Harry upgraded a mate of mine with the karousel and lingo 4 and he can’t believe the sound that’s now coming through
Yes he has a dynavector phono and dynavector cartridge but he had those anyway before the above 2 upgrades
I also think the $450 for a service will be worth it as Harry also gave my mates a good going over and I think it’s about the same vintage as yours .
Hopefully happy days ahead for you
Just playing my original copy of Wish You Were Here - very nice indeed. Will need to work through my collection of original analogue recordings 
It is a bargain and a great basis for upgrading to a deck close to Selekt level.
I recently upgraded my 78 vintage LP12 to this with Kore, Karousel, Lingo 4 and a few other bits and now have an excellent TT for around half the price of a new Selekt LP12.
Hey Mike, I bought a ‘Vintage’ LP12 for my wife.
We kept it at Circus, Ittok LVII, standard base etc. We just had it fully serviced and changed the aging PS to my Mose Hercules II PS. It’s sounds wonderful and she loves it. Whole thing including service cost me £2k exactly😉
Edit Oh! and an Ortofon 2M Bronze MM cart.
That’s an interesting name for your wife.
Sorry to the “Grammar Police”
Now corrected.
I think that’s a lovely LP12 with a good Ittok arm. Are you going for it?
Hi @Mike_S
Really nice LP12 there. Looks like it’s been loved and looked after.
You can post as many photos of that “old fruit box” as you like 
Now we’re all fascinated to see what you might do with it ?
Good luck
Yes, I bought it last Thursday. I had in on hold when I first saw it and a mate with a LP12 went and checked it out for me. He will buy it from from me if I don’t keep it - but it’s staying - it’s a big lift from the Rega 3.
Congratulations Mike. The LP12 is a bit special. With Lingo 4 and Karousel you will be set!
Moving discussion to here @ratrat
Yes, that is the crux of the matter.
My intention is to have the ND555 as the primary source, largely because a lot of the music I listen to isn’t available on vinyl. But I also have a pretty good vinyl collection (320 odd), a lot from the 70’s and 80’s - some of which is no longer available and in really nice condition and off course analogue recordings, so they deserve hearing them well. So, ideally, getting the LP12 close enough towards the ND555 so that I will want to enjoy it a lot for the different presentation and experience and not feeling “it’s not quite their, I’ll flick to streaming”.
Anyway, my dealer recommends firstly adding a Lingo 4 and a Karousel (it has a Circus). Then a Kore and Trampolin, either with the first two, or a later on (@Bevo favoured the “later on” option). I’m inclined to get it down to my dealer for a day for the first option to have it done for the summer holidays and he can give it a good look over and check the cartridge. There is only one Karousel in stock in NZ too, which complicates things.
Otherwise, I can just enjoy it until the Autumn and then take it from there.
Nice that you have original records, from 70’s and 80’s, etc.
Our own 70’s albums are mostly Yes, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, et al.
Your music listening sounds like our house. Streaming (and CD’s) does the heavy lifting. Always on and playing. A record player is an occasional treat and more special experience, etc.
Thinking about a desire for parity with your other source. Maybe listen to a few LP12’s if you can. Most LP12 stockists can help with this. Maybe a Selekt level and a Klimax level, to compare and contrast with your ND555 and see how you feel ?
Make a few decisions with your dealer on the basis of your findings…
FWIW, the LP12 Selekt level is a pretty decent turntable.
I would argue at least as good as NDX2. (Sorry, can’t say for ND555)?
The Cirkus is a decent bearing. Karousel is better.
Any external psu will improve on the standard Valhalla fitted internally.
The Lingo4 is excellent, probably the sweet spot in the Linn psu options.
Those two items, by themselves, probably constitute the best additions and a great start.
This should show you an obvious uplift, from stock or basic LP12.
Addition of Kore, Trampolin2 and T-Kable gets you to full Selekt level inside.
Be prepared for one or two extra bits, (not always obvious, such as a cross brace, or arm board), to migrate from standard upwards to Selekt level.
Being a purist, have a bias for the original Ittok (or maybe Ekos from same era). Both are fine tonearms and wouldn’t be concerned to quickly change to more recent tonearms. However, any Ittok is 30+ years old now. It is worth examining the Ittok bearings. Lots of YouTube videos showing how a “swing test” works. Again, your dealer might help here too. It is possible to bring an Ittok (or Ekos) back to full specification with a service and bearing change.
Cartridge is a subject open to personal taste.
The forum search function is your friend.
Also - in time - think about a decent phono stage. Lots of choices here…
Dynavector P75, especially if you select a Dyna’ cartridge. Rega Aria is good value. Linn Uphorik is great for synergy. With a 552, I would be tempted towards a SuperLine.
Advice and kind words from @Bevo is all about right.
IMHO, Selekt can be achieved for reasonable money. Particularly with your start point.
Anything higher gets more expensive, (even using pre-loved parts ) and “law of diminishing returns” kicks in.
Good luck with your LP12 journey.
Hope you enjoy yours as much as ours…
KR
R
Personally, love the original fluted Afromosia plinth.
Maybe an object of desire and real beauty ?
( It also plays records )
This is the recent story of our LP12, which was as original, from new in 1986 until 2020.
This “old fruit box” was brought up to date inside, with upgrades to Selekt level and some TLC too.
(1) LP12 inside - before image
(2) LP12 inside - after image
(3) Ittok, during "bearing strip / service & rebuild "
(4) Troika Goldring rebuild
(5) A work in progress
(6) A year long story…
Hope all that makes for interesting reading…
Enjoy your journey. Have fun along the way.
R
Most of my upgrades were more than one part at a time, so separating the benefits is not easy.
I went Hercules to Lingo 3 a week before Lingo 4 was announced, the dealer agreed to do a swop and the 4 was significantly better.
Karousel similar.
At which point I would go a bit leftfield. My only experience of Trampolin was when a mate had one fitted, but at the same time as changing to glass supports. Sound went very edgy and no dynamics.
As you already have an isolation platform and have a precious collection, if you don’t already have one, spend the Trampolin money towards a record cleaner.
Footnote…
I understand that Audio Origami has subsequently stopped doing refurbishment work for legacy Linn tonearms.
However, another specialist has since appeared.
The HiFi Gallery : Tonearm Repair Shop.
Just saying…
(Usual caveats - no direct experience and therefore not a personal endorsement, etc).
Hope all that helps
R
We have just had an Ittok serviced and re-wired by Paul at HiFi Gallery. Really pleased, it’ll be good for another 40 years. Nice guy to do business with.
Are you sure?
About what…
Happy to help. Could you expand.?
R
Another perfectly valid approach…
Sounds like it already offers something quite musical and a step forward from your Rega. Just a service and maybe a new cartridge might be fine too.
Noticed Richard D also suggested “ Keep it as it is for now “…
Just curious - What thoughts do you have?
KR
R
Well, firstly and most importantly, I have discovered that YYZ on the 40th anniversary edition of Moving Pictures is a superb test track. In fact by the time I had flipped sides and got into The Camera Eyes, my eyes were glazing over. So I entirely get where Richard was coming from with his comments. I could happily stick with where it is and be happy.
Secondly, having listened to Moving Pictures, I’m reminded of comparing apples with apples. The presentation, being a 80’s recording played on the LP12 was well up there. Superb really. When I mentioned that the ND555 was beating vinyl, I was comparing a newly recorded album on a hi-res download versus the same recording on vinyl. The ND555 was well ahead. So, I am minded that those 70/80’s rock LPs are going to hold their own on a good turntable.
On the other hand, an upgrade to get to the Seleckt level has a certain appeal and I’ve no doubt they will raise the bar again and I trust everyones advice on those. So I’m tempted to go Lingo 4, Karousel and Kore, but it is quite a bit of money. Practically, I prefer to hit that all in one go, if I go that way. My dealer is a 2 hr drive away, so it’s a full day to get that sorted. I could stage it out, but the Lingo and Karousel are the biggest cost. On the other hand, I could stage it starting with the Lingo and maybe the Karousel now, with the benefit of it being looked over, but I’m not sensing any performance issues as it is. But I did add the Neo to the RP3, and it was a big lift, so a Lingo does make sense.
That all probably tends towards leaving as it is, and then going all in with the Lingo/Karousel and Kore in one hit later.
But, tomorrow is another day…