Blue & white 'suitcase' portable, from my lovely great grandmother ( early - mid 1960s)

Garrard wood-based 'table with cream colored plastic arm (bartered from grandfather, along with 50 watt Lafayette tube amp for $12 and a few 1/2 acre lawn mows (late 60s into late 70s)

Dual CS 505-2 (I think) through college and well beyond

Nottingham Horizon w/ Grado cart, Late 90s --> mid/late 'aughts

Eat C Sharp w/ carbon fiber arm & Clearaudio Maestro Ebony II cart, from around 2019 - 2025

Pure Fidelity Harmony Mk 2 w/ Savant arm & Hana Umami Red cart (2025 - present)

I'm very happy (ok, freakin' delighted) with my current set-up, particularly since upgrading to an Accuphase C-57 phono stage a few months ago. I may spring for the Umami Black, when the Red completes its appointed rounds.

Garrard wood-based 'table with cream colored plastic arm (bartered from grandfather, along with 50 watt Lafayette tube amp for $12 and a few 1/2 acre lawn mows (late 60s into late 70s)
 

Ha! Got mine partly by helping bale hay summers.

Started as a teenager with an all-in-one portable system; don't recall the brand, but it was awful.

In college I got a better all-in-one system comprising an HH Scott receiver with a Garrard turntable on top.  Later I got my first decent TT--a Dual 1218 with a Stanton cartridge, later upgraded to a Shure V15 Type III.

Next was a Thorens TD 166 with a Grace F9E cart, which I still have in a closet.

Finally, I bought a SOTA Star Sapphire Series III with an ET-2 tonearm and an Alchemist IIB high-output MC cart.  I upgraded the cart to a Monster Alpha Genesis 1000 (very good) and most recently a Lyra Kleos (excellent).  I'm a fan of both the vacuum holddown platter and the well-implemented tangential tracking.  The high lateral mass of the ET-2 limits the choice of carts, but I was still able to get two fine ones, and reduction of choice is sometimes a blessing.

Fisher Price record player c. 1976.

Sony all-in-one midi system 1989-1994

Audio Technica (entry level, I forget the model) 1999-2003

Rega P5 2004-2024 (couple of Exacts followed by an Ania, upgraded with TT power supply, and MC phono)

VPI Prime 21 with Shyla cartridge. 2024-