Hi my old LP12 has an unribbed black carcus bought in 1986…sh I don’t think I ever seen one with smooth sides since…has anyone else seen any. The guy I bought it off said it was a special order…it is a Vahalla model pre circus…
Just looks like a very plain Black Ash painted job to me.
Unless I’m missing something I don’t think the tinted lid is a 1986 though.
Mine is Black Ash from 1987 and it has a clear lid. 
I was told it was circa 1984 …
Yep, plain unribbed black was available as an option back then. IIRC it was more expensive……
The “smoked Perspex” lid was also standard for the early ‘80s.
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Looks like the regular black ash plinth.
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Cheers thanks…
I did read that all the Black Ash plinths we’re un-fluted. Due to it being a harder wood.
This was mine from 1986.
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“Special order” in the sense that it was not the bog standard fluted Afromosia, but it’s probably the second most common finish for that time.
My Dad’s was a 1985 purchase brand new and it also has a clear lid. I wonder how far back into the early '80s you need to go to get a smoked lid.
To be fair, it probably was a special order, as the vast majority of Sondeks were fluted. I remember black being offered as an option…at extra cost.
But in those days in order to garner any amount of “street credibility” in the audiophile world, your Sondek had to be fluted. Not that we were sheep-like in any sense. No Siree!
Baaaaaaaah
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Without trying to find my receipt from Hampshire Audio, I would suggest 1982. Possibly 1981.
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My pre loved LP12 is plain black ash too - I thought is was a rather plain and common finish. Good to think it might have been a special order.
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No, no, no! You would play the connoisseur card actually, as everyone knows that black ash made for the best sounding plinths (seriously, that was the consensus on that).
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Thanks guys this is quite interesting…cheers
Still have my much modified 1990 linn lp-12 with the original black ash plinth with clear dustcover. Why the black ash?, which even back then was not my preferred choice . Simple, it was less likely to be noticed when it replaced a rega 3 - that in those days (I think) only came in black Any way, I owned it in black. I forget if the change was noticed or not. At the time, my parents were not likely to notice and certainly not use my system.
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From 1986…
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In the 80s all furniture had to be in black ash finish. It was the law.
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Oooh. A modern price list…
Looks like the plain black ash, which is still on my lp-12, it was my least favourite back then and still is but was the least likely to be noticed when switching from a Rega rp3. For years now, i wanted to switch it out for one of Chris Harban’s bases but …… 1.couldn’t really justify the expense, 2. couldn’t decide which one, also at one point one came in to my dealer , from Chris (it was already sold) a black (something - I forget all the details), it was the most beautiful of all his plinths that I’ve ever seen, and it spoiled me from wanting any of his other ones. I think it was ribbed and shiny, but I really don’t remember except it was gorgeous.
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