I’ll have to look into the history of the arms I must admit I don’t know much about the various Linn arms. I’ve only ever seen one Aro for sale here in NZ but they look lovely…
Thanks for the reminder about the profile
Your Linn seems to have cleaned up nicely. If you want to treat (in every sense) the wooden plinth, buy a tin of lemon oil to feed/nourish the wood - you’ll find lemon oil on that ‘well-known auction site’.
Oxidation of the outer platter is a common problem, not helped by the lacquer applied at the Linn factory. For what it’s worth, I have found that T Cut (used to polish out minor scratches on car paint) works very well, but you need to get the varnish off first. And then, after that, you will need to keep polishing the platter every so often, as there’s no varnish to seal it. Try to avoid touching the (clean) platter, as fingerprints and skin acids will mark it.
If you have slightly obsessive tendencies (as I do), get a pair of pure cotton lint-free gloves (as used by sommeliers in fancy restaurants) to use whenever you touch the outer platter. Again, you will find these on the auction site.
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Yeah I did lemon oil the plinth - I have a stack of guitars with rosewood boards also, and I did wonder about T cut or something for the platter - I’ll give it a go… thanks the for the tip
If I remember correctly, Richard, there used to be a rumour that the black Ittoks were better than the ‘silver’ versions, as they used the best bearings or ball races that the factory produced.
That was probably an urban myth calculated to persuade suckers like me to part with the 10% price uplift for the black over the silver arm.
Adding to that…
Like others, I think the Troika is a beautifully crafted shape. Probably one of the most attractive cartridge designs.
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That’s just its ‘patina’ and shows history and age. Don’t polish it off, I’m sure your deck is proud of it!
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. I was 28 when I bought my Ittok, slightly more than 36 years ago
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Is that top plate all wood or is it just the colour/photo?
That’s a super looking system you have there.
LP12 + Olive. Literally made for each other…
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I think that it’s a trick of the light. I’ve certainly never heard of a wooden top-plate for the LP12 (which I think would be far from ideal, if such a thing were to exist).
No I’ve never seen one either! Just had me puzzled, after taking my eye from that lovely cartridge that is 
Thank you very much! Although I got rid of my 135s to replace my speakers with active ATC’S it was with a bit of s heavy heart I must say. The 52 and Supercap are staying though…
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Here’s a different shot of my turntable - keeping on topic - “Show Us Your Turntable”…
Linn LP12 (1986). Fluted Afromosia plinth.
Outwardly, all original.
Also, partnered with Naim Olive.
NAC72 - HICap - NAP140
The NAC72 is fitted with “K” internal phono cards for a Linn Troika. However, currently using a Rega Aria for phono duties.
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Oooo
That does look very nice
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gorgeous
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All this talk of Ittok’s has me looking.
I’m seeing prices on the well known eB site from £250 to £750, is there a regular price for a good example LVII?
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As well as hifi forums and marketplaces, go take a look at LP12 bits. Have fun looking…
Also, if you’re interested, there is lots of reference material out there explaining the different Ittok variants.
Ittok was (is) a pretty good tonearm.
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My trusty Xerxes, simple to set-up and maintain and allows me to use the wonderful Aro + XX-2…
And it sounds pretty damn good, looks OK too…works for me.
Merry Christmas to All 
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I may have a chat with my dealer who built my LP12 about 18 months ago.
I’m sure he will help me with both recommendations and sourcing a good example if I decide to go this route. I’ll do a bit of research as suggested before approaching him next year… 
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