Technics everywhere on the internet and how reliable and rock solid they are in build quality, I just made my mind that I will buy only a Technics turntable. During my search for technics, a lot of very good Yamahas, Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, Akai, Dual etc were offered to me. Some at very reasonable prices. But I was determined to get a Technics TT only. I had developed a love for the font too!
Then one fine day, I came across an ad of Technics SL-Q33 on OLX. I immediately called up the seller and came to know that he is a dealer kind of and not a private owner of the TT. Still I went ahead with the deal. Since the dealer was located in Pune, I called up a friend of mine to go inspect the TT and if found satisfactory, I told him to pick it up then & there with a Technics SU 8022 Amp too.
Now, the friend I asked to inspect & collect the stuff was (& still is) a noob when it comes to turntables. He heard the TT sing and reported to be ok. I was inexperienced too and I asked him to get the TT and a Pioneer Amp packed. The Technics amp which I was offered first had developed some problem, hence the seller offered the Pioneer amp, which according to him was in 'mint condition'. He also offered me a Dual idler turntable in place of technics, but I declined over the phone stating that I need a Technics with an S-arm, which should be fully automatic.
He packed the TT well and my friend took the pains to ship that 18kg parcel. Reached to me on time, but when I opened the package, I was disappointed to see the TT. The paint on the TT was on its last leg of life and the stylus and cartridge were very average in reproducing music. Also, the none of the automatic functions were working (the seller told me that it is due to a broken rubber belt inside). Moreover, the headshell and even the feet of the TT were not OEM. The plastic feet were those which you find under those wooden chairs!! I had a mixed feeling of disappointment, anger and felt cheated by the seller.
I was disappointed that what the seller has done to an otherwise a beautiful and such a musical turntable. Shipping it back and asking for another TT was not an option. I decided to live with it and first get familiar to whatever I am having. Gave the TT a nice service which mostly was proper lubrication at relevant points and it started singing. As stated, the cart was nothing to be very fond of. Later changed the broken belt and serviced the entire auto-mechanism myself to get it working like a charm.
But let me come to the amp. The Pioneer SX-434 is considered a very sweet & warm sounding amp in budget. It is a beautiful piece of equipment too. And thankfully, the amp which I received was literally in mint condition. I simply could not eat the fact that it is an amp which was built 40 years ago! It was gorgeous, no problems what so ever, except a couple of bulbs of the receiver dial not working. I replaced those in a jiffy.
Then I got myself a Shure M44-7 cart to couple it with my TT and then the TT sang to it's ability. It sounded very musical and fell in love with the equipment slowly, don't exactly know when. It became my best friend for countless evenings & nights where it would play my favorite vinyls to perfection. Never that turntable skipped a beat in terms of its speed. Always rock solid, both on the strobe and to the ears.
After spending about an year or so, I thought of giving the turntable the share of beauty it always deserved. Hence, I was ready to give up the psychology of original factory paint and decided to get it repainted, but with the original colour.
You can read my experience here:
http://www.hifivision.com/phono-turntables/45178-restoration-my-technics-sl-q33.html
Got help of several FMs from here and Mr. Kuruvila even volunteered to get the work done from his technician. But I wanted to do it myself and thankfully everything turned out good. Another gentleman, Hiten came to my rescue when I needed the OEM headshell & the feet for the TT and my TT was finally restored to perfection.
Whenever I play the TT, it sings to perfection - the best testimony of Technics quality and if you visit the link above, you can yourself see how it looks. It was the build quality of Technics that it survived the brunts of the seller and still come out beautiful, clean and reliable with all electronics inside as OEMs. I have taken a close look at the main board too and there is not a single sign of repair anywhere....just goes to show on the build quality and quality of electronics inside.
I think that some patience, some knowledge of mine, and a lot of support from members here is what made my system complete (and even possible in first place). Now when I look in hindsight, I have no regrets of buying this turntable. It is simply what I dreamed of before setting into my hifi vinyl journey. A fully automatic Technics Direct Drive turntable.
For this, I will always be grateful to members here, HFV in general for all the help, support and knowledge I have gained from this forum. I have always received more than I have given to this forum and I literally mean it from the core of my heart.
Thanks for going through my HI-FI story, considering it was kind of longish.
