Halcro, besides the aesthetics, was there any value in removing the "base" from the turntable? BTW, I like the design of your arm pillars. Any reason you decided to go with your own design as opposed to using the steel column "legs with spikes" sometimes seen in Japanese auctions sites?I didn't get a base with either of my Victors rgs.....just the motor units.
And I wanted the freedom of mounting ANY arm of ANY length and ANY design.....so I think separate arm-pods are the best way to achieve this.
I looked into buying existing arm-pods but their weight, height, design and cost were all inappropriate (most vintage arms have their wiring exiting their bases whilst most modern arms have their wiring exiting from above).
There are also arms with VTA adjustment devices which need to be accommodated under their arms so I designed my solid bronze pods to accomodate all the vintage and modern arms I could know about.
http://i.imgur.com/e3JxLkl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WU5k38M.jpg