New analog rig(t.t.,tonearm,phono drive)

The Vertere Mg 1does use a suspension , it has 5 adjustable blobs, same design as the Roksan Xerxes and TMS.  If you go the Vertere route i would,t go crazy with those upgraded hand built cables they try to sell you from the power supply to the motor, the basic one should be fine. ¨while it looks like a uni pivot, Vertere says it definitely is not...¨ yes I noticed that on the literature, it says ¨ Tri-Point Articulated (TPA) bearing is comprised of three precision silicon nitride balls and stainless pivot. The pivot point centred between the balls...¨  It does not say it,s  a gimbal either, but it definitely feels like a unipivot when I tried it, not a bad thing some people love those, and as long as you like it go for it.   BTW i have also heard the Vertere phono 1and is also very good, a little  better than the Roksan Reference Phone and in a more compact enclosure.

The Basis 2001 was my first table. With Graham 2.2, Benz Micro, ARC PH3SE it served me well for many years. The silicone damping fluid slowly evaporates away- if you haven't checked yours is probably gone. That's the only problem with this fine if low-tech deck. Simple and direct are good things in a turntable, and the Basis has them in abundance. 

This table also served as the, ahem, basis for mods that eventually moved me up to building the Miller Carbon turntable. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 

What I did was to first upgrade the power cord to the Basis motor. Then experimented with different belts. Then upgraded it with the early Teres Audio motor. This gave me enough hands-on experience to appreciate what changes what on a turntable.  

The 2001 is really just a 1" thick piece of acrylic with some holes drilled in it. You don't need to pay no thousands of dollars. You could drill holes in some other materials and try em out. Many things will sound better than acrylic. But its a lot of work. The best is to use an extremely dense and highly damped material which is what I did, BDR Source Shelf. Its kind of expensive but way cheaper than prices you are quoting. 

I got lucky and was doing this at a time when Teres Audio was around and building extremely high quality tables and components for great prices. Now if you can find something like that go for it, lotta work but highly recommended. But if you want to just buy a table that's fine too. 

Fortunately the saving grace with turntables is there's hardly any bad ones. Virtually all are excellent, or at least can be with the right arm, cartridge, and phono stage. 

There's no right or wrong way to go about upgrading. For example, the kind of money you're talking could get you the superb Herron VTPH2A phono stage (about $3000) and Origin Live Conqueror arm (about $6k) and you would be shocked how much better that will be. You will also at this point be done with arms and phono stages! Those are pretty much lifetime keepers. Then later on some day mount the Conqueror on a better table, be amazed all over again. There's no one right way to do this. 

Thanks cardani. I wasn’t sure about Vertere’s suspension. I was told by someone who does own the Vertere that the standard Red Line wiring and cables were very,very,very good. So, I’ll take your advice on that.

I honestly haven’t researched and don’t know a lot about these things like the uni pivot or gimbal tonearm etc. I’ve only known the Rega RB900. I ’ve read about the Vector 4 and have heard about the Origin Conqueror. The thing with my Basis plinth is only a Basis Vector can drop into the pre cut hole. Otherwise I have to send it back to Basis for a new hole cut or new acrylic plinth...Another reason to move on and up from the 2001

millercarbon- Nice turntable! Interestingly, I recently pulled out my Radio Shack Bulk demagnetizer after reading about demagnetizing LP’s.I bought my Basis 2001 in 2000. Haven’t played LP’s in 8 years. Yeah. I know. But when i tap on the plinth, the table shimmy’s like it always has. So, maybe I’m lucky and the fluid is still there.

The Herron VTPH2A is now on my phono drive list. It must best Vertere’s PHONO-1 considerably as it costs more than 2x the phono-1. I think I paid $1600 for my McCormack Micro Phono Drive in 2000.....
I know there is no one right way to do this but I’d like to be in the neighborhood of doing it right. I just want to do this once. The simple thing about the Vertere MG-1/SG-1 is the factory will mount the tonearm properly. But is the SG-1 carbon fiber tonearm majorly outclassed by the Vector 4 or Origin Conqueror? At $2350, the price difference suggests it does but I don’t know. I suppose I could always just buy the MG-1 and put on another tonearm.