The late great Tom Petty isn’t best known as a philosopher but he hit on something when he said:

“Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.”

It’s why we love hi-fi - not for the equipment itself, although it can be pretty darn cool - but for the way it makes music sound and how that music makes us feel.

These feelings have incredible staying power. Most of us can recall songs from early childhood, and long after loved ones have died music has the unique ability to rekindle cherished memories in an instant.

This was especially true for Jean Vernon, who sadly lost her husband Ken, a long-standing Audio T customer. Over the years, Ken had owned many excellent hi-fi components, but his Linn LP12 turntable held a particularly special place in his heart.

After many years of use, and a little customisation, the turntable was in need of some TLC and Jean approached us at the Portsmouth store to see if it was possible to bring her late husband’s turntable back to its former glory.

Luke Ward, store manager at Portsmouth and a qualified Linn LP12 service technician took on the task of refurbishing the turntable.

The underside of Jean and Ken’s Linn turntable

“The deck had clearly enjoyed a long life,” said Luke. “So the first task was to strip down the deck to understand what was required.”

“Most obviously, the wooden frame was showing a fair bit of wear and tear so I sanded down in stages from coarse to very fine sandpaper to ensure a smooth finish. An application of linseed oil then brought out the natural grain of the wood.”

The wooden plinth was showing signs of wear and tear

“From then on it was a case of fixing and replacing some of the faulty components including the tone arm.”

Ken had preserved a box full of Linn components, including an Ittok tonearm. This allowed Luke to install the arm and rewire the turntable, restoring it to its original specification.

“It’s a lovely deck and clearly it holds many memories for Jean. It was a pleasure to work on it,” said Luke.

Jean was overjoyed to have Ken’s turntable back which looked and sounded fantastic, with all the detail and musicality that these iconic turntables are famed for.

refurbished and back to its former glory

“We bought the turntable in the 1980s,” said Jean. “We have always had record players and the house was always full of music.”

“I wanted to keep that going but the sound quality of the Linn was not what it used to be so that’s when I contacted Audio T.”

Over the years, Jean and Ken had amassed an impressive collection of albums. Playing these records again now brings joy not only to Jean but also to her children and grandchildren, creating new memories while cherishing old ones.

“I put records on almost every day and it is quite wonderful the memories that the music brings back. It makes me feel happier,” said Jean.

“Some of the records I haven’t heard in years. My children and grandchildren will say they remember certain songs from when they were young.”

“My grandson also brought a Green Day record around the other day to hear what it sounded like on the Linn.”

Going the extra mile for our customers is at the heart of everything we do at Audio T.

In the case of Jean and her late husband Ken’s turntable, it’s rewarding to know that we’ve helped to restore not just the equipment but also a little of the magic Tom Petty spoke about.

If you have a Linn turntable in need of servicing or are curious about the latest products on the market, we’d love to help. Get in touch with us today to explore your options and keep the music playing beautifully!

Thanks for reading

Alan and Luke - Audio T Portsmouth

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