Hep me save "The Little Turntable that Could"!

Please help me save my "Little Turntable that Could"!

I'm retired, in my 70s, and have hearing loss from Meniere's. I now listen to the world through hearing aids and the constant ringing of tinnitus. But, when I was a teenager in the 60s and 70s, and throughout my younger years, my hearing was great and I loved listening to the music of the day. I saved all of my vinyl, as well as my gear from that time, and now I’m hoping to restore my system and once again enjoy the music just as I did back then.

The system I have was respectable for a person of my age and budget at that time, but it doesn’t come close to the gear I see folks discussing here, and that’s fine, as I haven't the hearing, funds, or the desire to go beyond what I already have. I just want to get everything working well again, drop the needle, and re-experience the joy I had back then when we listened more to the music than the gear, and couldn't imagine life ever getting better than it was!

The system I'm trying to bring back to life consists of a Sansui 5000x (still works well, but I'll recap it), a Philips GA212 turntable (“The Little Turntable that Could”) mounting a Stanton 681EE with a new stylus from Jico, all driving a pair of Polk Audio S4 bookshelf speakers. 

(Brief pause here, to allow laughter to subside.)

Unimpressive, but that doesn't bother me as I'll be listening to the music, not the system, and it’s way better than my ears at this point. Besides, since this is partly about reliving memories, I’d rather have this exact setup, than a $20,000 “Spitzen-Sparken 9000”, or whatever is state of the art these days.

But here’s the problem: when working on the GA212, I damaged the tonearm beyond repair. Please don’t ask how it happened, as the whole thing sickens me. I love that little TT, and it was my fault and entirely avoidable. As soon as it happened, I realized my mistake, but the damage was done.

Aside from the tonearm, the rest of the TT is absolutely perfect. So, I’m hoping that someone out there has an excellent GA212 tonearm that I can transplant to my machine, or maybe an otherwise hopeless GA212 with a very good tonearm that could serve as a donor for this project.

Perhaps you have aGA212 packed away that you just know you’ll never use again. Or maybe you’re using one as a doorstop! Perhaps, you don’t have one but can direct me to a source. In any case, I’d be grateful for the help. I’ll pay a reasonable ask for this, though I really don’t know what a reasonable ask is for GA212 tonearm.

I’m posting this here and to a coupe of other forums in hopes of reaching someone in position to help. Also, if anyone has done this before and has any tips or advice to share, I’d be very grateful!

Thank you in advance.

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