Turntable Bearings

Yes; tried the stethoscope and seems o'kay. Consulted with two known expert Linn tech's and they seem to agree that thirty yr old bearing should be replaced regardless. No 1st gen Cirkus NOS available so the new Cirkus is the only option. Now to restate my question; does anyone recommend the purchase of a thirty year old TT with no way to conclusively determine thhe viability of the platter spindle and bearing? I would like to sell this table to a friend but not w/o being able to assure him of it's value. I know I could try for an NOS bbearing from Russ Andrews but I'm not sure it would fit in with my existing sub-chassis. I see a llot of older tables for sale and wonder if anyone really knows if the bearings are not worn into audible problems; even if you can't see the wear. BTW; thanks to all for the very informative and kind responses.

The new(er) bearings will fit in the older tables. There are literally thousands of 30 year old LP12 in service with their original bearings and existing owners are not complaining. If you like the Linn sound, an older LP 12 with an Ittok arm in for around the $1k range used is hard to beat.

Btw, you can always purchase a cheap digital USB microscope and check for a flat spot on the spindle point.

Yes, if the price if right, and the platter spins freely, I recommend the purchase of a thirty year old turntable with no way to conclusively determine the viability of the platter, spindle and bearing. These things sell every day.

Of course, if one has audiphilia nervosa or OCD, maybe not.

Microscope! That's the ticket. To address OCD;I agree to some extent; I know it appears a little overzealous to question the bbearing condition like this. But let me say this. I stated earlier that the bass sound seemed to be more diffuse and not quite as sharp and detailed as it was initially. How do I know? My only defense is I hhave owned the table for 30 yrs. I like to listen. If I felt I could not seriously tell these things then I would take up golf and buy a BOse system. But I trust my ears and this is my hobby and if you can't do that then whats the point? Please not to sound harsh it's just how I feel.

To answer your question, one must first determine the value of the table in what you believe it's current condition to be. I sounds as if you are somewhat confident that there is/could be an issue with the bearing. At this point, walk away there are many many of these LP12's in various states of condition and upgrade on the market. You can buy a LP12 from a dealer as mentioned for as low as 2000.00 that he would have gone thru. I know Rick would not let a "problem prone" TT out of his shop. He may and will suggest upgrades as that is a dealers path of business to LP12 owners. As far as what will fit the oldest LP12, anything Linn produces will retro fit their LP12's. They never have changed the base units, just keep adding upgrades,e.g. motors, bearings, suspension, arm boards, tonearms, power supply's and the list goes on. As a former owner I decided to move in another direction as the desire to upgrade would have been too expensive. But with out know what dollar figure you are looking at on this particular LP12, it is hard to justify if you have to turn around and spend 1300.00 right away. If you could buy a ready to go and properly tuned table for 2000-2500.00 I know where I start.
All my opinion of course. But from what I am reading, you seem very concerned about this table's bearing and, I have found my fears/concerns are usually warranted. If you are hearing something that doesn't sound right, it probably isn't and LP12's are a expensive when trial and error trouble shooting them.
Again just my opinion and no intent of offensive content.